Photo by Kennedy Caacbay, ABS-CBN News
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) on Tuesday revealed the roster of the Philippine women's national futsal team for the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup 2025 Qualifiers, set to take place in Uzbekistan from January 11 to 19.
The current line-up for the Uzbekistan tiff is comprised of Sheen Borres, Shelah Mae Cadag, Sara Castañeda, Judy Connolly, Alisha Del Campo, Isabella Flanigan, Cathrine Graversen, Katrina Guillou, Samantha Hughes, Rocelle Mendaño, Vrendelle Nuera, Regine Rebosora, Kayla Santiago, and Dionesa Tolentin.
The PFF said in a press release that it "carefully selected" the players during a talent identification camp held last month in Manila.
Meanwhile, Rafa Merino, a Barcelona-born coach, is taking the reins of the national squad after the unceremonious reassignment of ex-mentor Vic Hermans during the holidays.
Their participation in this contest is part of the team's preparations for the Philippine-hosted FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup this year, as acknowledged by PFF President John Gutierrez.
"The Asian Cup Qualifiers will be a pivotal moment for our women’s futsal national team, as their performance here will set the tone for our campaign in the FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup," he said.
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During the send-off event for the players in Makati City, Gutierrez specifically asked the media to not talk about controversies hounding the sport for the question and answer portion.
Gutierrez said he will allot time to engage with these questions after the tournament.
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"This is a send-off of the women's national team. The reason why we haven't been speaking about this publicly is we want to shield these women from all controversies hounding the futsal event," he said.
In a separate interview with ABS-CBN News, Gutierrez also acknowledged that he saw a letter from The Henry V. Moran Foundation, a benefactor of the sport in the country.
It said that the federation "desist from using the TM PINAY5 in any current and future events under the PFF" — an apparent manifestation of an ongoing rift between the two bodies.