Cebu Football

Fair Play: Cebu impresses AFC officials

2013-05-18T08:15:00.004+08:00

I ALWAYS knew that crowd behavior would be one of the factors for a successful hosting of the Asian Football Confederations (AFC) Cup. I just didn’t know how huge a factor it would be.

It turns out crowd behavior at the Cebu City Sports Center has impressed not only local but AFC officials, one of whom told Graeme Mackinnon that he would show the video he took of the crowd to other officials to show how football “is more fun in Cebu.”

When Dordoi striker Murzaev Mirlan scored that equalizer and then faced the Global Force section and put up one finger to his lips, to hush them, there was a smattering of boos and the fans kept on chanting.

In a video message posted online, the AFC match commissioner said, “I didn’t see anything bad, I didn’t hear anything bad, only the good things.”

By bad he meant the crowd throwing everything plus the kitchen sink at the opposing teams, or at their own teams, whenever the scoreline gets bad.

Dordoi was running circles around Global FC but the crowd kept on chanting, never missing a beat. They would do so for about 10 minutes after the final whistle.

And during a dinner with the team an hour or so later, Global Force Cebu kept on chanting.

“This is one of the best places for fair play, one of the best places to work in,” he continued. “You have to be proud of yourself...the future is yours.”

Yep, the future is ours.

That’s why we are really going to need that field at the Cebu City Sports Center.

RUNNERS AT THE HELM. Mike Rama scored a monumental upset and Edgar Labella survived a last-minute rally and the two runners are now the mayor (again) and vice-mayor of Cebu City.

I’m not going to discuss whether that’s good or bad for the political landscape--please check the opinion columnists for that--but rather what does the election of the two mean for local sports?

The two are serious runners and have seen the benefits of an active lifestyle. With another runner in the City Council--Mary Ann delos Santos--the future looks bright for the local running community. And I think the Cebu City Marathon will get that much needed government support in its quest to become the marquee running destination in the country.

I hope in the next major football tournament--or friendly here--Mayor Rama and Vice Mayor Labella will get to watch it so they can feel the passion of the fans. Who knows? That may prod the city to--yep, you guessed it--spruce the pitch at CCSC.

Why do we need a perfect pitch at CCSC? Because of the AFC President’s Cup hosting, Cebu doesn’t need to pitch for an AFC event, it’s going to be the officials themselves who are clamoring to return here.

Now that is what sports tourism is all about, getting visitors to say “You must visit Cebu!”

Fair Play: Crazy Sanogo teaches Global FC a bitter lesson

2013-05-15T08:20:00.001+08:00

WHEN coach Brian Reid pointed to Ed Sacapano to start warming in the first half of Global FC's final match against Dordoi, a smattering of applause broke in the crowd, who witnessed how the bungling Mousa Sanogo, whose errors led to back-to-back goals for the Kyrgystani club.

He supposedly played for the third division in France but I've seen third-choice keepers in high school who could hold on to the ball better.

But what made Sanogo's stint memorable was that crazy stunt he pulled in the second half, when he dribbled up field, joined the attack in Dordoi's box. Worse, he took all the time in the world getting back to his box, as if he was in for an afternoon stroll in the park, not a do-or-die game for the Filipino club champions.

That was when Ed got to play, and not a few say that he should have played from the first game, and that instead of a keeper, Global's other foreign player should have been a striker. (Only two foreigners are allowed in the AFC President's Cup.)

When Ed got in, the crowd applauded and that shows a lot. I think that was the first time I saw a substitution for a keeper who wasn’t injured.

Of course, there are two lessons for Global FC here. One, not to tinker with the lineup a day before the tournament, and two, never trust the guy/gal again who recommended Sanogo. Blind auditions work for The Voice, but not for football clubs.

The other foreign players in the club, those who missed the President's Cup because of the rule, are invested in the team, they'd give their all and not pull a crazy stunt. For Sanogo, it was just a job. Nothing more. Perhaps, right now, he's enjoying a drink and telling his friends, "You know one time, I slept drunk and the next thing I know I'm in the plane headed to Cebu!"

Cedelf Tupas was talking about the possibility of Sanogo being an impostor and he could be right. Boxing is rife with players like that, those who come with impressive credentials but turn out to be a waiter who can’t take a punch (Gerry Penalosa’s foe) or one who’s only a namesake of the real one (Boom-Boom Bautista’s foe).

I hope that’s the last time someone who’s good on paper gets the starting job over someone who’s been there with the team, doing the job.

It’s time, too, for the UFL to consider a cap on the foreign players in each club. Take the case of Global, because of the rule, they had to fly in Juani Guirado from Spain, sign Jason de Jong and Ed Sacapano on loan.

Though it doesn’t have to be as harsh as the two-foreign player limit, a cap would be nice. And oh, make sure they don’t sign up the Sanogos.

Fair Play: Global Force Cebu--setting the standard from the stands

2013-05-12T10:18:00.005+08:00

A FEW weeks back, there was an informal online poll on which club has the most passionate supporters in the Philippines, and the runaway winner then was the passionate Ultras of Kaya FC.

I didn't join the online discussion because I haven't really seen how passionate the groups are in the United Football League and I also agree that among all of them, the Ultras Kayas, based on what I saw on some of the TV matches, seemed to be the noisiest bunch of fans.

Then I saw Global Force Cebu.

Make no mistake, without these bunch of folks, the atmosphere at the Cebu City Sports Center for the AFC President's Cup would have been as lively as that of a closed-door debate between Nancy Binay and Risa Hontiveros, and now, their presence in the game is greatly anticipated.

Led by Egay Salvacion, Mark Concha, Nina Fatima Kahlil, Pawikz Pogoy, King Lyndell Placencia, and a bunch of other passionate fans, they impressed everybody by singing and shouting for almost 90 minutes during Global FC's debut against Yeedzin FC in the Asian Football Confederation President's Cup.

I say almost 90 minutes because the group had about five 30-second breaks during the whole match, which they spent on their feet and prior the match, they marched from Fuente Osmena to the CCSC before the game. They represented only two or three percent of the audience in that game but their voices dominated the stadium from kick-off to the final whistle.

I've seen a lot of "firsts" since the Azkals broke into mainstream consciousness and seeing Global Force Cebu perform last Wednesday was definitely a first.

"Awesome display of support from stadium fans tonight!" Dan Palami tweeted during the first game, and then, we could see him applauding the group and giving them two thumbs up from the Global bench.

Global FC coach Brian Reid, who was concerned about fan reception prior the games, had nothing but admiration for the group and so did the rest of the Global FC players.

If their first game performance was great, the performance in the second match was greater. For their march from Fuente Osmena to CCSC, they were joined by Dan himself and some Global FC fans from Manila and Tacloban.

The visiting fans tried to join them in their chanting but I could see they were having a hard time keeping up as they were not used to chanting for the full 90 minutes on their feet. They were also joined by the Blu-Haired Fanatic, who dressed himself in a yellow cape ala Super Global, and by Graeme Mackinnon, who also donned a costume.

And get this, when disaster struck Global in the eighth minute with that wicked goal from a corner kick, they didn't miss a bit, and at times, it seemed they had more energy than the Global FC players on the field.

"What's with Global Force Cebu? Pure energy! Just keeps going, and going, and going. Can the team have some of your power juice?" Dan wrote on tweeter after that second game.

At half time, I saw some of them getting their power juice, one disallowed by the liqour ban but power juice or not, I'm confident the fans can do better in Global's third game against Dordoi FC.

What is their secret? I've been asked by a lot of folks from Manila and I really don't know the answer. Perhaps, they are just grabbing the chance to show their support to their favorite club in the Philippines, or perhaps it's their way of showing that Global FC should have a UFL game in Cebu. Kaya vs. Global in Cebu, anyone?

Whatever their secret is, they have changed Cebu football with their presence in the stands.

(www.cebufootball.blogspot.com)

Fair Play: Who the next Cebu City mayor should be

2013-05-10T09:00:00.001+08:00

IT'S the tailend of the election season and as usual, the politicians' campaign are in high gear. I really don't play partisan politics, but I hope that the next mayor of Cebu City and the governor of Cebu would be major sports fans.

No, not the "here's-a-million-for-a-barangay-league-and- name-it-after-me fan," but a real sports fan, one that's concerned about development.

It's not about the trophies, it never is.

Of all the sports commissions I know, Cebu City has the most one and I hope whoever wins on May 13 will continue the programs.

