Cebu Football

BACOLOD'S Fegidero brothers and two goalkeepers with contrasting styles stole the limelight in the Aboitiz Men's League yesterday, as Crazy Horse FC and Hiroshi FC opened their seasons with easy routs at the San Roque Parish football grounds.

Joshua Fegidero scored three goals and younger brother Dave, had four, including three in the first half to power Crazy Horse to an 8-0 win over Rugmo Debra. Shin Suguirn scored the other goal for Crazy Horse.

In the next game, the flamboyant Ace Mangohig embarrassed himself after one of his antics resulted into an easy goal for Danao FC. However, Mangohig's theatrics wasn't enough to bring his team down, as Hiroshi scored seven goals in the second half for an 8-1 win over Danao FC.

The score line also belied the early struggles of Hiroshi, which is beefed up by former Philippine Army members, Rocky Garciano and Jan Flores, as Danao FC held it to a 1-1 draw at the half, thanks to Mangohig and Danao keeper Martin Diligencia.

The two were extremes. Where Mangohig was showy, diving into a roll after grabbing an easy ball, Diligencia was economical and accurate, swatting shots off without too much of a fuss.

In a five-minute span, Dilegencia swatted Marion Cubelo's shot, then again stopped Cubelo on a one-one-one, denied Flores a goal and dove right to push out Garciano's strike, earning a wave of cheers from the crowd.

"This is one keeper who you can't score easy," one of the match officials observed.

Hiroshi finally scored in the 35th after Cubelo's shot from left flank swerved into the top post.

On the other hand, feeling perhaps left out in the cheering, Mangohig launched into another of his dives, and instead of a spectacular roll, he hit a Danao striker, losing the ball in the process. Danao's Arnold Perez calmly kicked the ball into the empty net for a 1-1 count.

"He could just have picked up the ball, but he wanted to show off," the same match official said.

Predictably, Mangohig was benched in the second half for Frederick Alazas, while Martin Bontia, Julius Acre, Junard Aguilar and Josaphat Sacil also checked in.

Barely 30 seconds in, Hiroshi got the lead after a teammate's clearance hit Danao's Brian Lawas on his head and the ball bounced onto the goal.

In the 59th, Flores finally scored off a tired Dilegencia, who was then replaced by Raymund Dayon. Garciano gave him a rude welcome with a goal in the 65th, and Voltaire Montebon added one off a free kick in the 70th before Aguilar, Acre and Flores score three more.

(Photos by Ruel Rosillo)

THE CEBU International School barged into the semifinal round of the Aboitiz 12 Under Cup after a tough 1-0 win over Don Bosco Youth Center at the San Roque football grounds last Thursday.

CIS finished second to Springdale in Group B with two wins and a loss, and will face Group A top qualifier Don Bosco College in the semifinal round next week. Springdale, the only undefeated team in the event with three wins in the elimination round, takes on Hiroshi FC in the other match-up.

"We decided to move the semifinal round next week since most of the players are going out of town for the long weekendm" Cebu Football Association president Jonathan Maximo said.

Nick Aboitiz scored the lone goal for CIS in the 4th minute as it booted DBYC out of contention for the last four. Earlier, CIS lost to Paref 2-1 after opening with an emphatic 11-0 win over San Roque FC two weeks ago.

Meanwhile it's a busy weekend for football as action in the Aboitiz 15 Under and Aboitiz Men's League resume at San Roque.

In the 15 Under, Blessed John XXIII seminary, goes for its third straight win against Cebu Inmaculada Concepcion in the first game at 1, while DBYC takes on FC Inter Cebu in the second game.

Tomorrow, at 8, DBC will face the University of Southern Philippines, and CIC-M will face USP-F in the second match up.

For the Men's League, FC Inter Cebu goes for its first win against FC Lapu-lapu, at 10 today while Crazy Horse FC plays Rugmo Debra at 1 tomorrow before the defending champion, Hiroshi FC debuts in Division A against Danao FC.

ALMOST a month after the University of Cebu (UC) football team “walked out” of its final game in the elimination round against the University of San Jose-Recoletos in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc., the Cesafi board still has to decide on a sanction.

The reason? The board cannot act with out an official complaint.

Lawyer Joseph Baduel, the league's legal consultant, said he talked with tournament manager Bro. Marie Aberasturi two weeks ago, but no official complaint has been furnished to his office.

