Cebu Football

Fair Play: A half-baked preparation for Bolkiah?

2012-01-27T17:42:00.002+08:00

(This is the draft of my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on Jan. 28)

NOT too many people know that before Dan Palami took over the senior team, he was the manager of the Under 19 squad that had their breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight snacks handed to them in 45 minutes during the AFC Under 19 championships qualifiers in 2009.

Because of that humiliating showing, when Dan was offered the job as senior team manager, he vowed not to be as ill-prepared as the Under 19 team.

A lot of folks know that Dan was the manager of the Southeast Asian Games team last November, who, shall we diplomatically say, failed to live up to their newspaper space and TV airtime?

Aside from saying the SEAG team will be better prepared, and that they will be joining the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy in Brunei next month, nothing much was heard of the team before the announcement of the PFF hiring Serbian coach Zoran Dordevic a few days ago, and the announcement of a team tryout a week ago.

The last time we joined the Bolkiah Cup, we lost to Myanmar, 9-1, and Cambodia, 6-0, and to Brunei, 3-2, in the final match. That Brunei loss was painful. We were up 2-0 at half-time and lost after conceding two goals in the last two minutes. That squad had Phil Younghusband, and now UFL players Jason Cordova, Matthew Hartmann, Francis Gustilo and Dave Villon.

And now, the big question is, are we headed for a repeat of the SEAG debacle? Are we throwing in an ill-prepared team to an international competition?

The simple answer is yes as this year’s tournament will start on Feb. 25, and if they’re still conducting trials on Jan. 21…

But, it’s not as simple as that.

Dan told me the other day he’s having a hard time gathering the players for practice due to UFL and UAAP duties.

Aah, crap, the collegiate game. It is understandable why colleges hold on to their players since they’re the one paying handsomely for their scholarships but this conflict of schedule could have been avoided by a simple change of schedule—hold the damn football tournament early.

It’s the same problem in Cebu, the college season starts late to give way to the basketball season, and all other tournaments involving the age group have to wait.

This conflict of schedule, too, is what former national team Aris Caslib pointed out as one of the problems in Philippine football when he did his presentation to the PFF Board of Governors last January, 2011.

I guess his suggestion to talk with the UAAP and NCAA guys was never taken?

The Bolkiah trophy will be the first outing of this U21 squad, but it’s not the goal. Dan is aiming for the AFF U22 contest and the SEA Games next year and I admit that this is one massive preparation.

I’m only afraid though, that if the team does poorly in the Bolkiah Cup, which will end just as the Challenge Cup is starting, folks will remember SEAG 2011 and well, you know what I mean.

By the way, Dan said he’s going for locally-based players (take note, locally-based, not locals), so perhaps this addresses the criticism on how team chemistry was shot to hell in the SEAG when as much as six players flew in a day before the competitions.

“I’m fixing sight on U23 SEAG as promised, but this team will have to absorb initial setbacks. The good thing is that we are building a strong local based players. Raw talents still, but the new coach sees the diamonds underneath,” Dan said.

Diamonds in the rough is the perfect way to describe the team and I hope we finally see the final product on SEAG 2013.

As for the Bolkiah Cup?

I’m not expecting much but since most of the U21 members played in the SEAG, I expect them to fight as if they have something to prove because those guys really do have something to prove.

So, what’s after Bolkiah? I hope, since this won’t be the first time, the PFF will get to talk with the schools about the release of players. If clubs take a rap for not releasing players to friendly, shouldn’t the schools/league take some of the heat, too?

“After Bolkiah, I will tour this team around to play senior teams in Bacolod, Iloilo, Cebu, etc. and also friendlies with UFL first divisions.”

Fair Play: Developments, politics in the beautiful game

2012-01-25T17:03:00.000+08:00

(This is the draft for my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on Jan. 26)

AFTER the brouhaha over the friendly against Icheon City of Korea, there are two other developments that should be interesting for the UFL and for fans.

One is a little-known league in football-hotbed Bacolod and the other is the plan of former Bacolod representative Monico Puentevella to put up a league for the Visayas and Mindanao.

The Bacolod tournament hit a snag during its finals when the top team lost its key players to UFL duties and have vowed that in the next season, it will bind its players to contracts so it won’t happen again.

That’s a potential conflict, and so is, I think, the planned Vis-min League.
While tournaments such as this is a chance for other players to shine, I don’t think we have that many players in this country who can play regularly in a top-flight league. And if sponsors are involved, as what Monico is planning to do, then teams will be fighting for players.

Football may be experiencing a renaissance in this country but basketball it is not, nor does it have the fraction of the player pool the country’s no. 1 sport has.

And do you know what happens when two leagues fight over fanbase, players, sponsors and publicity?
Ever heard of the Metropolitan Basketball Association?

While I see a lot of potential conflicts with these developments, it doesn’t mean I dont think there won’t be anything good that will come out of this. This would get club football to the provinces, and, perhaps, by doing so, fans there would begin to wonder, “can our local club beat the best clubs in the country?”

If the UFL has dreams or plans of going national, I think now is the time to share its vision with the rest of the PFF and the country. With the way things are, most of the fans and clubs outside of Manila are on the outside looking in, wondering when they’d get a piece of the club football action.

I hope the PFF, Monico and the Football Alliance can work together to make the UFL become truly national in scope.
Oh well, it’s just a thought.

FUNNY POLITICS. “Why don’t you go to Panaad and play Bacolod teams?” an insider qouted CFA president Richard Montayre telling Loxwood FC representatives when they visited the Philippine Football Federation office last Tuesday.

The insider was more than suprised as Loxwood FC, of course, dropped by Cebu last week to meet with representatives of Queen City United for a planned friendly in Cebu later this year.

Football politics, don’t you just love them?

I just hope politics won’t hinder what Cebuano fans are anticipating—the Loxwood friendly.

Fair Play: Once again, the beef against Kenyans

2012-01-23T08:01:00.000+08:00

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on Jan. 23)
TWO of our top runners offered a glimpse rarely seen of athletes who are featured in these pages, regularly.

And that is being brutally honest.

The two said they’d rather have this topsy-turvy schedule of fun runs being held simultaneously on a Sunday so they’d have a better chance of getting the money.

For them, having two events in one day is not bad. That way, they can laugh their way to the bank.

I salute them for their honesty. So I shall reward them with a brutal reaction, too.

But first, let me share an e-mail from a Kenyan, who reacted to a couple of columns I wrote regarding local elite runners. After misinterpreting a point in an earlier column, I managed to convey to him what I really meant, so he wrote:

“But you should help your fellow Pinoys to understand that everyone is looking for destiny in this world. Those Kenyan athletes are looking for destiny and better life here,” he wrote.

Yes, our top guys rely on running for a living. But so do the Kenyans. In a way, they can be compared to the Pinoys who work abroad.

But of course, when access to easy money is cut short, so is empathy.

They were honest enough to say two runs are good for them, so I shall be equally honest, too.

It’s hard to sympathize with guys who had it easy a couple of years ago and are crying foul now because they can’t win the way they used to. Hey, did they even wonder how the guys who can’t beat them felt when they kept on winning back then?

If they say they want the Kenyans and other foreign runners banned from the small weekend races so the locals can have a chance to win, then let’s talk, too, about this nasty open secret in local running—that some local elite runners conspire among themselves who will finish first, second or third.

It’s a nasty secret, one that was raised to me by one organizer, “Di man na mu-matter kinsa mudaug, mag-sabotsabot ra man na sila.”

Do our elite runners want the Kenyans banned so they can return to the days when they can fix races?

And if you want an honest assessment, asking for foreigners to be banned is nothing short of racist, and agreeing who finishes first or third is nothing short of fixing a race.

If local elite runners ask that foreigners be banned from small races so they will have a chance to win the prizes, then, I, too, will push that the local elites be banned from small weekend races so the weekend warriors have a chance to win the prizes.

Running has gotten so big, are our local elite runners getting big heads, too? Do they think the running community owes it to them, that they should get a fair shake, that they should win?

That’s not the case.

If I want to get the big scoop would I ask that other reporters be banned from a story that I cover? If SWU wants to win the Cesafi basketball title, would they ask that UV be banned from getting recruits abroad? If a worker wants to get promoted would she or he ask that others be barred from doing a better job?

Or would I, or they, simply strive to be better?