Why? It's about the opportunities sports can give a young athlete. A few days ago, while talking to a former football player slash runner, who is from a private school, I learned that he had a few teammates who got full scholarship offers from big schools like Ateneo de Manila and the University of the Philippines because their scouts liked what they saw. And these are athletes, who just a couple of years ago, took up the sport just for fun.

An opportunity like this, is being offered to thousands of public school students through the programs of the CCSC. Just imagine the benefits it would give to the public school students.

And of course, I hope the next Cebu City mayor, too, would be a big football fan. Let's admit it, football is the fastest growing sport in Cebu and it has been even before the Azkals beat Vietnam in 2010.

What the sport needs is a venue, and that's where the next mayor--be it Tom or Mike--is needed.

We need a mayor that will push for the putting up of an artificial turf at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC). It's going to be expensive, but if

Cebu City can spend P20 million for the rehab of the track oval, then it certainly can afford another P20 million for the artificial turf.

It will certainly pay for itself. Like I said, the CCSC is the perfect venue for football events here and you only need to check the local FA's calendar to know that there are a lot. Charging a fee for its use, would allow the city to recoup the investment, even faster than its multi-million investment for the track oval.

Yes, I've written about this before and I will keep on writing about this. Why? Because the movement to have the track oval rehabbed was started by a fellow columnist right in this page two elections ago.

And now is the perfect time to put up a turf because the Philippine Football Federation and the Cebu Football Association have a great working relationship and Cebu is going to be the venue of major football events. We had the Singapore vs. Philippines friendly last year, we are having the Asian Football Confederation President's Cup, and we're going to have another friendly next month.

The Asean Football Federation is also cooking up a Super League to be launched in a year or so, and guess where the PFF wants the Philippine representative to be based? Here, of course.

Of course, the CCSC, because of its location, is also the perfect venue for the annual Sinulog festival and you can still put up that ginormous stage, even with an artificial turf on. All you have to do is roll up that pitch.

SUNDAY SHOWDOWN. Again, I can’t write about the KRL vs. Global FC game because the sports editor would wring my throat if I submit a column at 10 p.m., but whatever the result, Global’s game against Dordoi of Kyrgyzstan this Sunday will decide which teams will advance to the final stage in September.

Global has the vocal Global Force backing them for the whole 90 minutes, but I think they could really use more people in the stands.

So, this Sunday, let’s show up at the CCSC.

Fair Play: More miracles for AFC President's Cup

2013-05-08T23:32:00.000+08:00

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Sar Cebu, May 9 issue)

I SAID Cebu needs a miracle for a successful AFC President’s Cup hosting and I think we got one and aside from the guys in the Cebu Football Association and the guys who worked their asses off to get the pitch back into world-class condition, we have to thank The One above for it.

Anyone who has been outside his or her home the past weeks or so knows that it’s been hot as hell in Cebu, but, for the past few days, we’ve been blessed with good and grass-friendly weather.

"If you believe in God, the grass will grow," that’s what one of the guys who put up the stage at the Cebu City Sports Center told Rodney Orale. And I guess, they really believe, and of course, worked like crazy to deliver.

They’ve done their part, and now, it’s Global FC’s turn to deliver.

I wanted to write about the UFL champion’s debut in last night’s AFC President’s Cup but the 7:30 game, is a wee bit too late and I know the sports editor would throw a tantrum if a columnist gets late in submitting his column.

But I hope Global FC does well, even if the coaching staff has no idea what they are up against. They may be the UFL champion and is one of the richest clubs in the Philippines, but Manchester United they are not, and they didn’t get to send scouts to check on their opponents prior to the matches.

"We will just hope for the best," Coach Reid said during a brief interview with reporters after their welcome party last Friday at CFA president Ricky Dakay’s residence. "There’s no sense in getting gung ho in the first match, we will just have to take a cagey approach."

That’s the best Global can do in this situation.

Being the new kids in the AFC President’s Cup block, Global isn’t expected to win it all, but I hope the team performs respectably. Their campaign in the AFC President’s Cup is not about Global FC, but about club football in the Philippines.

But they say miracles come in threes, so who knows, Global FC getting to the final stage might be one.

LIQUOR BAN. Another curious thing about this year’s AFC President’s Cup is that it’s happening right at the tail-end of the election season, which is imposing a five-day liquor ban. (Jeez, I don’t think stopping people from drinking will stop Pinoys from electing jokes into office.)

And of course, fans always gather for a few drinks after a match, and with the Liquor Ban, well, this will make for an interesting President’s Cup. And, in case you’re paying attention, that’s the third miracle needed for the AFC President’s Cup.

Fair Play: Trolling Global FC during their welcome dinner

2013-05-05T00:00:00.000+08:00

IT WAS the perfect opportunity to pull out a prank and I took the chance to troll Dan Palami and his Global FC team.

Everyone was wearing black, the colors of Global FC, during the welcome dinner for Global FC slash birthday party for host Ricky Dakay at his sprawling mansion.

So I came wearing the yellow Una Kaya shirt of their fierce rival Kaya FC. Boy, talk about eyes in your back.

I got in late, about an hour or two after the program started, and when I walked in, well, let's just say they were surprised to see a guy in an Una Kaya shirt in a Global FC welcome dinner.

Of course, I approached Paolo Pascual first, a player I've seen go through the age group ranks to the national team roster.

"Hala, Kaya man na!" Paolo said when I shook his hand, and I could see his teammates wondering why the Cebuano keeper was shaking the hand of the odd guy. Then I spotted Dan, the owner, and I had a silly grin on. I've been planning to do this for some time, but it was foiled by his last-minute non-arrival. I had the Kaya shirt on for the Thirsty Cup, when Dan was supposed to play, but...

Of course, wearing a yellow shirt in a black team's party wouldn't be an issue, if not for what the United Football League has achieved in the past few years for club football in the Philippines. I'd be just a guy in a yellow shirt. But now, there's a growing following for the clubs in the UFL, especially teams like Global FC and Kaya FC, which has the fierce Ultras Kayas by their side.

Last year, the two clubs figured in an intense final round for the UFL Cup title, Kaya beat the Stallions to get the provisional lead with 42 points but in the next game, Global FC hang on for a 1-1 draw with Loyola to get to 42 points and win the UFL title on goal difference.

And that's why the Cebu Football Association hosted a welcome dinner for the team, who are here to play in the AFC President's Cup as the representatives for the UFL.

And leading them now, is Brian Reid, an experienced player and manager who has seen action for Newcastle United and coached Ayr United to the first division of the Scottish League. And he knows, a stunt like that, wouldn't have ended the way it did--with the owner, coach and consultant smiling--if it was pulled, say, in Scotland or England. It would have probably made the odd news, “Stupid editor mauled for rival’s shirt in welcome dinner!”

It's more fun in the Philippines, though for Reid, fun can be relative, especially for Global FC's stint in the AFC President's Cup.

Reid has seen the best of the football world--scouting reports prior matches, complete choices for the squad, check! But for the Asian Football Confederation's President's Cup, he won't have that luxury.

Global FC will be going against Dordoi of Krygystan, KRL of Bhutan and Yeedzin of Pakistan, and the coach will essentially be going in blind, having no idea who he'd be up against aside from the spare info gathered online.

"If Manchester United plays, say, a team from Australia, they'd probably send three or four scouts there to check on the team," he said during a brief talk with the press." It's unfortunate that we are not in a financial situation to have that."

The only info they have of Dordoi, one of the top teams as it is a regular in the AFC President's Cup and a former winner, is that 17 members of Krygystan's national team, plus the coach, is in the squad.

Based on the Fifa rankings, the former member of the Soviet bloc is at 142, just a notch above the Philippines.

These unknowns aren’t the only things in Reid’s mind. Though he’s been with the team since January, he essentially has a new squad as AFC rules limit the number of foreigners to two, and he regularly plays four or more in the UFL.

This is what Philippine club football is in right now, taking baby steps against the established names, armed only with guts and the belief that it belongs with the big boys.

On May 8, we’ll find out and of course, there won’t be trolls this time around.

Fair Play: The gauge for AFC President's Cup success

2013-05-01T23:19:00.001+08:00

THE Cebu Football Association may move heaven and earth for a successfull Asian Football Confederation hosting but whatever they do, won't determine whether the hosting is a success or not.

Who would determine its success? The fans in the stands.

"I think that would be the barometer by which the AFC will judge us," CFA president Ricky Dakay said during the official launching of the event.

Curiously, though we've been talking about this event for months, Cebu didn't official get it until the AFC gave word a couple of days ago and there was that chance that Cebu wouldn't even get it, while the groundwork was being laid. Talk about a close shave.