Still, the UC Webmasters won't escape punishment, as the Cebu Football Association (CebuFA), which sanctioned the event, is mulling a ban on either UC coach Glen Ramos or the whole team.

"We were expecting a letter from Bro. Mari but we didn't receive any, and we cannot act without a complaint," Baduel told Sun.Star Cebu.

Sun.Star's call to Aberasturi's cellular phone went unanswered yesterday.

Earlier this year, Baduel recommended the season-long suspension of Ahman James Tagalog of the University of San Carlos and Allain Abellansoa of UC for instigating a brawl in the basketball tournament. Baduel also recommended a P5,000 fine on University of Southern Philippines volleyball coach, Cecil Jotojot, for allegedly being drunk and for hitting a Don Bosco player.

If ever UC dodges the Cesafi sanction, it will have to deal with the disciplinary committee of the CebuFa.

"We were waiting for the Cesafi sanction because it is their tournament but definitely there will be a sanctions, maybe just like those who were involved in the free-for-all in the Aboitiz," CebuFa president Jonathan Maximo said.

During the Aboitiz Cup finals last February, seven players got tournament-long suspensions for getting involved in a brawl.

If UC gets the same punishment, it will be banned from the Aboitiz League, which started last Sunday.

"That's why we held the entry of UC, because it is still being considered whether to punish the coach or the whole team," Maximo said.

UC's problem started when it stopped playing with 28 minutes left in its 1-all match against USJ-R last Oct. 2. Ramos contended that they did not walk out but “merely left the field to cool his players off.

However, Aberasturi, who earlier said that such acts deserve punishments since they affect the league, and Culibra have decided that UC walked out. Aberasturi also consulted the Philippine Football Federation catalogue of punishments, which states that UC's action is punishable by a fine, suspension or ban.

Under the guidelines, which the CebuFA also uses, by walking out, UC has surrendered its right to appeal the decision the board makes.

AFTER the 23rd Southeast Asian Games, sports buffs in Cebu will have another spectacle to see as the Private Schools Athletic Association (Prisaa) Regional meet unfolds in the city on Dec. 9-11 at different venues.

The 11-nation Seag is on Nov. 27 to Dec 5, and six events will be played in Mandeue, Cebu and Danao Cities.

On the other hand, there will be 15 events in the Regional Prisaa, which will be participated by schools from Bohol and Dumaguete City and the champions of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc.

The different athletic directors, together with Prisaa Cebu president Fr. Vic Uy of the University of San Carlos, met yesterday to discuss Cebu's hosting of the regional meet, which also serves as the selection process for Prisaa VIII's representatives to the national meet in Dagupan City on Feb. 5 to 11 next year.

"There will be no football, dancesport, and beach volleyball in the nationals but what we could do is, to invite schools from Bohol and Dumaguete to send teams for the regional meet here for the three events," University of Cebu athletic director Bernard Ricablanca said.

According to Ricablanca, athletics and swimming will be at the Cebu City Sports Center, while badminton and table tennis, at the University of the Visayas, dancesport at E-Mall, chess at Velez College, taekwondo at Cebu Doctors University, sepak takraw at Southwestern University, softball at the University of Cebu - METC, baseball at Mactan and volleyball at the University of San Carlos.

USC will also host the opening and palabas on Dec. 9.

"On Dec. 9, basketball will be at USP and on Dec. 10 and 11, it will be at the Cebu Coliseum," Ricablanca said.

Aside from the sports contests, the regional meet will also have a contest for vocal solo, quiz bee, math and science contests.

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ACTION in the Aboitiz Men's League is following the pattern in the Age Groups - that is winning via blowouts.

New club Wild Cebu Fashion FC blanked FC Inter Cebu 5-0 in Division B, while the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Alumni FC routed Juvio-Magone FC, 6-0.

In the age group competitions, dominant teams like Paref Springdale, Cebu International School, Don Bosco and Hiroshi FC also routed their opponents by at least five goals.

Ralph Eco scored the first goal in the new league, after connecting in the 24th minute for Wild, and Jhures Colina banged in another in the 36th. Gladino Muit got into the scoring act in the 38th for a 3-0 lead at the half.

After a few defensive adjustments, Inter managed to plug its leak but Wild's offense broke through again with two goals in the final ten minutes. Chuckie Loi Alburo banged in an 81st minute goal and Colina added another in the 83rd for the final count.