They were honest and so I will be.

I will not support a run or race that will discriminate. I will never support a run or race that will discriminate.

If local elite runners join a race for the sole purpose of winning a prize, then let them organize a race among themselves. Let them raise the prize money, let them run among themselves and let them whine among themselves.

We have been victims, too many times, of discrimination and of racism from people who don’t know better.

Why should we do it to others?

P.S. I heard there are talks of getting the Bureau of Immigration involved in helping stop the Kenyan invasion. If they want to go that way, perhaps we should invite, too, the Bureau of Internal Revenue to check whether our weekly winners are paying taxes?

A chance for others to shine

2012-01-22T11:45:00.005+08:00

AAAH. If only the Younghusbands and the rest of the UFL stars played against Icheon City, we could have won.

Right?

Maybe.

But, as my favorite author wrote, if your aunt had balls, he’d be your uncle, too.

Now, were clubs like Loyola Meralco and Kaya justified in not releasing their players? Was the UFL, too, justified in not moving the Kaya and Loyola matches so their players could have been free to release the Azkals for national team duties?

Of course.

When you're paying more than what the PBA top rookie earns (at least above the table) for players, then you have every right to insist that your marquee stars prioritize club duties over a friendly that three weeks ago, nobody knew was coming.

And no the clubs or the UFL are not being greedy or selfish, they are simply looking out what’s best for them. And besides, didn’t the UFL move the Air Force’s game so Chieffy et. Al. could suit up?

Besides, it was a friendly against a third division club.

If it was for the Challenge Cup, I guarantee you it would be suicide if the UFL and the clubs insist on that. And I guarantee you, I would personally lead the assault against the clubs if they do that.

And you know what? The absence of the other UFL stars, for me, was a good thing.

Sure we lost and Carli de Murga is going to have nightmares involving a flying ball for years to come but guys like Nestor Margarse, Ruben Doctora, Jerry Barbaso, Roel Gener had a chance to shine at home.

And they didn’t do too badly.

Margarse, who only got to play in the friendly against CF Madrid after Tats Mercado threw the ball out to stop play in the dying minutes, started the match and had a few key plays.

Barbaso had a few indecisive moments that surely didn’t endear him to Ed Sacapano but he acquitted himself well. As for Roel Gener, this 37-year-old guy showed he can more than hack it against the teens, while Doctora showed us how to take a penalty.

Rob Gier,who flew all the way from England for the friendly against the Galaxy only to be injured in the first few minutes, also had his moments. I just hoped he didn’t bring the luck of the English when it comes to penalty shootouts.

Dennis Wolf, who had his share of the hype going into the match, was a disappointment, and so was Chieffy, but overall, there was nothing to be ashamed in the match. Marwin Angeles, who came in as a sub with Doctora, also scored the equalizer, rewarding coach Michael Weiss faith in him.

Sure we lost. Again.

But it was through a shootout and everybody knows anything can happen in a shootout.

And you really can’t complain about how the team played, especially when they were chasing that goal in the second half.

Sure our football stars were missing but it’s nice to be reminded that while it was them who made that run in the Suzuki Cup and put football where it is now, Philippine football is not all about them.

We got the Margarses, the Barbasos and the Doctoras, who, if given the chance to shine, will.

So fret not. Unless you were Carli “Is-that-a-freakin-penalty” De Murga, the friendly was good for Philippine football.

Malaysia, you’re up next.

Icheon City beats Azkals

2012-01-21T21:48:00.003+08:00

THE new-look Azkals lost in a way that was new to fans, by penalty shootout to the visiting Icheon City FC in the charity match dubbed the Kia Cup at the Rizal Memorial Stadium last night.

After fighting to a 1-1 draw, the Azkals lost the shootout, 4-2, with Filipino-Spanish player Carli de Murga making a horrendous bungle from the 12-yard spot to send the Azkals to their third straight loss in a friendly at home.

Earlier, the Azkals, who were missing the services of Loyola Meralco Sparks’ Phil and James Younghusband, and Kaya FC’s Anton del Rosario, Jason Sabio and Lexton Moy to club duties in the United Football League, initiated most of the attack in the first half.

Emilio Caligdong had a free kick sail high and a floater from Angel Guirado to Misagh Bahadoran was caught by the keeper.

In the 17th, Ian Araneta muscled his way in a goalmouth scramble only to miss wide and in the 19th, another shot from Caligdong was deflected for a corner.

In the 21st, Bin Tae Kwan beat the defense and Eduard Sacapaño to put the visitors up front and in the 30th, the Koreans could have made it 2-0 but the goal was overruled for offside.

After a few misses, the Azkals finally got the equalizer through substitute Marwin Angels in the 88th minute and could have gotten the winner in injury time but Dennis Wolf, who was making his debut, missed yet again.

In the shootout, all four Koreans made their penalty shots, while Aldeguer hit the bar.

After Caligdong and Ruben Doctora converted their simple shots, it was the turn of de Murga, who hit his free kick so off target he covered his face in shame.

Queen City salvages draw

2012-01-21T21:47:00.001+08:00

(This report by Cheska D. Geli will appear in Sun.Star Cebu on Jan. 21)

QUEEN City United drew its opening match in the United Football League Division 2, 1-1, against Diliman Victory Liner at artificial turf at Global City,

Coach Mario Ceniza said playing in the artificial turf for the first time was a unique experience for Queen City and the players were not used to it.

After conceding a goal in the first minute, Queen City managed to regain their composure.

“Nakalitan mi, pati ang mga players. Maayo ning kontra kay nakaduwa na sila last time diri,” said Ceniza.

However, the early lead did not bother the revamp squad of QCU with new recruit Hanesin Prince Anthony converting a penalty in the 30th minute afte rJunard Aguilar was fouled.

“After that unexpected goal, the boys held their composure and focused on the game,” said Ceniza. “I commend the boys because they were not discouraged even if they conceded in the first minute, they fought back. They wanted to win but it was just very unlucky.”

Fair Play: Would you want to see a UFL match in Cebu?

2012-01-20T15:31:00.002+08:00

(This is the draft of my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's Jan. 21 issue)
CEBUANOS have always longed to see Cebu Queen City in action at home against a UFL team right? And if plans push through, that wish might push through this year in a mini-tournament against two or three other teams.

It won’t be just against any UFL team but against Kaya FC of Ali Borromeo and Nate Burkey, Global FC of Angel Aldeguer and of course, Paolo Pascual and Graeme Mackinnon and Loxwood FC, a UK-based football club that is playing in the lower tiers of English football.

After a series of e-mails, I finally get to meet the representatives of Loxwood FC—Kuni Ledesma and Phil Awcock—last Thursday together with Queen City United representatives.

Phil and Kuni are here in the Philippines to finalize the details of the club’s planned Philippine tour later this year and before leaving for Cebu, they met Graeme, Andi Sia and the UFL’s Coco Torre in Manila.

Unfortunately, whatever plans they had after that Manila meeting the Cebu Queen City United guys tore it.

The UFL is planning to have a short tournament with Loxwood and against three other UFL clubs in Manila and since Loxwood also wants to play Cebu Queen City United, Stanley Villacin suggested to why not hold the tournament here?

Raffy Musni also pointed out that clubs like Kaya FC and Global FC have always wanted to play in Cebu and a tournament like this would be the perfect reason for them to come over.

Besides, this would also be the perfect chance for the UFL to touch base with Cebuano fans, right?

However, I only see a minor problem that isn’t really a problem. Whenever I get to talk with fans about a possible Queen City UFL match at home, they always say that they want to see Queen City face Stallions and Pachanga, too, so they can give the Cebuanos the homecourt treatment they didn’t get when they got thrashed by those two clubs in the UFL Cup.

Two other developments in Cebu football can help push for that tournament—the rehabilitation of the Dust Bowl in the Cebu City Sports Center and the construction of the University of San Carlos football stadium.

The USC Stadium is set to be finished mid-June, which is the target date for the Loxwood friendly (or, if the football gods favor Cebu, the mini tournament) would be the perfect opening salvo for new stadium, right?

But if the Stadium won’t get finished, there’s another option.

June is also the target finish date of the CCSC rehabilitation and Francis Ramirez, one of the Queen City representatives in the meeting who also coaches Abellana National School, said CCSC manager Ricky Ballesteros is planning to have a friendly between Queen City and Global, or even the Azkals, as the opening salvo for the field.