Now, how will the Cebu football community take to this?

That's the big question. Will Global FC, the United Football League champion laden with Azkals players, get the same reception as the national team?

Singapore, which faced the Azkals last November, had nothing but positive things to say about the thousands who saw that match last Nov. 15.

The crowd was knowledgeable and passionate they said, but not rude. sure they booed Singapore on some plays, but the animosity ended with the match and in football, especially in international matches, well animosity between home fans and the opposing team usually doesn't end well.

That's what prodded the players to return to Cebu with their families.

Will Global FC get the same treatment from the fans, some of whom will be flying in from other parts of the country?

We will find out on May 8.

By the way, I learned that for the hosting job, the CFA can't fart without AFC's permission and everything has to be approved, down to the size and colors of the tickets. They even wanted that huge LG billboard along Osmena Boulevard, which is visible from the Cebu City Sports Center, turned off.

One more thing, so the brownout that hit Rizal Memorial Stadium won't be repeated, just like in the Singapore game, the lights at the CCSC will be powered by two generator sets, while another one will be on standby.

Anyway, I’m happy that they have learned from the mistakes of the Nov. 15 match, when the media got the worse seats in the house. A few weeks ago, Global Force FC, the team’s booster squad, announced that they were given the red section, the best seats in the house, but that was changed and they got another section.

Last Tuesday I learned why. The best seats in the house went to the sportswriters.

P.S. I just realized that May 12, the final match day of the AFC Presidents Cup, is also the start of the Election alcohol ban. What a bummer.

Fair Play: Cebu needs a miracle for AFC Presidents Cup

2013-04-28T08:40:00.000+08:00

I AM really not that convinced by the reason that the “misunderstanding” between the Cebu Football Association and the Cebu City Sports Center management was because the religious activity was supposedly booked last December yet and the management can't turn down the request of the organizers to put up a stage at the football pitch.

(Photo by ML, no image copyright. Share this for a beer.)

The fact that this wasn't mentioned in their previous meetings, (By the way, there's going to be a stage 11 days before the tournament starts) is one. And having been a regular in CCSC manager Ricky Ballesteros' office, I know how effective they are in anticipating future conflicts of schedules as they have a whiteboard calendaring all events, sometimes months in advance is another.

Based on the religious group’s website, too, the event at the CCSC isn’t even listed in their calendar, which already lists events in May.

“Gubot kaayo,” one of those working on the pitch told me when I dropped by last Saturday. “Nakurat mi tanan.”

But the major reason why I am not convinced is that it’s the election season and as anyone knows, politicians will do anything--dance, sing badly and grant last-minute requests—for extra publicity and to collect favors.

Why do I think that way? Because when I went to the CCSC, I saw a tent bearing a name of a candidate for councilor of Talisay City whose group is also supporting the same group that the incumbent Cebu City mayor is supporting. I could be wrong, but you can connect the dots.

And if you run a government facility, well, you can't say no to requests like this.

Engr. Rodney Orale, the man in charge for the preparation of the pitch, said there’s nothing they can do about the religious rally, except pray for a miracle that the grass will grow back in two days for AFC final inspection. Yes, the event will start on May 8, but the final inspection is on April 30.

Orale said that in a conversation with some of those with the religious group, he was told that "If you believe in Jesus, the grass will grow."

But to borrow a famous saying, yes, we all believe in God but we still lock our doors at night and we get a job so we can have a decent living, right?

What happens if the pitch fails the AFC inspection? Will the AFC push through with the Presidents Cup in Cebu or will Kyrgyzstan or Bhutan get the hosting job? If that happens, that's a big embarrassment, not only to the CCSC, CFA or Cebu City, but to Philippine football.

And to those espousing sports tourism, that's a big loss. That's 88 rooms--22 per team--over 10 days in the peak season, and that's just for the delegations. And, mind you, these players are stars in their own countries and have a following, a tweet here, an Instagram post there about how they enjoyed Cebu? That will do wonders. Take the case of Singapore, the players enjoyed their stay in Cebu so much that they returned, with families in tow.

What happens if the pitch fails inspection? Didn't I say we need a miracle?

The CFA and CCSC can get on each other's throats but it's fortunate--despite this unfortunate incident--that they are not. Because even if the AFC event doesn't push through, there's still that June 8 friendly. Sir Ricky said there's no contract between the CFA and CCSC as to limiting the use of the pitch during the preparation stage and for the next friendly, I think both parties should put everything in writing, and the fine-print should include barring last-minute requests from anyone, even from P-Noy himself.

As for the rest of fans wanting to see the AFC Presidents Cup? Pray for that miracle…but keep the doors locked and keep your day job.

Fair Play: BRO Cup joins 9-a-side revolution

2013-04-26T23:34:00.003+08:00

EVER since Neil Montesclaros, Charlie Page and the rest of the Don Bosco alumni started the football festival craze with the Thirsty Cup almost 10 years ago, seven-a-side games have always been the norm.

Of course, you can't have a full 11-a-side, 90-minute match in a two-day festival, since that defeats the purpose but seven-a-side matches also had its disadvantages as well as advantages. Seven-a-side matches, are essentially just competitive versions of the drills coaches have during practices, and luck also plays a major factor, that's why most finals matches--where sometimes teams of unequal quality meet--end in shootouts.

Back when the Thirsty Cup started, there weren't that many players, too, so seven-a-side matches, especially for the younger age groups which it pioneered, were the way to go. Now, even with nine-a-side matches, the BRO Cup was even able to attract 170-plus teams.

Now, a new player in the football landscape wants to change that. The BRO Cup, is adopting the nine-a-side format for the younger age groups and the full 11-a-side match for the older age groups.

"Mas lingaw ang passing ani," Glenn said during the press con.

For young players not good enough to make their school team's Aboitiz Cup, Cebu City Olympics or Cesafi lineup, this could be the first time for them to play an 11-a-side match in a competition. Since this won't be the 90-minute version, there are still some variations in the rules but still, as Chieffy Caligdong said during the press con, the kids will really get to learn a lot from a format like this.

The BRO Cup isn't the first to adopt this move, last year, Don Rabanes and his group have been organizing festivals and leagues in Cebu and I think this going to be the norm in future festivals. I believe after getting a bite of the nine-a-side bug, coaches and players are going to suggest adopting this format in future festivals.

Of course, there is this one concern that must be addressed in a nine-a-side and 11-a-side festivals, and that's the pressure on the referees. The BRO Cup is anticipating that by assigning three per match in the older divisions and that must be a must for future tournaments that want to adopt this.

By the way, I also learned from Raffy Musni during the press con that the Aboitiz group has done some minor renovations on its Aboitiz Sports Field, but do you know what we all agreed during that press con? It would be perfect if one of Cebu's biggest companies would go all out and put up an artificial turf in the Aboitiz Sports Field.

If they are going to spend for the renovation, why not go all out for a full artificial pitch before Megaworld or another group beats them to it?

"Mahal lagi gamay, pero kanang artificial pitch wa gyud na'y problema," Raffy said.

Besides, if the Aboitiz has, in the future, other plans for the Aboitiz Sports Field, it can just roll up the artificial pitch and transfer it.

There are five artificial pitches in Manila and none in Cebu but I’m pretty sure one will be put up anytime soon.

Who knows? Maybe even the Cebu City Sports Center could get an artificial pitch. The City spent some P20 million for the renovation of its rubber oval, because it’s one of its best income-generating facility, just imagine how much the City could earn if it has an artificial pitch and charges the appropriate fee for it?

Heck, we can have daily football festivals!

(www.cebufootball.blogspot.com)

Fair play: Retire, with your head unbowed, Boom-Boom

2013-04-24T23:02:00.000+08:00

EVERYbody loved Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista as a young fighter. And sadly, the then 21-year-old fighter who won his first 23 fights would learn, that everybody loves a promising fighter, until he loses.

From being the most-loved fighter, Bautista, I think became the most maligned fighter in boxing forums after his first-round loss to Daniel Ponce de Leon, called names by keyboard warriors who’d faint at an Internet staredown.

I asked Boom-Boom, at first what he thought of the criticisms, especially the one on him having a glass jaw. His response was classic, “Glass jaw kung glass jaw, pero maski kinsa siguro maigo ug kusug kaayo na kumo, mawingig gyud.”

But Boom-Boom never won back most of his fans he lost after that loss, and most even began picking on some of the things they were praising. The way Boom-Boom would stand on a neutral corner, his head held high with both hands on his hips, while the ref counts down his foe. There were rumors. Lots of rumors. So many rumors that I began staying away from boxing forums.

