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'Everyone here is Filipino': Pinay footballers celebrate heritage amid questions

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="The Philippine women" s="" national="" football="" team="" celebrate="" after="" beating="" Chinese="" Taipei="" in="" a="" penalty="" shootout="" to="" secure="" qualification="" for="" the="" FIFA="" World="" Cup.="" AFC="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/tvpatrol/02/07/footballers.jpg"/><figcaption>The Philippine women&#x27;s national football team celebrate after beating Chinese Taipei in a penalty shootout to secure qualification for the FIFA Women&#x27;s World Cup. AFC photo.</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA, Philippines -- That the heritage of some players on the Philippine women&#x27;s national football team would be questioned was almost inevitable.During their campaign in the AFC Women&#x27;s Asian Cup 2022, commentators and even <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-24/liveblog-matildas-v-philippines/100778482">reporters from other countries</a> had noted that the team features several players from the Filipino diaspora, some of whom have not yet visited their motherland. Many players were developed through the American college system, and a handful are playing overseas.Even as the country celebrated their historic campaign in India, where the Philippines qualified for the FIFA Women&#x27;s World Cup for the first time ever, there were questions over the composition of the team, the heritage of the players, and the extent of their &quot;Filipino-ness.&quot;<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/31/22/filipinas-advance-to-fifa-womens-world-cup">READ: Filipinas advance to FIFA Women&#x27;s World Cup</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/31/22/philippines-success-can-inspire-next-generation-says-stajcic">READ: Philippines&#x27; success can inspire next generation, says Stajcic</a></li></ul>Those questions were dismissed vehemently by the team&#x27;s Australian coach, Alen Stajcic, on Sunday, as he declared the Filipinas &quot;wonderful ambassadors for the country&quot; who have represented the Philippines in a superb manner during the Women&#x27;s Asian Cup.&quot;I get a little bit incensed at that question about how Filipino the players are, you know. It upsets me a little bit,&quot; Stajcic admitted during a press conference on Sunday.Stajcic, who is now back in Australia after four months with the Philippine team, recalled the passion and dedication showed by his players not only during the tournament, but also in their intensive training camp in Irvine, California.&quot;When you see the players at training, and how much passion they play with, how proudly they represent the flag and what they carry in their heart, you know, how can you doubt how much Filipino they are?&quot; he pointed out.&quot;It&#x27;s really upsetting that type of question. They&#x27;ve broken so many barriers for the country, they fly the flag proudly in their heart, which is the main thing, and what wonderful ambassadors for the country,&quot; he added.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/02/01/22/stajcic-deflects-credit-for-phs-world-cup-achievement">READ: Stajcic deflects credit for PH&#x27;s World Cup achievement</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/02/01/22/triumph-vs-chinese-taipei-shows-pinays-growth-spirit">READ: Triumph vs Chinese Taipei shows Pinays&#x27; growth, spirit</a></li></ul><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt=" Filipina players Katrina Guillou, Malea Cesar, and Kiara Fontanilla visited the Philippines for the first time after their AFC Women" s="" Asian="" Cup="" campaign.="" AFC="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/tvpatrol/02/07/guillou_cesar_fontanilla.jpg"/><figcaption>Filipina players Katrina Guillou, Malea Cesar, and Kiara Fontanilla visited the Philippines for the first time after their AFC Women&#x27;s Asian Cup campaign. AFC photo.</figcaption></figure></div>The players themselves are aware that there are those who are skeptical of how they came to play for the Philippine team. But those questions were answered not just by their achievement in India, but also by the bond that they formed with their teammates and coaches.&quot;This team has been more welcoming to me than any other group that I&#x27;ve experienced, and I know for me, it&#x27;s because everyone here is Filipino,&quot; said 18-year-old Malea Cesar, who was born in California.&quot;Being able to connect with these girls on another level, a cultural level, isn&#x27;t something that I can do at home. So being able to be here and see that experience brought to life in more than just the football team has been awesome for me,&quot; she added.Cesar was among the players who visited the Philippines for the first time after their campaign in the Women&#x27;s Asian Cup, along with goal-keeper Kiara Fontanilla and Filipina-French ace Katrina Guillou.Guillou, 28, traces her roots to Manila through her mother, and was grateful for the opportunity to see, even briefly, where her mother was born and raised.&quot;Being able to finally see where my mom and her family grew up, that&#x27;s something I never thought I&#x27;d be able to do,&quot; said Guillou, who plays professionally in Sweden&#x27;s first division for Piteå IF. &quot;With this chance, I&#x27;ve been able to be in this country, so I&#x27;m really grateful for all the support that the federation has given us.&quot;<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/02/03/22/stajcic-hails-filipinas-phenomenal-effort-vs-korea">READ: Stajcic hails Filipinas&#x27; &#x27;phenomenal&#x27; effort vs Korea</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/02/03/22/world-cup-bound-pinays-have-busy-schedule-for-rest-of-2022">READ: World Cup-bound Pinays have busy schedule for rest of 2022</a></li></ul>Fontanilla, 21, wanted to play for the Philippines in honor of her father, and <a href="https://thefootballsack.com.au/2022/01/just-started-crying-fontanillas-incredible-path-to-matildas-showdown.html">endured a long process</a> just to get her Philippine passport and visa. It paid off when she made her debut against Australia in the group stages, anchoring a defense that held the Matildas scoreless for 50 minutes before the gritty Filipinas eventually absorbed a 4-0 defeat.Like Guillou, she embraced the opportunity to learn more about her roots.&quot;It&#x27;s definitely a bit of culture shock &#x27;cause back home, it&#x27;s only my dad and my grandparents. So being here in the hometown, I love how everyone is so welcoming and being able to share it with my newfound family is great,&quot; said Fontanilla.&quot;And we&#x27;re all Filipino,&quot; she stressed. &quot;There&#x27;s no such thing that we&#x27;re not Filipino enough. We all have a heart of Philippine gold.&quot;It&#x27;s not the first time that the heritage of Filipino football players have been put in question. The Philippine Azkals also endured similar criticisms early on, when the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) brought in players based in Europe to shore up the squad.Those criticisms have not died down entirely, but the success of the Azkals at the regional level has inspired more local players to take up the sport, while also opening up doors to other Filipino-foreign players to represent the country as well.For the Filipinas, the hope is that they will have a similar impact -- if not even bigger -- on local players as well as those who have Filipino roots and want to represent the Philippines.&quot;I think we&#x27;re here to make a difference, we&#x27;re here to create &#x27;herstory,&#x27;&quot; said Fontanilla. &quot;I think if we continue to do what we&#x27;ve been doing since we&#x27;ve been together, we can definitely make an impact in Philippine football.&quot;<div>RELATED VIDEO:</div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1911999" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

That the heritage of some players on the Philippine women's national football team would be questioned was almost inevitable.

'Everyone here is Filipino': Pinay footballers celebrate heritage amid questions

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'Everyone here is Filipino': Pinay footballers celebrate heritage amid questions

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published February 07, 2022 01:16 PM PHT

|

Updated February 07, 2022 01:17 PM PHT

Read More:

football

Philippine women's national football team

PWNFT

FIFA Women's World Cup

Philippine Football Federation

PFF

AFC Women's Asian Cup

Alen Stajcic

Katrina Guillou

Malea Cesar

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