Why not a tournament?

Everything is still being set as the Loxwood representatives will meet with the UFL guys again when they return to Manila but as I told them the other night, “I think the UFL would be favorable to the idea of having the tournament here.”

And holding it here would be the perfect reward the UFL can give to Queen City, as the club will be spending more than P2 million for airfare alone for the UFL matches in Manila.

I hope this pushes through.

By the way, aside from the friendlies/tournaments, Loxwood also wants to do an outreach program here so a clinic for underprivileged kids is part of the plans.

Aside from that, when Phil and Kuni return to England, they will set up donation boxes during their games so players and fans—and their children—can donate used football equipment, which in turn, will be distributed to kids here.

Don’t you just love football?

Fair Play: New-look Azkals to face Koreans this Saturday

2012-01-18T20:28:00.002+08:00

FOOTBALL fans who follow the Azkals but not the UFL will probably find it strange that in the Saturday friendly against Icheon of South Korea, Phil and James Younghusband, among other players, won’t be seeing action.

And I hope these fans would get the right explanaition—that the players have club duties in the United Football League—lest they begin to think that they’re just busy with, I don’t know, showbiz commitments?

The friendly is part of a busy Saturday that will see two UFL matches in Rizal, which will be aired live on Akstyon TV, before the Azkal friendly, which will also be in Rizal.

The friendly will also be aired live, on ABS, and the station that signed a four-year contract worth P300M (of airtime, not cash. Sigh) has treated the UFL, sadly, as it would the rival shows in GMA.

It pretends it doesn’t exist and commentators have to deal with a practice that bars them from mentioning other stations. That may be okey when it comes to showbiz updates, but not when it comes to sports.

And for a station that got the contract because, according to the PFF president, “it raised the profile of football in the country by airing the games,” it’s a counterproductive move that insults the more knowledgeable fans.

And of course, to the UFL clubs and owners who pay P195,000 a month to some of the marquee players.

Still, I’m hoping this Saturday’s match will change all that. I hope that in this Saturday’s game, casual fans of the team will learn a thing or two about the football landscape in the country.

So, who’s missing the game this Saturday? Global FC has a game against Pasargad and I think the Azkals players in the Dan Palami-owned team have their priorities straightened out.

On Sunday, the Philippine Air Force will meet the Stallions, Loyola will take on the Philippine Army and Kaya FC will face the Green Archers and PAF, Loyola, Army and Kaya have 10 guys (at least) who played for the Azskals in the CF Madrid friendly.

So how will this new-look Azkals fare?

I don’t know. I guess, we will all find out this Saturday.

I just hope that whether it’s the new look team, or one that features that regular guys, we will finally win a friendly in home soil.

It’s been a while and, three straight home losses, even if friendlies, doesn’t look good.

Fair Play: Where will the P300 million go?

2012-01-15T14:52:00.004+08:00

(This is my draft of my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's Jan. 16 issue)

WHEN I met Dan Palami two weeks ago, I asked him if the Philippine Football Federation still gets money from the Philippine Sports Commission.

He shrugged, and said, “I don’t think they still need it.”

It was also at that time when he and PFF president Nonong Araneta were deep in negotiation for an exclusive TV contract and over lunch, he told me, that ABS CBN’s global reach, is an advantage to the Azkals because of how the team has connected with overseas workers in its training camp abroad.

And, just recently, the national papers announced the PFF’s P300-million deal with the network giant, another exclusive deal I reckon. I guess, if you have 300 big ones, a paltry P4 million from the PSC doesn’t reall, count, does it?

Though I am not familiar with how the deal works—will the P300M come in tranches—I want to know one thing, where will it go? In the previous PFF admin, I’d be worried but in the present set-up, I know the money won’t go to anyone’s pockets. I just want to know where it goes.

We deserve to know, besides this is money that the PFF got from its fans. Without the newfound support from fans, the PFF won’t be able to get P300 from the network. (I wonder if P300 million is enough for a stadium.)

The deal may be for the Azkals matches but I hope the money will trickle down to ALL national teams, not just our poster boys. I hope, too, the network giant will air the games of the Malditas, Musangs, Little Azkals and Junior Azkals.

I hope, too, when it comes to pre-match analysis, commentators will mention the clubs and the UFL even if the league is aired over a rival network. Guys, it’s not the Dark Lord, let’s mention the names shall we? The clubs who shell out P190,000 a month for an Azkal deserve it.

Enough of this competing-network-crap—the reason that was cited why UFL clubs aren’t mentioned during ABS CBN airtime—because even ANC News carry crawlers/updates of PBA games.

This is now showbiz, this is football. Let’s keep it that way.

By the way, aside from the TV deal, Dan is also set to negotiate for the new outfitter of the Azkals since Mizuno’s contract has lapsed.

I don’t think Mizuno, which has been touting how they have supported the Azkals during lean times, will get the contract. Heck, I don’t think they deserve it, despite how many slanted PRs they will release to the public of how they were the knight-in-shining-armor during the dark days of Philippine football.

They only have themselves to blame.

Whichever outfit Dan gets, I only hope for one thing—the new outfitter won’t do a Mizuno when it comes to fans’ desire to get jerseys. When Mizuno was the outfitter, it felt like indeed the dark days of Philippine football because you can’t get any! Once, I dropped by the Mizuno stall in Ayala Cebu every week for five straight weeks and all I got was, “The jersey will be available next week!”

If Mizuno comes calling Sir Dan, please tell them you’ll talk to them next week!

UFL. So Kaya beat Air Force—an upset as one outfit called it—and Loyola survived the Green Archers, who bungled two penalities, during the opening day of the UFL.

I don’t think Kaya’s win was an upset and as for the Air Force, I think their offense would do well if, ironically, Ian Araneta stops ~~scoring~~ trying so hard to score.

Ever since the Azkals breakout campaign in 2010, it seems Ian has been pressuring himself to show to the new fans that he can score because he was the top scorer of the team pre Suzuki Cup.

And I think the pressure is affecting his performance and one play during the Air Force vs. Kaya match showed that. As the Riders were on a counterattack, Ian had two men to his left and another to his right but instead of passing, he forced his way to the Kaya box and lost the ball. Sadly, it is becoming a familiar scene.

I know Ian can score and as one of my favorite players, I want him to score every time he puts on the national team jersey but he’s got to learn to acknowledge when somebody is in a better scoring position.

Just like that time in Vietnam, when he provided the pass to Phil Younghusband. Now that was my favorite Ian Araneta move. (Edit---Ian gathered Phil's initial shot, and passed it to a streaking Chris Greatwich, who in turn found Phil)

Fair Play: Rift between Azkals and UFL? Say it ain't so!

2012-01-13T17:39:00.001+08:00

(This is the draft of my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on Jan. 14)
THIS year will be quite a busy year for the Azkals as well as for the UFL, which will have a 18-week season.

And with two friendlies in the first three weeks of the month alone, sandwiching the opening of the UFL, along with it comes an inevitable conflict of schedules.

And it’s not just the competition for Rizal Memorial Stadium, I’m talking about practices and even appearances with club and country activities.

But I hope the UFL, the Philippine Football Federation and the Philippine national team management can mesh out a solution to this problem.

The UFL and the Azkals have a unique relationship, for now, one cannot survive without the other, but in the future, if it improves, the UFL must learn to stand on its own feet so it doesn’t have to ride on the popularity of the Azkals.

The Azkals, too, need the UFL. Its players can’t live on endorsements alone and will need the steady job in a club team to essentially support their being members of the national team.

Aside from the two friendlies, there’s the camp in the Middle East, the U21 tournament in Brunei, and of course, the Challenge Cup—all of which will have UFL players leaving their clubs to see action for the country.

Will the UFL take a break or will they push through with their schedule? Will clubs like Kaya, Global and Loyola have the depth to make up for the absence of its key players for what is essentially one-fourth of the season?

I hope when the time comes, the conflict won’t go the way of basketball, when last year, two NCAA teams (or was it UAAP?) refused to release its players, and the league refused to reschedule its finals, to give way for an Asian-level competition. (Curiously, Cebu’s Sacred Heart School Jesuits-Ateneo de Cebu, released its star player while in the middle of a five-game championship series it eventually lost.)