It was a similar story in the first Division A match as Jade Paghubasan scored in the 4th and Dave Intong added another in the 24th for a 2-0 count.

Jesus Menaling booted in a goal four minutes after the exchange and Robert Nicart made it 4-0 in the 66th. After another Paghubasan goal in the 76th, Nicart scored again in the 81st to complete the rout.

This is the first time the Cebu Football Association is following the league format for its Men's Division, as recommended by the Philippine Football Federation. After this year, the top two team of Division B will replace the bottom two teams in Division A.

Meanwhile, Queen City United coach Mario Ceniza said they opted to play in Division B since most of its members are professionals who don't have much time to practice. As one of the top eight teams in the Aboitiz Cup last year, they were entitled to play in Division A.

"It's tough to get these guys together and we only get to practice once a week," Ceniza said, "This year, we are also trying to assess the strength of the team, whether we are suited for Division A or not."

WHAT was supposed to be the closest match of the season turned into a blowout as Paref-Springdale routed Cebu International School, 8-1, in the Aboitiz 15-Under Cup at the San Roque football grounds yesterday.

"Natsambahan lang (It was just luck)," Springdale coach Mario Ceniza said of their easy win.

Previously, CIS defeated FC Inter Cebu, 5-2, while Springdale blasted Don Bosco Youth Center, 7-1.

Yesterday’s second game was just as lopsided, with Don Bosco College scoring a 10-0 walkover on San Roque FC with Michael Pato scoring six goals.

Springdale and CIS played evenly in the first half with Springdale taking the lead in the 19th courtesy of Carlos Miguel Veloso before defender Timothy James Mateo added another from a penalty in the 44th.

Prodigy Michael Sharpe of CIS got one for his team with a strike two minutes into the second half but seemed to run out of steam in the later stages.

"Actually, it was Sharpe who did most of the work for CIS, and after he slowed down, that was when we were able to control the midfield," Ceniza. Sharpe at 14 played and scored two goals for Cebu in the Philippine Football Federation's National Under-19 championships.

With the midfield open, Bryan Liu struck thrice, while Dominic Paul Garcia added two and Veloso scored again in the 81st to complete their win.

Meanwhile, Pato was a one-man offensive show as he scored twice in the first half then added four more in the second. Other DBC goals were scored by Anthony Clark Maderaz, Samuel Damole and Sean Gacayan, who had two.

WHILE goalkeepers rarely have a hand in scoring goals, Hiroshi's Junfiel Villarico found himself in this exact situation - assisting in one. Too bad it wasn't for his team.

A defensive move by Villarico resulted in a goal by Don Bosco Youth Center's Winrich Baclay, which gave the Bosconians a 1-0 lead in the third minute of their 12-Under game in the Aboitiz Football Cup at San Roque Parish football grounds.

Seeing Villarico advancing toward the goal, Villarico moved forward and cleared the ball, which rebounded off Baclay and went straight into the net.

Fortunately, Hiroshi was able to level the count in the 14th minute courtesy of Prince Anthony as Hiroshi drew its first match after opening with two wins.

On the other land, Springdale cruised to its third win with a 9-0 rout of host SRFC.

Junrick Ong started the barrage in the third and Shawn Hausen added another in the fifth. SRFC's woes compounded when Karl Arcenas scored twice and Hausen added another, while Andoni Ugarte struck in the 23rd for a 6-0 lead.

Bright Academy also turned a 1-1 match into a 4-1 win over Cebu Inmaculada Concepcion-Mandaue. Gabriel Penko scored in the 23rd before Nikko Ouano equalized in the 32nd.

CIC-M's joy was short lived as Robert Lee scored a minute later and added another in the 47th before Thomas Jackson capped the game with a 47th-minute goal.

In the 15-Under division, Blessed John XXIII Seminary scored it's second straight rout, this time against the University of Southern Philippines Foundation, 8-0.

Chris Delos Santos and Dexterius Encabo were unstoppable in the offensive end as they each completed a hat trick in the first half for a 6-0 lead. Delos Santos added another goal in the 55th before Mark Ersam scored in the 86th for the final count.

In another game, Jerson Omnos scored twice to tow Hiroshi FC to an easy 7-0 win over FC Inter Cebu. After flirting with the bar thrice early, Hiroshi finally scored after Omnos converted a penalty, starting the onslaught.