Yes, Boom-Boom was a victim of hype and he was hyped too early by a country and media eager to search for the next Manny Pacquiao while the Pacman was at his prime.

“Greatness beckons,” I headlined his story, after his UD win over Sergio Medina in 2007 in the undercard of Oscar dela Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. And four years later, after a technical decision against Heriberto Ruiz, it was “Boom-Boom booed!”

And now, at 26, while most fighters are still at their prime and at an age when most of his critics’ biggest worry is, “Where should I get wasted next?” Boom-Boom Bautista is pondering retirement.

Michael Aldeguer of ALA Promotions hopes fans give Boom-Boom his due, for what he did in the ring. And I agree.

He was anointed as the “Next One,” too early and Boom-Boom never matched the hype, but still, Boom-Boom should go out with his head up high. One of the things that really got him excited in that press con, when he was asked about that next Manny Pacquiao thing, was when Boom-Boom, who grew up poor in Candijay, Bohol, talked about his savings account, which was nearing seven digits.

You see, like most fighters, Boom-Boom fought to get out of poverty, and unlike most, he’s successful. He beat poverty and it’s no mean feat.

Yes, 26, is too early to retire but Boom-Boom shouldn’t think of it that way. Confined to the boxing ring for years, now at 26, the whole world has opened up for this young man who dreamed of a better life.

Boom, chin up!

(www.cebufootball.blogspot.com

Dear Manila, get your acts together will you?

2013-04-23T08:48:00.004+08:00

IN December 2012, the UFL sent a letter requesting for sanction for its Youth League from the NCRFA, which, four months later, is using such request as a reason to question how things are run in the UFL.

Dear NCRFA football stakeholders, get your acts together, will you?

Elvira Lozano, a board member of the NCRFA, told Bob Guerrero, “The issue is the structure of governance in the UFL. We cannot discuss a youth football league or any other project until we deal with this issue.”

Is that issue?

Isn't the issue about the UFL Youth League and how, four months after their request, there's still no sanction?

What is a sanction? It is simply a local FA recognizing a local tournament and providing it with referees allied with the FA.

How long does it take to get a sanction? Before this UFL Youth League impasse, it's a gen-sec function, not a board function, at least that's what in practice. A tournament organizer writes a letter to the local FA requesting for sanction, and once the letter is received, it is approved. At least, that's the case in Cebu, and, I learned, that's the case in Manila too for one tournament organizer who's request for sanction was immediately granted.

The PFF, too, has been telling local FAs to encourage tournament organizers to have their events sanctioned and here you have an organizer asking for sanction and getting rebuffed.

Mrs. Lozano said some of their clubs are complaining that UFL teams are raiding the "older youth clubs" for members, and said such practice is detrimental to youth development.

Oh really now?

This from an FA that is the no. 1 pirate of players from the provinces? Just ask their member schools. It's OK to pirate players, just as long you don't pirate our players? Is that it?

It is interesting, too, how the issue of the PFF Smart Cup was brought up. I learned from Cyril Dofitas that 10 slots were to be given to the qualifiers from the UFL Cup, and I have no problem with that, the UFL being the top tier club competition in the country.

But for the NCRFA to think that 10 of the 16 slots in the Smart Club national finals should come from them? What arrogance.

Ten from just one FA, while the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao only get six?

When then PFF President Johnny Romualdez batted for the breaking up of the NCRFA, the move wasn't supported because everybody knew it was a personal agenda. But he did make a compelling argument, why give the NCRFA the undue advantage by allowing it to continue existing? While the other FAs only have a city, or a province as its territory, the NCRFA has the whole National Capitol Region.

What is ironic here is that while the NCRFA engages the UFL on a pissing contest on who has the right to run a youth football league--for the development of youth football--some 1,500 kids are left hanging.

Dear Manila football stakeholders, get your acts together will you?

Fair Play: Billiards get a push from DepEd

2013-04-21T17:43:00.000+08:00

ABOUT eight years ago, during a press conference for the Sun.Star Superbalita 9-Ball Challenge, top Pinoy pool players Warren Kiamco, Francisco Bustamante and Dodong Andam said the Philippines has lost its edge in the sport and they were hoping one government agency would help in regaining it.

What was the agency?

Not the Philippine Olympic Committee or the Philippine Sports Commission, but the Department of Education. Yep, DepED.

And the players pointed at Chinese Taipei, which at that time, was having quite a run in major tournaments, even having the youngest world 9-Ball champion in the then 15-year-old Wu Chi Ching. Ching, who eventually moved to China, beat countryman Po Cheng Kou in an all Taiwanese final, heralding the rise of the country as a pool powerhouse.

They said the secret to Taiwan’s success was the inclusion of billiards in their public school system, making the learning of the sport systematic.

In the case of the Philippines, players who learn billiards at a young age are those who skip school a lot, and normally, those who become good at it are those who are no longer at school.

It is something, they wanted to change, hence their hope for billiards to be offered as one of the PE subjects in school, and eventually, to be included in the calendar of events for school meets.

Just imagine, being a varsity billiards player subject to academic requirements? That changes everything.

However, it was an idea that didn’t go well with the old guards that run school sports.

A few months after that, I asked the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc., in another press conference, if they’d be willing to add billiards to their calendar, they actually scoffed at the suggestion and shot it down. Billiards, for them, is better left in the pool halls where delinquent students gamble away their time, allowance and future.

They didn’t realize that they had an opportunity to change that.

A few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised that those in Manila are not as short-sighted and started a tournament for college players, hoping to discover the next pool legends. You see, there’s an Efren Reyes wannabe in every pool hall, what these guys lack is an avenue to showcase their skills, the college league wanted to change that.

And now, there’s even a greater development. Billiards, like futsal, is now a demonstration sport in the Palarong Pambansa, a tournament run by DepED. I hope this is the start.

The negative things that has been associated with the sport can be removed once its included in a school-based tournament.

Before, those who want to play it gets admonished, “stop going to the pool halls and stay in school,” with this development it’s now, “If you want to continue playing, do well in school!”

This is a great move by DepEd (and this, I think, is the first time I’ve praised them).

Entities like Cesafi and those who don’t see the potential of billiards should listen to what Alex Pagulayan said in 2005, the time he became the world champion.

A year before, Pagulayan lost in the final to Thorsten Hohmman and he said that was because he didn’t treat it seriously. He stayed up all night, drinking and was even hung over in the day of the final—the usual stuff we think of pool players.

A year later, he got his acts together and stayed sober and slept early and became a world champion.

And what is that one advice the Lion has for aspiring pool players?

The jokester suddenly turned serious and told Sun.Star Cebu in a 2005 interview, “To focus in this sport is important, but they should never forget that being in school and having the knowledge is more important because it is something that no one else can take away from you.”

Stay in school, play pool.

The UFL vs. NCRFA saga

2013-04-19T08:18:00.001+08:00

MAKE no mistake, the UFL is the future of Philippine football.

Yes, sometimes, I don't like what's happening in the UFL but I still think that if Philippine football has to get to that next stage, it's the UFL that will make it happen.

We need a league that will make football a career for anyone who wants to pursue it. Not just for the players, but for the coaches, trainers, assistant trainers too.

That's why I was really glad that the UFL decided to start that youth league.

Yes, it's just for the Manila-based players but at least it's a start.

The UFL youth league was supposed to start this Saturday, but this has been moved to next month because the National Capitol Region Football Association can't decide whether to sanction it or not.

It would be akin to the Thirsty Football Cup getting postponed because the CFA can't decide whether they'd recognize the event or not. And the NCRFA's inaction would have been understandable had organizers sent the letter requesting for sanction two days before the tournament.

The UFL, I learned, sent a letter requesting for sanction in December. And if that five-month wait doesn't stink, then I should be a starter in all Kaya FC matches.

Why is the sanction important? By getting the NCRFA blessing, the UFL Youth League can now get the refs allied with the FA to officiate in the matches and the Youth League would be included in its calendar, so there won’t be a conflict of schedules. At least that’s how things work in Cebu.

Back in 2006, politics in the NCRFA threatened the whole country, and for a while, fans were afraid the actions of those in the NCRFA would get the whole country suspended.

Back then, the NCRFA and the PFF hated each other's guts. The then NCRFA head led a move to oust the then PFF president, and in retaliation, the PFF president wanted to break the NCRFA into little fiefdoms (for his lieutenants?). The NCRFA fought back and filed a case, a move that I thought, would get us suspended.