Am I being an alarmist? You could say that but when I was informed that there’s a “brewing rift between UFL and PFF men’s team after ___ and ____ refuse to release players for Azkals practice” well, this thing has to be out in the open, shouldn’t it?

Like I said, the UFL and the Azkals have a unique relationship, one cannot survive without the other and I hope when the time comes, one will learn to give way for the other.

There will be times when clubs will insist that players stay with their team, and I think this is one of it as the UFL is about to start and naturally, team owners want to see the faces of the players whom they pay so handsomely.

And there will be times, too, that the national team will be justified in asking that the players be with the squad and the buildup for the Challenge Cup will be one of those.

So what happens next month? I hope instead of viewing it as a club vs. country conflict, the UFL sees it as a chance to show the league is not just about Loyola, Global or Kaya. I’m pretty sure there are a lot of second-division teams—or even first division clubs--who would want their chance to play in Rizal and be seen on TV. I hope, too, when the time comes, the Azkal management wouldn’t insist that national team members join their practice if the next tournament is, say, two months away? Besides, when the UFL players skip practice, they don’t do so because they’re off malling, they’re practicing, too.

I hope, too, in the old-boys-network of Philippine football, where everybody knows everybody, matters such as this will be cut in the bud before it gets out of hand because I’ve seen clubs torn apart by such small a matter such as who gets to play.

And it would be unfortunate —and ironic—if the Azkals campaign would be impeded by the UFL, just as it would if the clubs fail in the UFL because of the Azkals.

In the days before the 2010 Suzuki Cup, football barely survived because of the indifference of the country and it was only because of the faith guys like the Football Alliance group of Santi Araneta and the national team management of Dan Palami that the sport got to where it is now.

And, to go further, we need the UFL and the Azkals to work together.

They have to realize they need each other and must recognize the role one plays in the success of the other.

This rift I hope would go pfft!

UFL grants Cebu Queen City a Sinulog break

2012-01-12T18:56:00.000+08:00

(This story by Cheska D. Geli will come out on Sun.Star Cebu on Jan. 13)

THE United Football League (UFL) executive committee has finally approved Cebu’s Queen City United request to have its opening match in the UFL second division rescheduled.

That was after the committee received the revised letter from the club yesterday and responded to it right away with another letter approving the rescheduling of the game this Saturday to Jan. 21.

Days before the UFL schedule was released last Jan. 9, QCUFC called UFL assitant technical director Richie Gannaban and asked him for a change of schedule in their games as the dates fall during the Sinulog celebration and the Rizal Football Association Cup.

But during that time when Queen City contacted him, Gannaban had already submitted the draft of schedule to the executive committee for approval. It was also that time that Gannaban and some members of the executive committee were busy with the Sendong charity game and Sinulog Festival of Football so when the schedule was released, QCUFC was still slated to have its second division debut this Saturday.

That surprised QCU president Glenn Quisido and Gannaban advised the club to write a formal letter of their request.

“I told them the proper way to do it because it (schedule) was still not yet final,’ said Gannaban.

The UFL committee received a letter from the club sent on the same day initially addressed to Gannaban but the UFL requested for another letter asking for further explanation.

“The first letter had no explanation why they can’t play on Jan. 14 and 15, so I told them to make another letter with an explanation and address it to the executive committee and not to me,” said Gannaban.

It was only yesterday morning when QCUFC sent the revised letter of appeal and the UFL executive committee approved it right away.

“Initially, there was no response because we were waiting for the revised letter that should have their explanation. We did not deny them,” he said.

Quisido thanked the UFL executive committee for understanding the team’s situation.

“We thank them because they were able to understand us. They know how football has been growing here in Cebu when they went here last weekend,” said Quisido.

Gannaban said that there was no miscommunication between QCUFC and UFL and he said the UFL is even considering holding some its matches here.

Fair Play: Yep, bigger Prizes for top Pinoy runners

2012-01-12T18:53:00.000+08:00

I AGREE, there should be more prizes for the best performing Pinoys in races that have Kenyans, just to, as what one local elite runner said, “compensate them for their efforts.”

But why limit it to local elites, though?

If organizers do that, they should also reward the best weekend warriors. I mean, it’s these guys who made running as successful as it is, the guys and girls who allowed local elite runners to make running a livelihood. So let’s reward them, too, for their efforts.

The African runners keep hogging the prizes, right? We don’t want that. That’s why organizers should also offer an award for the top 20 oldest runners! If it’s only the oldest, then we already know who wins it, right? And it’s not fair! Fifty-year-olds who join runs should be compensated, too! And the best-dressed award? More prizes for up to the 13th-best dressed runner to stop one girl from hogging the prize.

I mean, that’s only fair. Instead of pushing other runners to come up with the best outfits, we should reward them for mediocrity.

And since it’s not only the local elite runners who pay up to P1,200 in registration fees, let’s make everybody happy and come up with prizes for everybody!

And speaking of everybody, why limit prizes to runners, though? Who more than deserves to get the lion’s share of the pot money? The guys who have fun on the road? Or the guys who labor to make sure folks have fun on the road? The medics, volunteers, water boys and girls, cops, traffic personnel, trash collector and time keepers, they more than deserve it.

You know what? I think the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee should support this move. It’s the best way to end our Olympic gold medal drought—we should demand that the guys we can’t beat in boxing, taekwondo, swimming, and even athletics, be barred.

Crazy? Nope, it’s just as logical as offering more prizes for the top Pinoy runners so those who can’t beat the best can whine their way to the bank.

But one thing though, instead of asking for these “top Pinoy prizes,” don’t you think it makes more sense if they ask organizers to offer double the first prize money to anybody who can set the Philippine record in their event?

We are, after all, talking about the top Pinoy runners and not the best Pinoy loser.

Fair Play: Running itself, is the best prize for me

2012-01-11T20:48:00.001+08:00

HOURS after the Cebu City Marathon, I couldn’t bend my right knee and dealing with the stairs made me feel like how Graeme Mackinnon must have felt pre-knee surgery.

A day later, I had muscle pains everywhere that even my toes hurt. There were times, too, that my left calf felt like cramping for no reason at all, while my right leg was still feeling the worse of my first dalliance with 21K.

Sitting was no problem but getting up was, but despite that, I only have one thing in mind. When’s the next 21K?
Though I sort of hoped to run my first marathon this year, I will probably have to postpone that to 2013 as I want to deal with a few 21Ks, first, and cut a few odd seconds of my 2:43:17 (Timex time, no Garmin for me) finish in the CCM, which was 2:43:01 chip time.

I also want to try one of Coach Graeme’s training methods to get his Global FC players in shape, one of which basically involves simulating game conditions for 45 minutes.

Graeme said he’d have the players run, walk, jog, sprint for 45 minutes—one half of a football match—with nary a water break and he’ll be screaming at them to push it in the final minutes, just as any coach would in a tight match.
I’ll try that—minus the screaming Graeme, of course—and see how I’d do in my next run.

Of course, I have no illusions of cracking the elite division and demand ingthat organizers offer money to the best-performing feeling-local-elite to compensate for my efforts because that’s not really it.

I just want to know if I can do it.

As for my incentive? I get it every day, when I have problems looking for any pants or shorts that won’t fall off. A year ago, I couldn’t fit into most of my pants and shorts, and our company nurse told me, after the annual physical, that I had to lower my cholesterol level.

And 11 months after running? I feel like a hip-hopper because if I don’t wear a belt, my pants fall to my knees and just last Monday, our nurse told me I have to raise my cholesterol level as it was too low.

So for me, running itself is the prize.

FEEDBACK. Here’s an e-mail from Bobby (bobbylo_007@yahoo.com)
Wow! 2:43? Congratulations! I too, ran the 21K last Sunday (3:13). And I too, stared at a lot at girls’ butts. No crime in that and it takes your mind off the pain. Haha. Hope to see you in future runs.

Yep, see you in the next 21K!

FAir Play: Running, it's more fun in the CCM

2012-01-08T18:51:00.003+08:00

(This is the draft of my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu, Jan 9 issue)

ARMED with two relatively long runs, I had no problem in the first half of my first 21K but it was the final half that killed my confidence and legs.

Thankfully, I am here in one piece, writing—albeit with my creative juices sapped out—about my first 21K.

I had such a lackadaisical preparation minutes before the race that I didn’t even warm-up. While most followed the warm-up routines and others did their own routine, I did what I usually do when I’m excited (or nervous). I lit up.

