Palami steps down as Azkals team manager

Dan Palami. | Inquirer photo

 CEBU CITY, Philippines— Long-time Philippine Men’s National Football Team Manager Dan Palami is stepping down from his post.

Newly-elected Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president John Gutierrez made the announcement through a Facebook post on the Tha Azkals Facebook page on Tuesday, January 9, 2024. 

Also, Gutierrez and Palami appeared in a press conference on Tuesday to make the announcement. 

“I want to give (Gutierrez) the elbow room and free hand to do what he thinks is necessary for Philippine Football to move forward,” said Palami during the presser. 

The 53-year-old Palami, a Tacloban City native is a household name in the Philippine football scene. He managed the Philippine Azkals in the 2010s which resulted to its meteoric rise in Asian football. 

He is widely credited for his huge contribution to the revival of football in the Philippines, due to the performance of the Azkals during the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup where they beat powerhouse Vietnam 2-0 in Hanoi, from a team which Palami formed. 

From then on, the Azkals have progressed tremendously and have competed in various international tournaments including the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers where they made four consecutive second-round appearances. 

Also, Palami made an indelible mark in Cebu’s football scene for bringing a top-caliber football club during the height of the Philippine Football League (PFL). 

He brought his co-owned team, Global Cebu FC that was embraced by Cebuanos as their own. Global Cebu FC became one of the most feared clubs in the PFL and even reached the 2017 AFC Champions League.

Besides that, Dan Palami helped bring in numerous FIFA-sanctioned friendly matches of the Azkals to Cebuano football fans. 

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