Meanwhile, the Aboitiz Men's League opens starts today with FC Inter Cebu going up against Wilde Cebu in Division B, and the University of San Jose-Recoletos facing Magone FC in Division A also at San Roque.

TO AVOID a repeat of the free-for-all last year, the Cebu Football Association (CebuFA) will separate the players bench from the crowd in this Sunday's Aboitiz League at the San Roque football grounds.

"We will strictly implement the technical area (rule) to segregate the crowd from the players," CebuFA president Jonathan Maximo said.

The rule limits access to the technical area to players, coaches and tournament officials.

Last year, there was no technical area in the venue, and the people who watched the games sometimes sat near or with the players.

A nasty fight prematurely ended the finals match last year between Hiroshi FC and Exas resulting to the suspension of seven players.

On the other hand, the CebuFA will also inform the coaches of the various offenses and the corresponding punishments listed in the Philippine Football Federation guidelines.

"We will show them the catalogue so that they will know the consequences if ever they will walk out or what," Maximo said.

Maximo said that the coaches know of the guidelines but seems to take them for granted "since it was not implemented."

As for the security in San Roque, Maximo is coordinating with the newly-revived San Roque Football Club for their help.

"This is also a challenge to the San Roque community, to prove to Cebu that it is a safe venue," Maximo said.

Concerns have been raised by some players as San Roque has had a history of violent fights involving players and the crowd.

This Sunday, the 1st Aboitiz Men's League will kick off with two matches in the two divisions. FC Inter Cebu opens its second-division campaign against fellow newcomer Wilde Cebu. In Division A, the University of San Jose Recoletos Alumni will face the Juvio Magone FC.

THERE wasn't much of a competition in the first five matches of the Aboitiz 15 Under Cup last weekend as all the five top contenders scored blow out wins at the San Roque football grounds.

Hiroshi FC started the tone early in the crowded division with a 10-1 wipeout over Don Bosco Youth Center last Saturday, and Cebu Inmaculada Concepcion-Mandaue (CIC-M) followed suit with a 3-0 win over the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF).

Sunday's matches were of the same note and newcomers Blessed John XIII Seminary (BJS) showed up for a 6-0 rout of hosts SRFC, while Cebu International School (CIS) defeated new comers FC Inter Cebu (FCIC) 5-2, and Paref Springdale handed DBYC another humbling 7-1 defeat.

CIS was the only team that got threatened last Sunday after FCIC crawled from two goals down to level the count. Ryan Bordalba leveled the count for FCIC in the 55th and 62nd before CIS got the lead back courtesy of Paolo Cases in the 77th and Peter Shin added two more in the 85th and 87th.

The 15-under division is one of the competitive categories in Cebu with all five winners capable of beating the rest. Playing in the Red Ribbon Under-14 last year, Springdale defeated Hiroshi, then playing as the Abellana National School, 3-0, for the title.

In its first win this year, Hiroshi upped the tempo in the second half as it poured eight goals for its 10-1 win. Miguel Subang scored three after the break while Hansel Go scored twice for its blowout win.

"It seems Don Bosco lost steam and coordination after playing a good first half," one of the referees said after the match.

On the other hand, after getting on the wrong end of blowouts the previous tournaments, CIC-M showed it is capable of making one with a 3-0 win over USPF. Jon Ervin Ceniza shot the opener in the 18th and Jomar Salvaleon added his tally in the 27th and 54th for their first win.

This year's new entry, BJS relied on a team effort for its 6-0 win. Dexterius Encabo struck twice in three minutes and Arnulito Camrillo scored in the 37th for a 3-0 half time lead. SRFC's chances for a recovery got dashed after Sam Marcellana made it 4-0 a minute into the second half before Billy Laroa and Cesarito Fat scored in the 63rd and 85th for the easy win.

Another favorite, Springdale, parading the same team that won the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association elementary title three years ago, never got threatened in their 7-1 win. The prolific Bryan Liu struck four times in their easy win as Springdale cruised to a 7-0 count before Bernard Buot scored a consolation goal in the 81st.

*photo by Sunstar's Arni Aclao

THE UNIVERSITY of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) is Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) football champion no more.

Its four-year reign in the Cesafi ended after the University of the Visayas Greenbooters fulfilled its three-year goal with a 4-0 rout of the champion in the finals yesterday at the Sacred Heart School-Jesuit.

UV is only the second football champ in Cesafi as USJ-R took the first four titles.