I know this because back then, it was only me who wrote about footie stuff that the NCRFA gen sec would fly to Cebu just to show me some papers and update me on the case. Boy, talk about feeling important.

Now, there is no such case and I'm sure the PFF and the NCRFA are not at each other's throats. But this move by the NCRFA will put the UFL Youth League on "suspended animation."

However, the UFL has decided to postpone the opening for a month, so the NCRFA can get its act together and get an extra week to decide on a matter that could have been decided a day or two when it got the letter, the UFL kick off with the Youth League with or without the NCRFA blessing.

I think that's the right move.

And if the NCRFA cries foul and say the UFL is defying its authority and is wrecking its own youth development program, I say the league should answer the local FA...about five months after it gets a letter.

Fair Play: Sports should be about sports again

2013-04-17T23:10:00.001+08:00

WHY?

That’s perhaps one of the biggest questions in the sports world after the horror of the Boston Marathon bombing.

Sports is supposed to be where we get along, one where we forget the horrors and problems that make the front pages and focus on the human spirit.

Sports is where those who don’t share political and religious beliefs compete together in an even field. It’s where clichés are overused and writers get away with saying a free throw can save a nation, or a penalty stop lifts a country. It’s where the trivial become major details.

Sports is supposed to be about sports, not lunatics who think hurting scores of people is fair game. It’s where medical personnel treat rolled ankles or exhausted athletes, not maimed limbs or those who are fighting for their lives. It’s where the media treat injured egos or play the armchair coach, not armchair detectives.

In the days, weeks--and for some, months and years--those who attend sports event or join one, will probably look over their shoulder and think, I hope we won’t have a lunatic today.

I wasn’t born when Munich 1972 happened and I pray the Boston Marathon bombing would be the last one, but I know it won’t. We live in a world where some believe killing others is just, as long as you convince yourself it is.

We live in a sick world.

The sports world was supposed to be our refuge.

Our sanctuary, one where, for a few hours or a few rounds we forget about the problems of the other world.

It’s naïve thinking but it is what it is.

Will the Boston Marathon—the most prestigious running event in the world—ever recover from this?

Of course it will, one step at a time. Because that’s sports.

Ultimately the human spirit—the essence of sports—always recovers. It always wins over a single act of any lunatic.

Runners from all over the world will still chase the Holy Grail of running; they will still go on those solo runs, chasing, sometimes stubbornly, that elusive spot to what is for them, one of the most difficult pursuit in their lives.

Because that is sports.

Nothing is impossible, if you’d just do it. They’d tell themselves.

Fair Play: Ebong's unusual job audition

2013-04-15T00:56:00.004+08:00

EBONG Joson’s path to his new job is very unusual. Unlike most who send their resumes, or get hired directly, Ebong got his because of what he did while he was drunk as a skunk.

It was Feb. 9, 2011 and the Philippines was set to face Mongolia for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers, and Ebong, like the rest of the fans who watched that game, went to the Panaad Park and Sports Complex early. But unlike the other fans, Ebong, with Bob Guerrero, spent those few hours drinking rhum.

And minutes before kick-off, emboldened by the spirits from a bottle, he grabbed a Philippine flag and ran at the grandstands to stir the crowd.

Not content with that, he broke all security protocol, went to the restricted area at the track oval, and ran again.

The crowd loved it and thus was born the legend of the Blue Haired Fanatic.

The police sure didn’t like it and they moved in. He ran away from them anyway.

And when the cops finally got to him, he stopped, planted the flag, kneeled and bowed his head. The crowd exploded and the cops took him away.

I later learned that the police official in charge of security nearly bit his head off and told him,” You embarrassed me!”

Much, much later I also learned, too, that head coach Michael Weiss told the PFF, “You find out who that guy is and you get him!”

Now, he’s here in Cebu, again. Not to while away the time drinking before Azkals matches, but as head of the PFF Marketing and Communications group.

Right now, he’s helping in the preparations for the AFC Presidents Cup group stage match in early May, and after that, for another friendly involving the national team on June 8, a Fifa international day.

“The dance will be here, we just don’t know who our partner is,” Ebong said when I asked him if the friendly’s a go.

And apparently, having a friendly in Cebu is great for the service industry, because of the Cebuano hospitality that makes strangers feel at home.

After winning the Suzuki Cup, Singapore could have celebrated its victory anywhere in the world, but the players brought their families to Cebu, fulfilling a promise to return after the Nov. 15 friendly against the Philippines. It’s more fun in the Philippines? Singapore, certainly, thinks so.

All the advantages that Cebu has that makes it an ideal destination for conventions, seminars and the like also holds true for a football tournament.

We have the infrastructure, resources and most importantly, the people—the fans and those who act. It used to be that if you can’t hold a friendly in Manila, it’s going to be in Bacolod.

That’s no longer the case.

After Cebu showed that it can be done last year, the other FAs, too, got to thinking, perhaps we can do this?

“Cebu makes my job easy,” Ebong said. “They get things done.”

The story of last year was the transformation of the Cebu City Sports Center dust bowl to one of the best pitches in the country, a mean feat that, because of the Sinulog, the CFA is replicating.

So, too, was the fantastic fan support in that game, the Kaholeros and the thousands of fans who packed the CCSC, some of them from out of town.

That’s something, I hope, that will be replicated not only for the June 8 friendly, but for the President’s Cup, where Global FC will be facing off with other Asian club champions.

And right now, Ebong is in Cebu, again, meeting with Ricky Dakay, Raffy Musni, Glenn Quisidio, Engr. Rodney Orale, Nimrod Quiñones, Rico Navarro and the rest of the staff of the CFA to make sure it’s going to be another epic tournament.

Fair Play: Amateur boxing changes identity

2013-04-13T11:11:00.000+08:00

ONE of the big news in sports recently, though it didn’t generate much publicity, are the changes amateur boxing will be adopting this year that will eventually be used for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

One is the dropping of headgear for the men’s competition and the other is scrapping of its computerized scoring system that puts the premium on punches.

When I covered the finals of the boxing competition in the Southeast Asian Games in 2005, when it was Thai and Pinoy fighters who dominated it, things got so heated that cops had to be called in to separate a local radio reporter and a Thai journalist.

Most of the matches were close but the crowd, and some of the local journalists, were really pissed at how the matches were scored, especially in the match that the local boxer lost. In another match that had the crowd throwing coins, water bottles and their half-consumed snacks, the hometown boxer was pummeling the Thai and the points were piling up for the Thai!

I sat near the first row in the crowd and was screaming, “Lantawa, lantawa!” while pointing out to the score box.

What triggered the free-for-all was when in another exchange, no point was given to the Pinoy and when they broke free, a point was added to the Thai.

In amateur fights, there are five judges and for a hit to score, three of the judges have to agree by pressing a button within a second after a punch. I think that part when the Thai got a point away from the action, the judges were a bit late--a few milliseconds late--in deciding it was a punch and when they did, the point was registered while there was no action and the crowd thought their own fighter was being cheated right in his own hometown.

So the coins and unfinished sandwiches and burgers flew to the ring.

Now, Aiba wants to do away with that scoring system and will adapt the 10-point scoring system used in the pros. For every round, judges must give 10 points to who he thinks won that round. It’s 10-9 for a close round, 10-8 if there’s a knockdown, 10-7 for a dominant round.

Will this one eliminate the perceived biases in amateur boxing? Well, I think so, and you can easily spot judges who are either incompetent or who saw a different fight.

In the previous scoring system, you wouldn’t know who scored what and why. This time, judges have to make the right call with their scorecards. And if you have one judge who’d score a round 10-8 for the guy in red, while the rest have it 10-8 for the guy in blue, well, you have yourself a judge who shouldn’t be allowed near the ring.

After Beijing and London, I’ve lost hope of us ever winning an Olympic gold medal in boxing. The odds simply are stacked against us and there were too many stories about crooked refs and judges.

Case in point, the Azerbaijan boxing scandal. A British paper reported in 2011 that Azerbaijan invested $9 million to the World Series of Boxing—a semi-pro event ran by the Aiba—in exchange for two gold medals. A year later in the London Olympics, a bantamweight fighter from Azerbaijan beat Japan despite going down SIX times in the final round. If that’s not dodgy scoring, then Joavan Fernandez is an ideal boy who’s just misunderstood.

There are more stories like this one—Olympic anomalies, not Joavan’s—and the new scoring system has given me hope that we will finally see a Pinoy win that Olympic gold medal.

