Philippine men’s national football team interim head coach Norman Fegidero is keeping the morale alive despite heading to the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia with limited preparations. 

Barely a week after the departure of Tom Saintfiet as he moves back to Africa, the Pinoy booters are bracing for another tough campaign with no certainty and stability in sight. 

Stripped of its identity as former “Azkals” including a promised bright future with Saintfiet, it doesn’t help that the Nationals are coming off a sorry campaign in the preliminary joint qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup a few months back. 

All things considered, Fegidero knew he was in a bind when he accepted to take over for the meantime as he briefly held the position in 2008.

"Our first training is today," said Fegidero. "My job is to make this team competitive. It's a unique situation, but I believe in them. We'll give them a good fight. We want to win. We're all on the same page. We want to win, for our fans of course."

Although some of the players have yet to arrive and the team scrambles with an incomplete lineup at the moment, Fegidero is hoping that sense of familiarity will carry the team over in its debut in the Malaysian tilt. 

The Philippines kicks off the tournament against Malaysia at the Bukit Jalil Stadium at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 4.

Should the Nationals overcome the odds of their situation and emerge on top of the host nation before its home crowd, they play the winner between Lebanon and Tajikistan on Sunday evening. 

"We're in a very unique situation. The team arrived yesterday and other players will arrive this afternoon. It's a big challenge for me on how we prepare the team," said Fegidero. 

"All of the players are excited to play here in this Merdeka Cup. We've been together for a long time, so the players are familiar with one another. I think we can play a very good game."

At this point, the Pinoy booters are grasping at straws which is why Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso and his coaching staff will join the men's side to provide additional help.