In the battle for third, the University of San Carlos surged to a 3-0 half time lead before holding on for a 3-2 win over the spiraling University of Southern Philippines Foundation.

USP, one of the teams able to beat USJ-R this year, lost its last three matches after its 2-0 win over USJ-R.

"This is the fruit of a three-year labor. It was three years ago when we took these players in at UV after they graduated from high school," an ecstatic UV coach
Eddie Buot said, referring to the workman Junard Aguilar, who netted 10 goals this season including the opener yesterday, midfielders Julius Acre and Martin Bontia, whose controlled play in the middle led to most of UV's goals, and defenders Ivan Dimco and Josaphat Sacil.

Aguilar, who missed the semifinals due to tonsillitis, struck in the 22nd exploiting a miscue by the defense and using his speed and dribbling skills to find an opening.

USJ-R kept pushing in the second half, but Jade Paghubasan rarely found an opening.

Julius Acre's header off a corner in the 70th gave their defense breathing space and after the goal, USJ-R seemed to have lost its will to win as tempers flared during the match.

Fortunately, no untoward incidents happened.

It was such an unfortunate day for USJ-R that in the 75th, a goalmouth scramble had the ball roll off keeper Frederick Alazas' back, flirting near the goal line before getting cleared.

"Malas jud, di gyud para ila," a USJ-R fan lamented. (Tough luck. The game is not really for them.)

Kurt Acre made it 3-0 in the 85th on a penalty, then capped his performance in the 88th with a cross that got deflected by a USJ-R defender into the goal.

"This is our belated gift to sir Eddie (Gullas) who had his birthday last Oct. 13," Buot said.

What a fitting gift it is.

IT WAS an all Bosconian affair in the Aboitiz 12-Under division as two Don Bosco teams scored easy routs yesterday at the San Roque Parish grounds.

Don Bosco College (DBC) started the offensive as it blanked Bright Academy 6-0 before Don Bosco Youth Center (DBYC) joined the rampage with an 8-0 whipping of hosts San Roque FC.

On the other hand, Paref Springdale took the lead in their group with a 2-1 escape over the Cebu International School for their second straight win.

Karl Arcenas, who scored all four goals in Paref's 4-1 win over DBYC last week, scored early in the 2nd but Emmanuel Cunningham leveled the count in the 25th. Shawn Hausen scored the go-ahead goal for Springdale in the 30th as they handed CIS its first loss. CIS routed SRFC 11-0 in their first match last week.

Robert Gealon struck in the eighth minute for DBC, and Ethan Decina added another in the 15th before Winrich Baclay struck in the 21st for a 3-0 half-time lead.

Things got worse for Bright in the second half as Peter Ricamora scored in the 34th and Baclay added in another in the 47th. Miguel Caindec scored the final goal for DBC in the 49th as it cruised to its second straight rout after a 7-0 beating of SRFC last week.

John Labajo scored twice in the first 10 minutes and Dennis Legaspi added another in the 17th as DBYC cruised to an early 3-0 lead.

Christian Agot and Hindley Redulla found the net early in the second half before super-sub Nonito Salazar scored thrice in a seven-minute span to compete the rout.

Hiroshi FC also logged its second win with Prince Anthony scoring the lone goal in the 20th minute for a 1-0 escape over Cebu Inmaculada Concepcion.

However, DBYC luck didn't carry out in the 15-under division as Hiroshi picked up
steam in the second half for a 10-1 rout, behind Miguel Sabang's hat trick.

Games today
8 Bright vs. Don Bosco College
9 Springdale vs Cebu International School
10 CIC-Mandaue vs Hiroshi FC
11 San Roque FC vs DB Youth Center

U 15 matches
1 Hiroshi FC vs DBYC
3 CIC-M vs University of Southern Philippines Foundation

Games today
8 Bright vs. Don Bosco College
9 Springdale vs Cebu International School
10 CIC-Mandaue vs Hiroshi FC
11 San Roque FC vs DB Youth Center

U 15 matches
1 Hiroshi FC vs DBYC
3 CIC-M vs University of Southern Philippines Foundation

The Patid Bola (PaBol) Academy recently held a futsal clinic for its kids at the newly constructed court at Metrosports.

Let's hope that this is the start of more clinics and more tournaments for futsal in the Cebu.

Here are the list of teams for the coming Aboitiz League. Note that teams will have only until Oct. 19 to submit their final requirements and line up.