Fair Play: It's time to learn etiquette for tennis matches

2013-04-11T08:31:00.000+08:00

IT was yet another great hosting job by Lapu-Lapu City and the Philippine team reciprocated by beating Thailand and moving on to the finals in the Davis Cup Asia/Oceana Group 2.

And with the Philippines still hosting the finals against New Zealand in September, it looks like Plantation Bay Resort and Spa will still host it. It’s going to be a fifth hosting by Lapu-Lapu if it pushes through and I hope the crowd will show better tennis etiquette for the match.

Tennis players are quirky, especially when it comes to serving; just check out how Maria Sharapova turns her back from the net to fix her racquet strings and an imaginary stray strand of hair behind her ear or how Novak Djokovic bounces the ball some 20 times. And that’s why the crowd in major tournaments know enough not to move or talk when the players serve.

That was not the case in the Davis Cup matches. I saw Ruben Gonzales glare at least three times as fans walked to their seats as he was about to serve. His foe, Danai Udomchoke, complained too when someone moved to the first row to snap a picture of him as he was about to throw the ball for his serve. What is worse is that the guy was
oblivious to his offense, waited for Udomchoke to serve again and snapped a picture.

There was also a guy in a red shirt moving around the baseline side of the grandstand, and worse, some brought their kids and yaya to the game, and they were playing noisily just behind the grandstand. Jesus Christ, you don’t have to bring the whole family if it’s only you who wants to watch a Davis Cup match.

Someone said Ruben Gonzales snubbed a few autograph seekers after the game and if these were the same folks who walked in while he was serving, I don’t blame him.

Of course, not everybody in that crowd were tennis rowdies, as some also tried to admonish those who didn’t show their tennis etiquette. The officer assigned to the deuce side entrance of the baseline grandstand also prevented people from walking in while the players were serving and I hope he gets a pat for a job well done.

Lapu-Lapu City and Plantation Bay have mastered the hosting of the Davis Cup match but for the next one, I think they should work on how to get the people who should be watching the match in the stands.

This is not basketball or football, this is tennis. Leave your kids and yaya at home and bring your manners with you in the stands.

Fair Play: The Azkals in the provinces

2013-04-07T13:17:00.002+08:00

I SAW a picture promoting the Azkals football clinic and that reminded me of a friend’s reaction to what former CFA board member Tony Moraza said during the general assembly that was attended by both PFF president Nonong Araneta and national team manager Dan Palami.
I’m not sure who’s organizing the clinic but the poster—which shows all the members of the team, even including coach Dan Weiss—must have the national team’s blessing. And according to the info, it’s going to be held at the Music Hall of the SM Mall of Asia (they have a pitch there?)

During the assembly, Tony said that while the Azkals have raised the popularity of football in the country, they should do more to promote the game by visiting the rest of the country.

“The Azkals should be more visible outside of Manila,” Tony said. And that’s from a guy whose company is moving to Manila.

My friend agreed and pointed out the teams should try to drop by places like Tarlac, Cotabato, Argao, Dumanjug and all the other places who have sons in the national teams. These are just some of the hometowns of the members of the team, and dropping by these places would earn the team a town’s solid support.

They used to do that, before everything shot through the roof. Before that historic win in Vietnam in 2010, the team trained in Tacloban, visited Cebu and also had a training camp in Davao.

And I think it’s about time the team does it again. It doesn’t have to be a training camp or a friendly.

Like what Sir Moraza said that time, it’s all about the team “reaching out to fans outside of Manila.”

Of course, fans and officers in the provincial FAs can also help a lot in making trips like these--which would need money and coordination—come true by well, stop wishing for an Azkal visit and start working for one.

The team won’t have a major tournament until the Challenge Cup finals, which is in 2014 yet, and the perfect time do this feel-good trips is between now and the Challenge Cup finals.

For fans whose only connection to the team is through online interaction, getting a chance to meet the team in trips like these would be something.

I sure hope the team will consider making one.

TENNIS IN LAPU-LAPU. It seems, the Philippine national men’s tennis team have found a home in Lapu-Lapu City, which has hosted four Davis Cup matches, the last one against Thailand.

And unlike in previous hostings, this time, Lapu-Lapu is also hosting a national age group tournament and it’s a great move because the two tournaments feature different sides of Philippine tennis; one is about kids who dream about getting to play in the Davis Cup.

And with Lapu-Lapu becoming the first choice as host of Davis Cup matches, I think the city should just take advantage and position itself as the tennis destination in the country by hosting the national age group tournament annually. Besides, it’s a boost for its tourism, too, considering how one young tennis player is always accompanied by a parent or two.

Tennis, it seems, is more fun in Lapu-Lapu City and it should stay that way.

(www.cebufootball.blogspot.com)

I started a joke...

2013-04-06T13:59:00.000+08:00

I HAD fun making up facts and interviews for that April Fools story about how Global FC supposedly snagged Manny Pacquiao for its AFC President’s Cup campaign in Cebu. I usually write April Fools stories in my blog and at the beginning of the year, when I found out that April 1 fell on a Monday, when I had a column scheduled, I’ve been thinking of a good story.

I really looked forward to writing one, and after it got published and we all had fun--including Dan Palami who gamely tweeted it--I thought that was it.

Imagine my surprise when, a day later, eagle-eyed footie fan Jaron Genota shared on Twitter how that report was translated to Tagalog and published as a news report in a tabloid!

And they even included that part about how officials and players have to spar with Manny Pacquiao if they make mistakes.

And here’s one that takes the cake, this paragraph that reeks of sarcasm, “One of the many, many, many members of Pacquiao’s management team said this move was planned so Manny can corner the growing endorsement market for football-related products, currently dominated by Phil Younghusband,” was translated to a direct quote.

It became, “‘Malaki na ang itinaas sa market ng football at posibleng makuha rin ito ni Pacman,’ pahayag ng isang malapit na kaibigan ni Pacman na tumangging magpabanggit ng pangalan.”

I know most tabloids aren’t trustworthy news sources and this sort of proves why. By the way, the tagline of that tabloid? “Salamin ng katotohanan.”

This isn’t my first April Fools story that sort of got noticed. The first was the one on how the then PFF president in 2008 resigned from his post to assume his new post as chairman of the Fifa Committee on Lost Causes. The president, who said in his inaugural speech that he was going to resign if he couldn’t make football the second most popular sport in the country, was pissed and rang me up.

That time, I also wrote that the national team’s matches would be televised and to get sponsors for the 90-minute matches, commentators would be forced to include sponsors in their TV spiels, like “The phrase, “Uminom ng Alaxan, para di sumakit ang ulo nyan” after every header, “Isang malakas na sipa mula sa Red Horse” for every shot at goal and “Wag mag-alala, tatayo pa rin yan basta may Viagra,” if a player gets hit in his “crown jewels.”

I actually smiled the first time I heard Bob Guerrero mention the McDonald’s man of the match and that McDonald’s reminder every midpoint in a half.

Things sure have changed a lot since 2008.

We now have the UFL, and the Philippines now has a representative in the AFC President’s Cup, which will be played in Cebu this summer.

And in 2015, the Asean Football Federation will launch a 16-club Super League and based on an earlier interview, PFF President Nonong Araneta wants the Philippine representative to based in Cebu!

Fair Play: How will you spend your summer break?

2013-04-04T10:35:00.001+08:00

SCHOOL’s out for most students, and after eight months cocooned in the campus, staring at PCs--whether for research or whatever--it would be a pity if you spend the next eight weeks doing the same.

Get out, sweat it out. Pick a new skill out there in the real world, not online.

Parents who have kids in the early teens, or younger, summer is the perfect time for them to learn a new sport. There are various clinics out there, let them have their pick.

I’ve seen some parents look with envy at other kids who get athletic scholarships in college, saving their parents hundreds of thousands of pesos while earning a five-year degree, and often, they always say, “I wish my kid was athletic.”

Here’s a newflash for you. These kids didn’t become athletes overnight. I’ve often talked with kids like these in interviews in the past and I’ve noticed they all follow a common path--after picking up an interest in a sport, they all got serious after joining a summer clinic.

How did they develop that interest? For sure it wasn’t from playing video games, posting their latest meals online, or fawning over their latest favorite movies. It was from reading about sports, and sometimes watching them.

And if you want your kid to develop an interest in tennis, the best way to do it just got delivered to you right at your doorstep--the Davis Cup Group 2 tie between Thailand and the Philippines and the Tru Flex age group series. One tournament features hundreds of kids who dream of being in the other tournament.

