Azkals’ qualifying games postponed, Ceres to play behind closed doors

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) announced that the national team's upcoming games in the FIFA World Cup/Asian Cup joint qualifiers have been postponed, due to the threat posed by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The move was made by FIFA and AFC, as all qualification matches on the FIFA international window of March 23-31 and June 1-9 have been postponed.

The Azkals were supposed to play three matches in the upcoming windows: against Guam on March 26, against China on June 4, and against Maldives on June 9.

The PFF said the matches will be scheduled to a later date.

FIFA and the AFC will continue monitoring the situation and decide if further changes to the schedule are needed.

Meanwhile, Ceres-Negros FC also announced that its upcoming 2020 AFC Cup match against Bali United of Indonesia will be held behind closed doors.

For the health and safety of our spectators, we regret to inform you that we will be playing our AFC Cup match with Bali United behind closed doors. As such, only essential personnel will be allowed inside the stadium.#AFCCup2020 #Philippines #Indonesia #ceresfootball

"This is in support of the national and local government, the PFF, and the DOH's drive to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus disease," Ceres-Negros said. ABS-CBN News