The venue is San Roque and I know there are a lot of pros and cons regarding that. So, click the add comment button and write your thoughts ok?

Among the cons are security concerns.

I talked with Maxi and he says that the SRFC will help in ensuring that no untoward incident will happen. This is also a blow for SRFC efforts to revive football in their community if some drunk dude gets rough with the players.

What are your concerns?


1 Hiroshi Football Club
2 Exas Phils Disbanded; will not participate
3 University of the Visayas Opted to play in 2nd Division
4 Crazy Horse Football Club
5 USJ-R Alumni
6 University of Southern Phils
7 University of San Carlos
8 Queen City United Opted to play in 2nd Division
9 Don Bosco Alumni FC
10 Mactan Football Club Merged with Metropolitan FC
11 Magone Football Club
12 University of Cebu
13 Cebu Institute of Technology
14 Metropolitan Football Club
15 Danao Football Club

FC International Cebu New team; automatic in 2nd Div
San Roque Football Club New team; automatic in 2nd Div
Wild Cebu Football Club New team; automatic in 2nd Div
CSCST New team; automatic in 2nd Div

THEY sport the colors of the famous Bayern Munich jersey, yet FC Inter Cebu, the newest football club in the city is not just a plain copycat of German football - they are the brainchild of German footballers.

Founded by German expatriates Manfred Shcuwerk and Paul Weiler, the club is currently training kids in OAD in Talamban, Lapu-lapu Mepz1, and in San Roque.

Last Sunday, they had their foundation day and election of officers and today they have scheduled another mini competition at the OAD field in Talamban.

Their German sponsors also attended their elections, which also included a contest in slalom, target and distance shooting for 30 kids.


“We are now in the second division of the Aboitiz Cup and we are joining their 15-under division and hopefully we will become bigger,” Weiler told Sun.star yesterday.

Richard Alexander T Lim was elected president with Schuwerk as vice president and Weiler as the manager. Others officers are Limjame Ompad as secretary, Mary Ann Loraine Araneta as treasurer and youth representatives Edson Jude H Donoson and Ian Caesar Baco.

Also last Oct. 1, they arranged a series of exhibition matches against youth powers Paref Springdale to gauge their skills level.

“The little kids we drew 1-1 and in the bigger kids we lost 0-3 which isn’t bad,” Weiler said.

FC Inter Cebu is the third club to be founded by expatriates in the city after the Crazy Horse and the Haro Iwanaga owned Hiroshi FC.

In the Aboitiz Opener yesteday, Hiroshi banked on Prince Anthony, Raphael Estremos and Dan Marnil Villarico for a 3-0 blowout of Bright Academy while Karl Arcenas showed up with his golden boot as he scored all four goals in a 4-1 blast of Don Bosco Youth Center

IT wasn't easy, but the University of the Visayas (UV) and the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) survived their tough semifinal matches yesterday to set up an exciting Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. football final (Cesafi) at the Sacred Heart School-Jesuit field.

The top-ranked UV had to dig deep into its bag of tricks to survive a gritty University of San Carlos (USC) 1-0, while the four-time champion USJ-R endured a late game onslaught by the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) to advance 2-1.

To avoid a repeat of the University of Cebu walkout last Sunday, tournament manager Bro. Mari Aberasturi moved the technical bench to the other side of the field and limited access to coaches and players only.

"Last week, there were too many people, who were not with the coaching staff, but sat near (players) bench and they influenced the team to walkout," Aberasturi said.

UV and USJ-R will meet for the title next Sunday while USC battles USPF for third still at SHS-J.

It was a different USC squad who showed up in the first semifinal as it matched every move of the top seed. In their first encounter, USC lost 4-1 despite scoring first.

UV played shorthanded yesterday with Melvin Culibra serving a suspension and workhorse Junard Aguilar, who has scored nine goals in five matches, unable to play due to tonsillitis.

Kurt Acre tried to fill the void up front but his strike from left in the 26th sailed just high.

With their offense struggling, the wily Julius Acre, Kurt's younger brother, pulled one just beyond the half court mark and struck pay dirt as he hit the top right corner for a 1-0 lead in the 40th.

The younger Acre's crisp passes in the second half could have added more to the score but Junar Labastida hit the post while Josaphat Sacil's shot sailed too high.

USC got a chance in a goalmouth scramble in the 70th before keeper Frederick Alazas recovered his composure and the ball to preserve the shutout.