About 98 percent of them will not make it to the national team, but close to 100 percent of them will get that scholarship.

There’s the AFC President’s Cup and various football clinics, too, for those who want to join the latest craze, or the Milo Best for those with hoops dreams. If your kid isn’t that athletic, well, there are the various chess clinics, and mind you, most schools also have athletic scholarships for chess.

A few weeks ago, scores of athletes walked that stage during graduation, capping years of hard work on and off the field. I know some of them wouldn’t have gotten that degree if not for that scholarship. But they did because at one point in their lives, they all decided that summer was bent spent out there in the field.

So, how do you want to spend your summer?

Army loans Manny Pacquiao to Global FC

2013-04-01T00:05:00.000+08:00

AFTER snagging the Philippine Army’s best goalkeeper, Presidents’ Cup-bound Global FC has snagged the army’s most famous reserve officer—Lt. Col. Emmannuel Dapidran Pacquiao, formerly known as the champion boxer Manny Pacquiao.

This is the latest major signing of Global FC, which got Jason de Jong, Edward Sacapano and Joshua Beloya for the AFC Presidents Cup, a tournament that allows only two foreigners per club.

The signing, which was confirmed by Global FC spokesperson Avril Folle, will be formally announced today at Na Ning's new branch in Bacolod City today.

“Waray ako sarabutan hit imo ginyiyinakan ngan ayaw ako api-apiha hito,” Global FC owner Dan Palami said in a text message to this writer.

Though he gained fame as a boxer, the part-time actor, singer, endorser, TV host and preacher who sometimes shows up for his part- time gig in Congress, is a renaissance man of sorts when it comes to sport--at least that's what his PR folks say--and has played semi-pro basketball in Liga Pilipinas and has also joined professional billiard events.

Football, according to his management team, is his latest gig.

"Nagpakita sa akin ang Diyos at sabi niya ito daw ang dapat gawin ni Manny," Manny’s famous Pac-Mom said.

One of the many, many, many members of Pacquiao’s management team said this move was planned so Manny can corner the growing endorsement market for football-related products, currently dominated by Phil Younghusband.

“We will be coming out with Manny Pacquiao football shoes, shin guards, crotch-guards, mouth-guards, hair-guards, and the most anticipated product ever, ‘the ego-guard,” said the insider, who says he knows someone who knows someone who is an uncle of someone in Team Pacquiao.

Pacquiao, who lost in his last two fights, to Timothy Bradley and to bitter rival Juan Manuel Marquez, was reported to have taken a liking to football after seeing one of the matches of one of the AFP teams in the UFL.

"Oy, kaya ko yan ah," Pacquiao, an army reservist, reportedly told a close associate after seeing a defender clothesline a Kaya FC striker.

Pacquiao, who was enlisted as sergeant on April 27, 2006, and promoted to (please take a deep breath) Technical Sergeant on Dec. 1, 2006, then to Master Sergeant on Oct. 7, 2007 after beating Marco Antonio Barrera, then to Senior Master sergeant on May 4, 2009, then straight to Lt. Colonel on Oct. 14, 2011, was reportedly offered a starting spot in the Army team but said he wanted to join a championship team, not the whipping boys who love to whip.

“Talo na nga ako sa boksing, tapus sa talunan pa ako sasali?” he said.

At first, the Global FC owner rejected the idea but was persuaded after a few conditions were put in. Though unconfirmed, among the conditions is that any player of an AFP team who plays dirty will have to go one round with Pacquiao before he is allowed to play, any UFL official who makes a wrong call that leads to a goal, or a goal disallowed, will have to train with Pacquiao for two days before he gets his whistle back.

National team members who get red carded for hitting will have to go one round with Pacquiao, while those who get sent off for second motion will have to survive a 30-second drill where they will have to defend themselves against Pacquiao on the ropes. That drill is designed so they can sneak in a punch without being seen.

Bobby Pacquiao, more known as the other Pacquiao, will also train a few Global FC players on the “art of selling a phantom low blow.”

“Marunong sila, pero kailangan pa ng konting hasa,” Bobby said.

As a final incentive, the ringside tickets, hotel and airfare that used to go to members of Team Pacquiao Preachers will now go to members of Global FC.

Aside from the Pacquiao acquisition, Global FC is expected to make further announcements in the next few days to address rumors it will get OJ Porteria, or re-activate the oft-injured Denis Wolf for the tournament.

Meanwhile, to boost Global FC in the Presidents' Cup tournament, which will be held in Cebu, Mayor Mike Rama has agreed to rename the Cebu City Sports Center to the Global FC Stadium.

Bob Guerrero, the ABS CBN commentator for Azkals matches and a Yahoo writer, will also sing the national anthem during the games, with Cedelf Tupas, Ricky Olivares and Rafa Garcia as back-up.

San Miguel Beer has also promised to fill the Olympic-size swimming pool at the soon-to-be-named Global FC Stadium with beer if Global wins its first game. Only those who know how to swim will be allowed in the pool.

And finally, fans who will cheer/sing/chant nonstop from the first minute until the final whistle will get special Global FC in the President's Cup shirts for succeeding games.

A cheers for the pioneers

2013-03-28T22:54:00.002+08:00

RICK Olivares's article on the guys who covered Philippine football got me musing about those times.

I got into journalism by accident. As a sophomore BS ECE student at the University of San Carlos, I woke up late for enrollment (which isn't the smooth process as it is now) and as a result, had a grand total of four subjects (including lab) for the semester.

So I had lots of time to spare and I ended up writing for The Freeman at P50 a pop, a gig that ended after forgetting to show up for work in one busy week. In 2000, I joined Sun.Star Cebu, left a year later after another mistake that saw me wake up in the hospital with tubes down my throat.

I returned in 2004 and haven't left.

In 1997, 2000 and 2004 until I got handed a desk in 2007, football was where I made my name and I had one distinct advantage over the other writers--I actually went to the games to cover them. It helps, too, that I love the game and I really looked forward to watching them. Those who played in Cebu in 2000-2001 and in 2004-2007 and saved clippings of those articles can tell the difference with the way I wrote. I never spent a minute studying journalism, but I had the advantage the real world was my classroom.

The writers from the other papers actually told me that they got assigned to the football beat because I had so many stories that they had to catch up.

As for the national team or the national scene, my involvement was actually limited to when Cebuanos make the team or when there were some screws up. Which was often--there was that clerical error that led to our girls team being formed days after we missed the deadline in submitting an entry to the AFC U19. The attempts to unseat Johnny Romualdez which led to instant P20,000 communication doleouts to each FA president's personal bank account.

When I covered the 2006 AFF championship qualifiers, I thought, my life as a football writer has been completed. Though, I've since modified that after covering the World Cup qualifiers match in Rizal in 2011.

People sometimes credit me for being there when nobody seemed around, but I think I was just in the right place at the right time, a victim of circumstances. And what I did in Cebu--and what Jack Biantan did in Cebu before me--Cedelf Tupas was doing it for Bacolod football, and Rick and Cecile Quimlat for the Manila and national football scene.

Like them, I've always believed that if the rest of the country catches on, football will really take off and writing about the sport will no longer be a lonely affair.

In 2008, when I got a column--for those that can't tell the difference it's an opinion piece, not just a news report---I used it, of course, to promote the game but I was really disgusted by the politics of football that I spent about a year and a half writing about anything--Maria Sharapova, boxing, talking to inanimate objects, other than football. Like what Rick wrote, I said Philippine football can go die a natural death and we have the PFF officials to thank for.

One of my strengths in those pieces I wrote against the PFF was the "outside looking in" point of view because I was really an outsider looking in. It is something that I no longer have, right now.

Then, I wished there were a lot of football columnists who’d help sway opinion. Or who’d help knock some senses to the PFF. Now, there are a lot of football columns in the new media that they sometimes make the traditional media look stupid.

Guys like Roy Moore and Ryan Fenix provide some of the best analysis and inputs, Rick has some of the inside info that doesn’t make the mainstream news, and Bob Guerrero uses his wide audience to drive home a point, especially on player selection.

There are countless others, too, who write their opinion or their own versions of match reports—Rex Torrecampo, Icko, JP—and snarly guys on twitter like Jaron Genota who all add to the football discussion.

I’m lucky to be part of the mix.

Yes, I consider myself a pioneer of sorts when it comes to football reporting, and like all pioneers, we give way to someone who can do it better. Roy, Ryan, Rick and Bob do analysis better than me. Cedelf—another pioneer--always had and has the best scoops in the team, followed by guys like Icko, JP, who are then followed by the rest of the mainstream reporters (they are always a slower bunch.)

