Neil Etheridge: Showbiz can wait

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino-British Azkals goalkeeper Neil Etheridge is not keen on entering show business.

Etheridge admitted that there are a lot of offers for him to join showbiz but his priority right now is football.

"“I have a very successful and a bright future playing football in England and I want to experience that before I really enter showbiz. If my time is up before I can enter showbiz in the Philippines, that's just life. But for me football is my main priority.... I’ll carry on doing that. It makes people happy," Etheridge said.

Etheridge made the statement in an interview with ABS-CBN News during a victory party in Makati.

Etheridge and other members of Azkals arrived in Manila early Sunday following theirsuccessful campaign in Myanmar last week. The Philippine Azkals made it to the final group of the 2012 Challenge Cup tournament by hammering out a sensational 3-0 victory over the Bangladesh Bengal Tigers on Friday.

Aside from Etheridge, Phil Younghusband, the Azkals midfielder, has also been offered showbiz projects.

It would be recalled that Phil was criticized by no less than actress Angelica Panganiban after the latter learned that the Azkals heartthrob supposedly accepted an offer to appear in an independent film.

Victory party

Meanwhile, some Azkals members, including an injured Phil, were unable to attend their victory party because of other commitments, James Younghusband said.

An excited James, who is looking forward to their future competitions, added that the team is taking a brief vacation right now before preparing for their next competition in June.

When asked about his love life, James admitted that he misses his half Filipina, half British girlfriend named Fona. He said it was difficult to communicate with her while the team was in Myanmar.

Filipino-Spanish booter Angel Aldeguer Guirado, meantime, thanked all Filipinos for their support. He scored 2 goals when the Azkals clashed with Bangladesh Bengal Tigers on Friday. -Report from Gretchen Fullido, ABS-CBN News