"I got hit after getting the ball, luckily it dropped near me and nobody was there," Alazas said after the match.

In the second game, Mark Gallardo's perfectly taken 30-yard free kick got past Oscar Lemence to put USP up 1-0 in the first three minutes.

However, Jade Paghubasan made sure there was no repeat of their 1-2 loss to USPF in the elimination as he drove from left in the 14th for the equalizer before Jonathan Sollo scored the go-ahead in the 33rd.

It was a spirited second half as USP tried to equalize, coming close a few times on Lemence's errors on his approach. Lemence mistimed the drop of the ball and left the goal unguarded but USP failed to take advantage as USJ-R took their fifth straight Cesafi finals appearance.

HOST Cebu International School (CIS) and Don Bosco College (DBC) scored easy routs yesterday to open their Aboitiz 12 Under campaign on a high note at the CIS grounds last Saturday.

CIS toyed with San Roque Football Club 11-0 while DBC blanked Cebu Inmaculda Concepcion-Mandaue 7-0 in the other game.

Mark Lotzof started the onslaught for CIS and Rowdy Elbers and Jae Min Park scored in the 21st and 23rd to make it 3-0. Emmanuel Cunningham scored in the 27th to put an early conclusion in the game as CIS got up 4-0 in the first half.

Other CIS scorers were Nicolas Aboitiz with two, Emili Cunningham, and Thomas Booth while Park and Elbers added a goal each in the second half.

In the second game, Winrich Baclay, and Andrew Tabar scored twice to two the favored DBC to their easy win over CIC-M. Baclay got the ice breaker in the 17th and Miguel Caindec made it 2-0 in the 20th. Before CIC could recover, Tabar and Miko Limalima scored nine mintues apart for a 4-0 lead at the turn.

It was all DBC in the second half as Tabar scruck again in the 38th while Baclay scored his second in the 40th and Vinz Saso completed the rout in the 42nd.

The rest of the U12 and U15 matches were cancelled as the strong downpour rendered the CIS field unplayable and matches will resume next weekend at the San Roque Parish.

The first time they met, the defending champions got a humbling 0-2 lesson.

Will there be a repeat?

Both teams set up a final showdown as they survived tough semifinal foes to advance to the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc football final at the Sacred Heart School-Jesuit field.

UV defeated the University of San Carlos 1-0 courtesy of Julius Acre strike from half court while USJ-R overcame getting a goal down in the third minute to beat the University of Southern Philippines Foundation 2-1.

Karl Arcenas scored towed Springdale to an easy 4-1 win over Don Bosco Youth Center as Springdale opened the Aboitiz U12 season on a positive note.

Arcenas scored in the 11th before Joseph Mercado levelled the count in the 29th. The impasse didnt last long as Arcenas struck again in the 33rd and added tow more in the 39th and 48th for thier easy win.

In the second game, Prince Anthony, Raphael Estremos, Dan Marnil had a goal each in Hiroshi's 3-0 win over Bright Academy.

Other games in the U15 were cancelled due to the strong downpour yesterday.

Games today
8 DBYC vs Springdale
9 Hiroshi vs Bright
10 CIS vs SRFC
11 DBC vs CIC-M

15 under
1 pm Hiroshi vs Springdale
3 USPF vs SRFC

THE 2005 Aboitiz Age Group Football Cup kicks off today with six matches in the 12-under and 15-under age group at the Cebu International School(CIS).

Eight teams signed up for the 12-under division, which also serves as the teams' preparation for the Cebu City Olympics, while 10 clubs joined the highly competitive 15-under tourney, which is the Cebu Football Association's selection process for the 2006 Philippine Football Federation Under 17 event.

Morning games today will be in the 12-under while the afternoon matches will be in the 15-under age group.

In the first game, multi-awarded Paref-Springdale takes on their rival and another favorite Don Bosco Youth Center.

"This also serves as a grudge rematch between the two, Springdale lost the Milo title to Don Bosco while they got back at Don Bosco in the Aboitiz Youth festival," CebuFA president Jonathan Maximo said during the Scoop forum at Baseline Restaurant last Thursday.

In the next match, another favorite Hiroshi FC takes on the newcomer in the league Bright Academy while hosts CIS face another newcomer, San Roque Football Club (SRFC) and Don Bosco College (DBC) takes on Cebu Inmaculada Concepcion-Mandaue (CICM).