When I met John Pages near the organizers’ tent, he had to tell me to get to the starting area as it was 10 minutes away from the gun start.

There was nothing note-worthy in the first half of the race and since I have yet to establish my pace, I ran for 10, 12, sometimes 15 minutes with brief rests.

Rico Navarro told me at the start was on a 2 and 1 pace, while, I overheard others, talking of 5-1.
Me? Nada. I simply ran. Sometimes, I’d just take a walk after reaching the water station, confident that my no-training-program preparation, coupled with an over-confidence of having attained 80 percent of my high school fitness would be enough.
Which was, of course, a big mistake as I would later learn that an old high school foe would come back to haunt me.

I was still pretty confident when I got out of the SRP tunnel, just barely after the 60-minute mark, since Bro. Carlo Bacalla told me the half-way point was just 800 meters.
Half-way at a shade over an hour? Not bad, eh! I was planning to rest just as I got out of the tunnel but hearing Bro. Carlo’s words, I thought, heck, why not rest at the half-way point?

But half-way to the half-way point, I told myself, “I’m going to have words with Bro. Carlo regarding accurate measurement” but thankfully, his promised “dancers and singers” that would wake up your spirits were really there.

At about 1:30 into the race, I was in unknown territory. This was the longest time I have spent on the road, and I got hungry. I bought crackers and for the first time ever, ate a banana that wasn’t fried or boiled.

Though I may have paid attention to fellow runners in the first half—there was this one dude trying to hit a girl and one who looked at another girl’s behind that would have landed him in jail—from the BSP office to the finish line? I just focused on the road ahead.

I got a second wind of sorts from Fuente Osmeña to Cebu Doctors University but just as I was about to turn from Escarrio to Gorordo, my old high school foe—cramps--said hello. I was planning to take a piss at that time and I remember once I had to leave a game in high school because a teammate jumped on me to celebrate a goal and I kept telling myself, please don’t let the cramps attack me in such compromising spot.

Folks say no pain, no gain, right? I tried to follow that and I ignore my cramps and planned to run all the way to the finish line but I had to stop at JY as it attacked again. I was wincing and grabbing my right thigh and I thought that was it.

Thankfully, Frederico Garganera was there and he talked me through in the final stretch. So I ran, again, but had to stop, again, when my right leg sort of gave up and I wasn’t able to complete a stride.

And, as if on cue, a runner just a few paces ahead of me fell, a reminder of what happens if you try to run through cramps.

“Reserve some for the finish line,” Federico said and I dutifully followed his advice, walking for a few minutes before running to the finish line in 2:43:17.

P.S. At the start of the run, I didn’t have a goal so a crazy thought got into my head, I was going to aim to be in the top 10 percent. Thankfully I wasn’t that crazy and instead aimed not to throw a single trash (I even brought one cup from one station to another since I saw no trash bin) and to thank anybody who hands me water.

Now that target, I was able to reach.

To the CCM organizers, volunteers and marshals, especially to the cop who put an obnoxious motorist in his place, and to Federico, my escort. A big thanks. You guys make running the CCM, more fun.

And, as the finisher’s shirt says, “I survived the CCM and I’m thirsty for more.” Of course this time, it will be after proper training.

Fair Play: The other Dan Palami and a screwed PFF

2012-01-06T16:48:00.003+08:00

(This is the draft of my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu, Jan. 7 issue)
MY supposedly 24-hour trip to Manila got extended but I didn’t mind spending another 24 hours in traffic-mad Manila because I learned a lot of things.

I went to Manila not for the charity match between the Azkals and the CF Madrid (aired live today at 4 p.m.) as most expected, but to listen to a 20-minute speech Dan Palami gave in Philam Life’s sales convention.

Philam, where my wife works, got Dan as the guest speaker with a little help from me and as a thank you, they got me tickets to Manila. Which, of course, was fine by me.

Now, one of the things I learned is that Dan Palami can be literally in two places at the same time and it’s not by magic.

I met the other Dan Palami and boy has he got stories to tell (One time, he said, kids were made to sing Happy Birthday Gov. G___, while washing hands) and one of these days I’m going to get an exclusive interview with the other Palami. Maybe, I’ll get him to spill some juicy bits about Philippine football. Perhaps, I can also try to convince him to get rid of this uniform provider for the team (because they suck) and get a new one?

I also learned that one Filipino player is going to sign for Barcelona (if Real Madrid doesn’t get him first) and I’m serious. We didn’t have a single drop of alcohol in our system when I, Cedelf Tupas, the original Dan Palami, and Global FC coach Graeme Mackinnon discussed this “uncapped player” who could be also playing for the US national team.

Who is this dude? Just wait. You’ll hear about him soon enough.

When I got to Manila last Wednesday afternoon, I spent the time lounging at the Global APT office in Magallanes and wasn’t able to attend a press conference at the Philippine Football Federation office.

That night, I was at the National Sports Grill—where fans gather to watch football matches—and by god NSG should be ashamed of itself. I was there with Graeme, Azkal fan page’s Andi, Soccer Central’s Icko and Jaron (did I forget anybody), and I just had warmed my seat when the waitress told me she has already taken the last order and couldn’t hand more beer.

It wasn’t even 11 p.m! Gee whiz! A sports bar with a curfew? What happens in late matches? Sorry, we have to close the bar, injury time be damned?

And on Thursday on my way to the Azkals’ first training session at the Fort, I stopped by the PFF office and realized, for the first time, why Philippine football got so screwed all those previous years.

The folks who go to the area are f***ing around. Literally!

Go to your left, you have those special rates, taxi rates and just in front of the entrance to the three-storey edifice is a hotel with a logo that left nothing to the imagination. Sanamagan.

But the PFF office itself, is quite nice and when I got there, there weren’t too many people around and those who were there were busy preparing for today’s friendly.

And the final stop, of course, was the newly-opened artificial turf at Global City, where the Azkals tried to sweat away their holiday baggage with a training session. The pitch, though not the standard size, makes for a nice training ground and boy, I spent a few minutes admiring the fake grass because it looked real! I even brought home a patch!

Ernie Nierras said plans for the artificial turf were put on hold during the previous PFF president’s time and when Nonong Araneta took over, he and the guys at Global City pushed through with it.

It was also at that time that Dan and I had a mini-one on one, and I dared the team manager to score a goal with me on goal. Unfortunately, his injured toe prevented him from showing his under-appreciated bend. Unfortunately, too, I left my shades at the pitch. But Ernie, the Malditas team manager and Stallions coach, sure showed he can curl it.

One funny thing though, one Azkal player (let’s just call him, Hollywood) arrived at the first practice with only 10 minutes left. His reason? His English!

The text message for the practice said the schedule was “4 to 6,” and he thought the number “4,” meant “for” and he said “I thought the practice was for 6! Because, you know, sometimes they substitute “4” for “for!”

As I told the player, that’s a nice excuse!

Fair Play: Should we pander to elite runners?

2012-01-06T14:31:00.004+08:00

AN article in the 2010 edition of the Best American Sports Writing caught my attention. Though it was about one man’s attempt to reconstruct an old links course, it reminded me, of all things, about some of the local elite runners’ lament regarding the entry of the foreign runners.

The author said that in the era when golf was its infancy, courses were designed to “evoke play over existing terrain in thought-provoking ways,” and grounds were not “recontoured to conform to golfers’ expectations.”

How is that related to the local running circuit? It’s simple. The layout of the local running community is no longer the same. The Africans changed that .

Should we change it again to what it was, as what some runners want? Should we
“recontour” it meet their expectations?

The expectations being that local runners should have a chance to vie for the top prize.

Should we bar the Africans from local races?

I think not.

It’s counter-productive, and it doesn’t make sense.

I first got wind of this resentment against foreign runners when Simon Losiaboi came to town and swept all the top prizes in a two-month span. I think Mary Grace delos Santos, herself, was also a subject of envy when she began winning local races.

Mary Grace, ironically, is proof that locals can beat foreigners but when she and Simon started winning, some complained.

“Dili man na mga taga-Cebu.”

I find that funny because the local elite runners who are resenting the entry of the foreigners were themselves, the subject of resentment from weekend runners, hence a change in the way races are conducted.

I remember sitting in one meeting and one of the organizers said, “Sila _____ na pud maka-daug ani.”