But I think I’ll hold on to my hat a wee bit longer and hand it to the next guy who’d come up with a better opinion piece—under the tank. Or I become a marathoner. Whichever comes first.

Fair Play: Doing 9K on a really Clear Head

2013-03-27T08:57:00.002+08:00

I consider 2006 as the year the Philippines joined the footballing world. Though we've had decent results in the AFF Tiger Cup two years prior--earning that first point and first win--it was that year when the Philippines hosted its major international event, the qualifiers for the then AFF Championships in Bacolod. A year before, Bacolod also hosted the Southeast Asian Games, but that's a U23 event.

And guess what, we were humbled, 2-1, in the very first game at home.

But since then? We've had quite a streak. In 20 games since then, we've had 15 wins, four draws and one loss, and since that 2-1 loss to Kuwait in the World Cup qualifiers--our last loss in an international game at home--we won 10 of 13 games, we hosted, drawing thrice against Malaysia and Indonesia in friendlies and in Singapore in the home leg of the Suzuki Cup.

What's even remarkable? We only conceded seven goals at home since 2006, while scoring 49 goals and I'm not even counting the goals in that 3-0 win against Brunei.

And after last Tuesday night's game against Turkmenistan, stretching that record isn't a stretch, especially now that you have Phil Younghusband at his usual best. He had a "what-the-hell-were-you-thinking" moments in the game, especially that cringe-worthy miss that went a mile off target and those two unnecessary yellows, but Phil's Phil and I'm changing shampoos and I owe him 5K.

You see, before the Cambodia game, I said I was going to run one kilometer for every Azkal goal. They hit eight. And after Phil's third goal, I said I'm going to switch to the shampoo he endorses if he scores five.

Phil’s No. 5, and 33rd international goal, came against Turkmenistan, and guys like Stephen Schrock and Javier Patino, the boy from Dumanjug, are also starting their tally sheets.

Javier’s first goal came off a play from Schrock from left flank, and the prodigious Bundesliga player found Phil, who’s lovely turn and pass connected with Patino.

Boom.

Watching Schrock play for the Philippines is quite a sight. I think those who want to try out for the team—whether based here or abroad—should be required to watch clips of his games.

That’s heart.

One big factor in this run of success who was absent in the last game is Neil Etheridge, and he had this to say—He supports the coach’s decision not to play him and he was going to fight to win his spot back.

Now that’s the right attitude.

P.S.
I'm doing the 9K in the next five days.

PHL sets new mark with 8-0 win

2013-03-25T09:21:00.003+08:00

THE Philippines took control of Group E after an epic match that had everything--a deluge of goals, rain, two stoppages and a sending off--against Cambodia in the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup qualifiers at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Riding on Stephen Schrock's sleek feet and ball control, a Phil Younghusband at his peak form and a promising Javier Patino on his debut, the Philippines notched its best win in the modern era, routing a hapless Cambodia squad, 8-0, to top Group E on goal difference.

Both the Philippines and Turkmenistan have six points, thanks to an automatic 3-0 after Brunei’s withdrawal but the Azkals have the lead with 11 goals. Turkmenistan, which will face the Philippines next, beat Cambodia, 7-0, last Friday.

The previous record was a 7-0 win--with Younghusband getting his first hat trick--against Timor Leste in the then AFF Championship qualifiers in Bacolod on Nov. 14, 2006.

Right at the opening whistle, it was clear the Philippines had all the advantages and Cambodia, which fielded its U23 side, spent most of the match backpedaling. The final stats said it all as the Philippines had 24 shots--15 on target--while Cambodia had three, getting a single save from a bored Roland Muller who at one point, got to the half court line in an effort to get involved with the play.

After a couple of misses from Schrock and Younghusband, the Philippines got its first goal in the 25th, with the Loyola striker redirecting Carli de Murga's cross in front of goal.

A few minutes later, he added another with a lovely curl just from outside the box--almost at the same spot where David Beckham bent it against Ed Sacapano in 2012. In the 34th, Younghusband completed his hat trick, this time off a header.

"It was easy for me--all I had to do was to get on the end of the ball. The quality of my teammates, the quality they gave me, they made it so easy for me," Younghusband told ABS CBN.

Then in the 45th, it was Patino's turn.

Schrock danced away from his defender at left flank and found Phil, who quickly turned and connected with Patino for his easy tap in.

And as the Azkals pressed on for a fifth goal, the lights at Rizal went out, resulting to an almost 15-minute delay.

A minute into the second half, it was Schrock's turn and his shot got deflected to Cambodia's own net. Eleven minutes later, there was no need for a deflection as Patino, whose mother is from Dumanjug, got past three defenders for his second goal at point-blank range.

As the Philippines searched for a seventh goal, puddles began to form from the heavy downpour and the the fourth official called on the referee to halt the match.

After an hour-long break, the Philippines got back to business but found itself shorthanded after Paul Mulders earned a red card for a tantrum. Younghusband got his fourth goal in the 86th, again off a Shrock cross and defender Carli de Murga joined in the scoring fray, jumping over everybody to bang in a rebound at point blank range.

The healthy win, which puts the Philippines at six points and a goal difference of 11, means only a disaster can bar the country from making it to the final stage in Maldives next year.

The winners in the five groups advance to the final stage, along with the top two second-best teams, which is Bangladesh (six points, five goals) and India (six points, four goals).

Even a 6-0 loss for the Philippines in Tuesday's match will see them advance, while Turkmenistan can also advance even if it loses, 5-0.

But after setting that record win, a loss is the last thing the team has in mind.

Fair Play: Why grown ups should stop playing games

2013-03-24T12:25:00.001+08:00

"I've seen grown ups play games to the detriment of the game," that's what Tony Moraza of Aboitiz said during the Cebu Football Association general assembly last March 18.

And that's basically what holds back sports in this country, adults playing games. Or in a nutshell, politics. Politics’ latest victim? The Philippine Volleyball Federation, but that’s a different story.

Sir Tony pointed out that it was no longer the case but his words should serve as a reminder to CFA officials about what bending it like Sepp Blatter does to a football community. It’s never pretty.

I really liked those words because it's quite revealing. In a way, it was a challenge to the CFA officers. The previous board had a start like that of the present board officials, it was full of promise but they were undone because of the "games grown ups play." And sir Tony Moraza should know. He sat on that board, together with the current officials Ricky Dakay and Raffy Musni.

Sir Tony praised the CFA and the PFF for its unity and togetherness--which seemed to be the theme that day--that has helped placed football where it is now, the fastest-growing sport in the country.

The CFA president also touched on that theme. That day, the group got three awards from the Sportswriters Association of Cebu for what it has done in 2012.

"The award may seem to mirror....achievements made over a relatively short span of time.....However, upon deeper instrospection, what has been accomplished does not exemplify the sum and substance that the CFA is; rather it is the manner how such were accomplished," he said on his speech.

On the value system they adapted, he said," For actions without values are dangerous and values without actions are impotent."

These are strong words and I hope this present board can live by them. I believe football’s future will be paved by what the officers—not just in Cebu—do right now. And whether it will be bright or bleak, all depends on them.

That is their challenge.

That is their burden.

We don’t want to return to those times when the games grown ups play hinder the kids.

Sir Tony also credited the sport’s popularity and said the rise of the Azkals had a lot to do with that and he said the players can still keep on pushing that by being visible all throughout the country, not just in Manila.

Though I agree with that, I think it's not only the Azkals that should be visible, but officials as well. While learning the game, the PFF was an alien organization, we have heard of it but we never really knew what it is nor did we meet anyone involved with the group.

And of course, players who are being looked up to by kids right now--not only the national team players--should start acting responsibly, too.

I sometimes watch UFL matches with my three-year-old kid, who likes to copy what he sees on TV and sometimes adapt the names and actions of his favorite cartoon characters. And sometimes, what the UFL players do doesn't make a good impression. After seeing one of those delaying tactics where players fall for no apparent season, my three-year-old began to copy that and starts falling whenever he dribbles.

To borrow esteemed columnist Godofredo Roperos's police challenge, "It is not merely by winning games that Philippine football can grow, but through the conduct--of and on the pitch--of each individual football player."

That is your burden.

That is your challenge.

Veteran players think that what they do on the pitch doesn’t really affect the game because “that’s what we’ve always done.”

That’s wrong.

We were where we were, all those years ago because we always did what we have always done.