Their solution to that became the norm when groups held their own runs--exclusive media, doctors, priests, students, alumni, nurses or what-have-you divisions.

Boo-hoo local elites.

But do these changes mean it is OK for local elite runners to wish that foreigners be barred?

I think not.

There’s a big difference with say, offering a special 5K division for students to give the 1,000 a chance for a podium finish, than barring foreign elite runners so 10 local guys can fight for first place.

Besides, if our local elite runners can’t beat the Kenyans, should we reward them?

And if we begin to think that way, what would we feel if other countries think, “Hey, why are they giving all these nursing jobs to Filipinos?”

Of course, that doesn’t mean I don’t understand why some runners are complaining.
Running for them is a livelihood, it’s what feeds the family.

But to grow further, the local running circuit must welcome new faces. It can’t
stagnate and be stuck with where it is.

Besides, facing world-class competition—or even Asian-top-class-competition—this early is good for a runner’s development, right?

And I’m talking about those teens and promising young stars, who, at their age are facing runners whom the best of the country only face when they got to the Southeast Asian, or even, Asian Games.

Should we deny them the opportunity?

Because some can’t win?

One organizer, who I won’t name, when asked if their group was going to offer a reward for the top Filipino finisher in his race, cringed and asked, “Isn’t that racist?” (I think there a running joke [pun intended] then that offering the “Top Filipino” award is like awarding the best loser.)

Racist may be too strong a word, but organizers who offer that reward should add an asterisk that says “wasn’t the top runner.”

According to the article, to reconstruct the course, the golf designer simply dug up history and said the rebuilt layout may seem strange to the modern golfer because “we’ve got so used to pandering to the golfer.”

Let’s not pander. Let’s not recontour.

2012-01-03T23:48:00.000+08:00

This is my first non Fair Play, non-Sun.Star Cebu related post in months.

And yep, I'm scared out of my wits for my first 21K. On Dec. 30, I planned to run from Banawa to Sto. Nino Village and back, and that should get me to my planned 15K (Google map pending) a week before the Cebu City Marathon.

But the rain, and the party (I ran to a party last Dec. 30) stopped me from getting to the final half of my route.

21K is easy for the weekend runners, but I haven't joined a weekend run since August, and I haven't ran longer than a 6K, officially that is.

Also, I wished that the Jan. 7 friendly, which was in doubt when I started training, would push through so I would have a reason to skip the Jan. 8 event.

The friendly is pushing through and I'm skipping it for the Jan. 8 run.

Sus Ginoo.

Year ender: DBC sweeps major titles in 2011

2011-12-31T09:11:00.003+08:00

(This article by Cheska D. Geli appeared on Sun.Star Cebu on Dec. 31)

FOR Don Bosco College (DBC), which secured all the major titles in this year’s local tournaments, an impressive sweep of the Milo Little Olympics football titles capped a great year.

DBC started its dominance after its elementary and secondary teams bagged the Milo Little Olympics Football title, dethroning defending champions Canduman Elementary School, 6-1, for the elementary division and Abellana National School (ANS), 3-1, for the high school crown.
(Milo Little Olympics national finals foto by Alex Badayos)

Its title run continued when it dethroned the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, 3-1, in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) secondary football, winning back the crown DBC lost last year when it was forced to forfeit a Cesafi game due to a scheduling conflict.

And two weeks later, DBC scored another sweep, this time in the tough Cebu City Olympics, which serves as the selection process for the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association. The Joselito Bono-coached elementary squad blanked Bright Academy in the elementary finals, while DBTC foiled ANS anew in the secondary finals, 4-2.

(Milo Little Olympics national finals foto by Alex Badayos)
DBC set the bar high again in the Milo Little Olympics finals, sweeping both titles with the secondary team—led by Junjay Arrizabal, Valentino Calvo and Jerome Vestil among others – showing it is a cut above the rest with a 24-0 rout of Luzon, a 15-0 humbling of the National Capital Region, and a 4-0 win over Mindanao. The elementary squad, which had Glenn Thomas Ramos and Agustin Rafael Roa, also beat Luzon, 2-0, Mindanao, 4-2, and NCR, 11-1.

Palaro

The four teams could meet again in the Palarong Pambansa after both DBTC teams got the Cviraa titles, with a 7-0 win over Bayawan in the high school finals and a 6-0 win over Mandaue in the elementary finals.

While DBC was busy harvesting titles, the Cebu Football Association also got busy with seminars and the launching of a province-wide grassroots program.

The CFA sent coaches Eleazar Toledo, Oliver Colina and Bro. Mari Aberasturi to the Fifa Grassroots Pro-Active Instructors Course in San Carlos City, where it introduced the Festival-type format for grassroots football and also hosted the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) B License Coaching Course at Don Bosco Boys Home.

In the collegiate scene, the University of San Carlos also ended a five-year drought after beating the University of Southern Philippines Foundation in a tough finals.

Cebu joins UFL

The success of the Philippine Azkals and the rise of football also led to a growing interest in the United Football League, the country’s premier tournament.

And for the first time, a team from Cebu—the Cebu Queen City United FC—joined the fray, spending almost P500,000 on airfare alone as the 25-man squad flew in and out of Manila every weekday. Though the team failed to score a goal, it is preparing anew for a better showing in the UFL Division 2.
(UFL foto by Dr. Joel pascual)
A few Cebuano booters also suited up for various national teams, while two successful local coaches got an extended stint.

The list is bannered by young Cebuano goalkeeper Paolo Pascual, who made the Southeast Asian Games squad and was named to a couple of Azkal matches. Pascual, now based in Manila, also plays for Global Smartmatic FC in the United Football League.

Collegiate players Hanesin Prince Anthony and Dan Villarico also made it to the Under-19 Philippine Team that played in the Asian Football Federation Championship in Myanmar, while Dean Ebarle, Mario Lorenzo Ceniza, Moiselle Angelo Alforque, Vincent Lobitos, Kintaro Miyagi and Lawrence Colina joined the Little Azkals Under-13 national team under Cebuano coach Oliver Colina.

The successful DBC coach, Glenn Ramos, also headed the Teen Azkals Under-16 in the AFF Under-16 and had Cebuano Koko Gaudiel in his lineup.

Fair Play: A few of my favorite 2011 stories

2011-12-30T16:25:00.003+08:00

(This is a draft of my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's Dec. 31 issue)

TWO of my most favorite athletes did well in 2011 and I couldn’t be more happy for them. Knowing how hard these folks work to get to where they are, I’m glad that their hard work resulted to big pay days for them.

One of my most favorite boxers of all time is Donnie Nietes and this year the guy who’s used to be known for bringing his pet snake with him on the ring finally accomplished a rare feat—winning his second world title in a second world division.

What I like most about Donnie is not just his skills on the ring, it’s his demeanor off it. This humble former janitor turned world champion doesn’t have the air that some athletes sadly develop once they get to the limelight and I hope Donnie continues that way.

My favorite Nietes tale happened in 2007, hours after he won his first world title with a unanimous decision win over Pornsawan Porpramook on Sept. 30 at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Lahug.

And during a post-match gathering, I saw ALA himself, sporting a grin that mirrors that of a lotto winner, approaching Donnie. He held Donnie’s face with both hands, and the two were lost in a conversation only they could hear amidst a gathering of supporters and family, and the boxing patriarch hugged his boxing ward the way any proud father would his son.

It was also at that time that I learned Donnie was a former janitor and I thought at that moment if Donnie ever dreamed of getting to that point when he traded his cleaning tools for boxing gloves.

To Donnie and ALA, stay foolish, stay humble.

Back in 2009, I got to interview the winner of the Sinulog 21K.

She was small, I tell you but one thing I noticed about Mary Grace delos Santos in the Sinulog run, and in the previous four runs she joined in Cebu, was how she blew away the competition.

I wrote a few running stories before that and I always noticed how the top three in the women’s division never changed but when she came along? They couldn’t keep up with her.

In that Sinulog Run, it was only because of the generosity of a foreigner that Grace got to join the event. I remember her saying that the foreigner paid for her and coach Sherwin Managuil’s boatfare from Cagayan, so they could join the Sinulog Run.

Now, the former new face in the Cebu running scene is the latest toast in the national circuit, having won the elite women’s division of the Milo Marathon national finals.

I hope that earns Grace a spot in the Philippine team and I hope she gets to hear the national anthem played when she competes for the country, abroad.

Of course, I can’t end this year without my favorite football story and it involves my friends Graeme Mackinnon and Dan Palami.

At the tail-end of 2010, Graeme was on the outside looking in the Philippine football scene, while Dan was reaping the fruits of a year’s sacrifice for the Azkals.

And just last Feb. 9, Graeme had the worst time of his life in his best time of his life—enduring 120 minutes on his injured knees to cheer for the Azkals at the Panaad Park and Stadium.

Graeme also served as Dan’s escort when the manager was our presidential awardee in the Sportswriters Association of Cebu, and a few months later, I was nursing a hangover when Dan told Graeme:

“I want you to coach Global, Graeme.”

That woke me up and when Dan left for his usual pre-match routine—he doesn’t eat anything on the day of a match—I asked Graeme, “Is he serious?”

Just recently, Graeme also got himself an assistant. Dan fractured his foot and because he can no longer suit up, he will now concentrate as the Global assistant coach.

To Dan and Graeme, I hope 2012 would be a good one for Global, and of course, I hope it will be a great one for all Philippine footie fans.

QOUTE OF THE YEAR. “We are at Plantation Bay!” members of the Philippine national team moments after checking in at Plantation Bay, which had a huge “Welcome Philippine Azkals” sign but whose staff told Sun.Star Cebu, which was denied entry in the hotel, that they were under instructions kuno not to reveal where the Azkals were staying.

Fair Play: Let's bring a pal to Azkal friendly

2011-12-28T19:44:00.002+08:00

(This is the draft for my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on Dec. 29)

AT 4 p.m. on Jan. 7 next year, the Philippine Azkals will face Spain’s CF Madrid team in a charity match aimed to raise funds for victims of Typhoon Sendong.

The match, dubbed “Dili kamo nag-iisa,” is meant to highlight the country coming together to help our brothers and sisters in Mindanao by raising funds and gathering donation for them.

The move, interestingly enough, started on a tweet, which was soon picked up by the movers of Philippine football and the United Football League who got together to make it a reality.

Let’s do our part and show them that they, indeed, are not alone?

By the way, why the mish-mash of Bisaya and Tagalog in Dili kamo nagiisa? I think it’s rather obvious, isn’t it? I’m sure, if it was possible, the organizers would have a mish-mash of all Philippine dialects, but that really, isn’t possible.

Now back to the friendly, which will have friendly prices.

Tickets are priced between P100 to P500, but organizers are hoping that those who can afford to pay more will.

“That way they are a real donation for the victims but affordable as well. However if you can pay more please consider making a donation,” one of the organizers, Craig Burrows, posted in his Facebook account.

In a year that saw the cheapest football tickets go from P200 to P2,000—just a year after when it was considered obscene to pay for a PH football game—I hope fans will come in droves.

I’m sure they will, because we can always rely on the footie fans to support the Azkals but this time, I hope the veteran supporters of the team will bring in the newbies.

Let’s bring a pal, shall we?

Not just for the game at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, but for public viewings for fans outside Manila.

I know Na Ning will be showing the game in Tacloban; so too, would Bacolod’s Dugout.

In Cebu, we have the Azkals Sports Bar and Grill, whose owners—Helga and JM Javier –have promised to give half of their earnings for the night to charity.

Everything is set.

The only thing needed is for fans to fill the stands and the public viewing places.

So, let’s show up, shall we?

A good match, a chance to have a great time and you get to help our brothers and sisters, too.

What’s not to like?

Jan. 7 makes for a great post-holiday gathering.

Fair Play: Wish list for 2012

2011-12-24T07:49:00.004+08:00

FOR Cebu sports fans, it’s been quite a year—we’ve had two Davis Cup ties, the explosion of the Pinoy Pride boxing series, the return of Southwestern University in the boxing scene, the entry of Cebu Queen City United in the United Football League and the success of Team Visayas and Mary Grace delos Santos in the national finals of Milo sports events.

Will 2012 be an even greater year?

I hope so.

And top on my list for 2012 is Queen City United earning top flight entry in the UFL.

The club, which has beefed up its players after a hurried UFL Cup preparation, will be competing in the UFL Division 2, and if it finishes on top, or even the Top 2 (I’m not familiar with UFL rules), it will be promoted to Division 1.

In the local scene, I hope the elections in the Cebu Football Association in 2012 will lead to a harmonious relationship among all stakeholders. I also hope that whoever takes over the CFA will continue the projects of the current board—let bygones be bygones for the love of the game.

In running, I hope Councilor Ed Labella’s ordinance gets passed, and I hope there’s going to be a body that will oversee local running events in Cebu City, heck, even in Metro Cebu. Organizers, race directors should stop asking, “what’s in it for me” but rather should realize how lucky they are that they have a political figure who’s into their sport and support his initiatives. If Councilor Labella was a footie nut, he’d be worshipped.

I hope the next Cebu City Marathon will break records, too, and I hope the indefatigable Dr. Potenciano “Yong” Larrazabal III will have more races to organize.

Like the CCM, I hope his Kawasan Marathon becomes an institution.

Another public official who’s crazy about sports is Ed Hayco, who has taken his Dancesport Team Cebu City blueprint to the Cebu City Sports Commission. Color me biased, but I don’t think there’s a more active sports commission in Cebu, or even the Philippines, and I hope 2012 will be an even greater year for Sir Ed. A few weeks’ of rest for the hardworking chairman is something that he deserves, too.

Aside from running, another sport on the rise in Cebu City is cycling and like running, the boom can’t be attributed to one group or one person. It seems guys and girls just decided to buy their bikes and take up the sport.

And I only have two wishes for cycling—that they don’t go the way of cycling in the Philippines, where politics is so toxic that development has stagnated and I hope the groups can band together to organize the Metro Cebu championships. Let’s set the bar for the others to follow, shall we?

Aside from football, table tennis and tennis are two other sports I learned as a kid, sports that I want to see reach a new high in Cebu. We’re lucky that we have Jessica Jawad-Honoridez, a top-notch trainer who has produced some of the most promising players and I hope she gets her dream of having a table tennis training center in Cebu.

For tennis, I wish the Lagman family success for its planned men’s open tennis circuit in Cebu, so fans can see the country’s best again. I hope, too, that Jacob will be successful in his chase for ITF glory. I’ve seen this kid since he was a pudgy unisex campaigner and I hope to see him blossom into a top-flight international player.

In the national sports scene, I only have one wish—that we finally end the gold medal drought in the Olympics in London 2012. To be honest, since Sydney 2000, we’ve made so many “back to the drawing board” calls after a flop in a major sporting event that not only do we own the drawing board, we’ve made it our permanent residence.

Let’s leave the damn drawing board, shall we?

Fair Play: Friendly is chance for fans to be heroes

2011-12-21T19:39:00.002+08:00

ABOUT this time a year ago, the country—Mindanao especially—was one in supporting a team that dared believe it can overcome whatever the odds fate and a then unconcerned fan base threw at them.

Such great odds, that now, next to the devastation in Mindanao, seem just trivial. The Azkals overcame it, so too, I believe, will Mindanao. Mindanaoans always get back on their feet, no matter the odds.

But they need a little help.

And this time, the Azkals—the recipient of a massive fanatical fan support in 2011—are helping out by holding a charity game early next year.

Cross out the date, Jan. 7—if it becomes final—please?

In a country that worship sports heroes, I am glad that the Azkal will give you and me the chance to be a hero. Yes, the Azkals will be playing a match, but they’re not the hero in this story.

The hero is you and me in the same way that the numerous unnamed, unrecognized faces who selflessly shared whatever resources they have n the aftermath of Sendong are heroes.

Those whitewater rafting guides who became an impromptu rescue squad? God bless them. Let’s thank them and let’s reward them by doing what we can to support the charity game.

The Azkals could play Barca but without us, it won’t matter.

Let’s fill up Rizal Memorial Stadium, and for those who can’t be in Manila, let’s watch the game at our favorite watering holes.

There are suggestions to have relief goods as entrance fee, or to have it as low as P100. But I hope it would be a suggested fee of P200, that way, those who are willing and who can afford to, can pay P1,000 for the “P100” entrance fee.

For fans outside Manila, I hope, there will be designated viewing parties in designated bars, where fans can bring their donations, too.

I hope, too, that these designated bars could share a percentage of the earnings for the night, for charity.

It’s just for one night, and for once, let’s not be concerned about the bottom line.

Let’s just help in whatever way we can.

Fair Play: Cebu City at night and on foot

2011-12-18T19:55:00.001+08:00

(This is the draft of my Sun.Star Cebu column for Dec. 19)

I HAD another good Relatively Long Run the other night, this time for 9.55 kilometers in 1:25:04 from Banawa to Escarrio, Gorordo, down to Lorega and back.

I had to stop for a couple of times to eat because midway to my RLR, I suddenly got so hungry I swear I could have eaten a horse. I clearly still haven’t mastered the science of eating before a run and once,
I also had to cut short a run because of a stomach ache (I was a bit full). I remember too about two weeks after I started running, I had to cut short another session because I got too hungry!

I couldn’t even wait to get to the office from the Cebu City Sports Center because I was THAT hungry!
Though I again thought I ran far more than what Google Earth said, I’m still pleased with my time because just last Feb. 14 (when I started), I couldn’t run one lap at the CCSC oval even if my life depended on it.

I was in pretty good shape as an athlete but to be honest, memories of that time didn’t inspire me since I kept berating myself for getting too out of shape.

But then again, regular sessions at the CCSC have helped. During our tennis session with the Sportswriters Association of Cebu back in June, I managed to play far longer than I used to thanks to the jogging session.

However, when Sir Ricky Ballesteros said he was going to close the oval for the much-needed repairs, I was disappointed because like the thousands who use the oval everyday at 5 p.m., I didn’t want to deal with rush-hour traffic running on the road at 5.

So I stopped for a few weeks before I discovered the pleasure of my RLRs.

I realized I love running at night, though, sometimes, too much coffee might not be that good for you like the time when a cat---a freakin’ cat—scared the bejeesus out of me in a poorly-lighted area in Imus (I’ll have to talk to John P regarding this coffee and running thing.)

Still, seeing Cebu on foot is nice.

Just the other night, I saw a rather drunk dude—who was biking—almost get hit by a motorcycle because he crossed a red light. And, a few minutes later, I saw the same dude sprawled on the road because he got hit by a car, driven by a foreigner. It was funny how the barangay tanods, and the foreigner (whose English was limited) tried to convince Drunk Biker to get to a hospital.

I saw a lot of high school-age kids, too, having a merry time drinking and smoking in the streets (Dude, you don’t look cool doing that), a hooker haggling with a customer, a foreigner with two girls whose clothes left nothing to the imagination, and another with a girl who looked barely in her teens.

Some folks, too, try to jokingly run with me when I pass by them, while some generally give me a smile. Once, a group of drunk men whistled, “Wheet-wheew” as I passed by them and I had to ask my wife when I got home, “Do I look like a girl in this outfit?”

My favorites are when I get to run in the dimly-lit areas and the couples who make out get a jolt when I pass by.

Of course, I encounter a lot of runners too, and we always managed to exchange a few nods and smiles.
I’m sure they wanted to talk but I’m sure too the look on my face says, “can’t-talk!”

But, of course, like all pedestrians, bikers and folks who run, one of the thing I hate most are smoke-belching vehicles, drivers who don’t give way, and smokers on the streets.

I’m a walking chimney when I walk, but lately, I’ve avoided sharing my poison with pedestrians because it just ain’t nice.

I wonder what it would be like to run on streets that is closed to everyone except fellow runners?

P.S. ON SENDONG. I wanted to write something about the victims of the Typhoon, especially after seeing the picture of a devastated father holding his dead daughter. The guy looked like my childhood buddy.

But in times like this, we all have jobs, and mine is to help provide a little solace for folks who are tired of reading the front-page bad news.

Still, let’s keep our kababayans in our prayers. They need them.

Queen City vows better UFL showing

2011-12-17T08:55:00.003+08:00

(This story by Cheska D. Geli came out on Sun.Star Cebu on Dec. 17)
A BETTER and more prepared Queen City United FC will debut in the United Football League second division tournament after making the necessary adjustments.

After playing against experienced teams in the UFL first division, they recruited new players to fill the vacant positions and also doubled their efforts in the training sessions.

“I believe this time we will be better. The preparation of the team is okay and the expectations I have with the team now are better than the first team,” said head coach Mario Ceniza.

Among the new players joining the team are Mark Hilay, Neil Ryan Lirio and Bryan Eborda from San Carlos City, Charles Villarta, Jaymille Comnigo and Adlai Rivera from Cagayan, and university players Dan Villarico and Prince Hanesin Anthony.

“The inclusion of new players made a big impact especially in the backline. It’s more stable now,” said Ceniza

Last week, the players went through a fitness test. And as what Ceniza observed, the team is looking well.

“The team has already gelled. We are focusing on the tactical training and I can say that we are 80 percent in good condition,” said Ceniza.

Part of the team’s preparation is joining the men’s open of the 14th Aboitiz Cup. Currently, they are remain undefeated, winning their last three matches.

The team will be tested this Sunday as they face the defending champions Crazy Horse led by Joshua Fegidero of team Pachanga of the UFL.

Players will take a break on Dec. 23 but will resume on Dec. 27 as the UFL Second Division tournament is set to open on Jan. 14.

The team holds training from Monday to Friday, 6 to 8 a.m. on the Aboitiz Sports Field, but two weeks before the competition, they will conduct it twice a day.

Fair Play: Google says, it's an ill-advised 21K

2011-12-16T18:35:00.002+08:00

(This is the draft of my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu, Dec. 17 issue)

EVER since I stupidly wrote that I will join the 21K in the Cebu City Marathon, one question has been bugging me—how the hell would I train for the 21K?

On the one hand, I could ask a few friends for tips and know I’ll get them, but on the other hand, I wanted--and still do-- to do this on my own and see how I would do without following any program.

I also wanted to write, “How not to train for a 21K” or even, “Why you shouldn’t do this.”

Now 21K isn’t much for the regular weekend runners, or even for those who’ve joined a 10K or two, but it may be quite a stretch for a guy whose longest distance he has ran in the past 16 years was a 6K during the University Run last August.

So last Sunday night, I finally did my solo relatively long run (RLR), from Banawa, to Capitol, to Escario, to Cebu Doctors’ University (Jones campus), to B. Rodriguez down to Happy Valley.

I did it in 57 something minutes and I was pretty happy about it to tell you frankly.
After my RLR, I thought, well, a 21K maybe not too farfetched a target for me since I thought my RLR covered at least a 10K, or even a 12K.

“I could do with another 10K more,” I thought.

Big mistake.

Very, very big mistake.

The morning after my RLR, I checked with Google Earth to know how long my RLR was and the damn program reminded me that running the 21K in the CCM is a foolish endeavor.

The total distance of my RLR? Seven point three kilometers! Geez!

While I was clicking the waypoints as I measured the distance in Google Earth, the program was slowly breaking down my confidence. While I thought getting from the Court of Appeals to Capitol in 17 minutes wasn’t a bad time, Google Earth was saying, “My grandma’s aunt can run 2.28 kilometers in 16 minutes.”

Heck, as I was clicking the points and Google Earth was measuring the distance, I sort of even begged, “Please let it be more than a 10K, please.”

But Google Earth said, “7.3 kilometers.” I swear I detected a smug smile.

I wanted to blame it on a bug but, the CCM 21K is going to be thrice the distance of my RLR.

After Sunday’s run, I thought, I could do another round. But two more? What was I thinking signing up for the 21K?

I told Haide Acuña of my route and the ultramarathoner who’s training for the 160K, (102 ra man to last time, to which Jingo Quijano replied, “102 RA Mike ha, RA) suggested a few places I should pass to extend my RLR.

She said instead of going back to Cebu Doc, from Escario I could go through Imus, pass by Sun.Star Cebu and a few other places she mentioned.

I forgot what she mentioned because I tell you, while I was mentally picturing out the route, I think I already passed out twice from exhaustion.

CCM 21K? What the he…I wonder whether the Azkals will have a friendly on Jan. 8, 2012? I know there was team from Spain--CF Madrid--that was planning to visit the Philippines for a friendly in Manila.

I hope the game pushes through.

I think January is the perfect time to visit the Rizal Memorial Stadium, again.

I better give Sir Dan a call.