Bright won the division in the San Roque fiesta last Aug. while the SRFC are the latest generation of footballers to come out of the former hotbed of Cebu which was revived this year.

In the afternoon games, Springdale, which will parade the 2002 Central Visayas Athletic Association elementary champion takes on the Hiroshi FC while the University of Southern Philippines play the SRFC.

Other entries in the U15 division are CIS, DBC, Abellana National School (ANS), CIC-M, FC Inter Cebu, DBYC, SRFC and Blessed John XXIII seminary.

The two tourneys also serves as the practicum test for the participants of the National Referees seminar also held at CIS and supervised by PFF referees committee chair Cyril Dofitas.

CEBU Football Association (CebuFA) president Jonathan Maximo warned that coaches and teams who walks out of the coming Aboitiz Cup will face possible banishment from football.

This time, teams won't also be able to use the ruse of not 'literally walking out' as the CebuFA will follow the guidelines set by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) for the 12-under and 15-under tournament of the Aboitiz Cup which kicks off this weekend at the Cebu International School (CIS).

Last Sunday, the University of Cebu abandoned their football match against the University of San Jose Recoletos in the the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Incorporated (Cesafi) with 28 minutes left and the game tied at 1-1. It was the third incident to hit Cesafi after the brawl in basketball and another incident involving a drunken parent in volleyball.

Despite pleas from tournament manager Bro. Mari Aberasturi, UC refused to play and a win was awarded to USJ-R. Aberasturi will pass a report to the Cesafi board for possible sanctions against UC. Since it was also a CebuFA-sanctioned event, the penalties Cesafi will mete will be carried over to the Aboitiz League.

"Teams who walk out of the Aboitiz will suspended, fined or banned," Maximo said during the Scoop forum at Baseline restaurant.

Should Ramos and his team be suspended or banned from the Cesafi, they will not be allowed in the Aboitiz Cup.

Per guidelines of the PFF, a walkout is "when the whole team abandons the field of play as a demonstration of their protest or if a whole team refuses to continue the match,"

UC coach Glen Ramos, a former national team mainstay, has since contended that they did not walk out last Sunday because they were still in the venue and that he only called the players out to cool them down as the game was getting to rough. A USJ-R striker was ejected in the first half and three other players cautioned for various offenses.

"The guidelines is like the bible for the PFF matches, it is what we will follow," Maximo said.

The guidelines continues that the offending "team shall be excluded from further participation in the tournament and that further penalties will be decided by the disciplinary committee and the right to protest or appeal by the team shall also be forfeited."

The CebuFA's disciplinary committee is head by CIS' Mark Bretherton, who has shown he is not afraid to crack the whip as he recommended a three-match ban on seven players who figured in a brawl last year.

IF EVER IT escapes sanctions from the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) for its actions last Sunday, the University of Cebu may have to deal with the Cebu Football Association (CebuFA) for leaving their final match against the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R).

The game ended prematurely after USJ-R tied the game, 1-all, with 28 minutes left after a disputed non-call. UC coach Glen Ramos denied they walked out and said that they only left the field to cool down as the game was getting too rough.

Tournament manager, Bro. Mari Aberasturi, is currently completing a report to the Cesafi board on the possible sanctions for UC, including a possible P10,000 fine. The Cesafi event was also sanctioned by the CebuFa and as the governing body for the sport in Cebu, CebuFA may implement a penalty of its own.

"I referred the matter to the PFF and they told me to wait first for the Cesafi to act after which it will be reviewed by us," CebuFA president Jonathan Maximo said. "We will leave it to the Cesafi committee, we don't want to pre-empt them, but definitely we will be considering this. The PFF told us to wait and monitor the investigation."

Among those Maximo consulted were PFF Secretary-General Domeka Geraminde, referees committee chairperson Cyril Dofitas and tournament committee chairperson Pablito Araneta.

What UC may have to worry about though is that sanctions from the CebuFA are not limited to Cebu but applies to the whole country as it will be forwarded to the PFF.

"If a player gets banned here, he is banned everywhere in the country," Maximo said.

Meanwhile, former Cebu youth coach Graeme Mackinnon also condemned the act of UC and is hoping that the Cesafi will act strongly to prevent similar acts.

"The walkout is a device too often used in Philippine sport when the coach or his team don't like the calls; it happened against our team in the past," wrote the former coach of the multi-awarded Carmen National School in an e-mail to Sun.Star Cebu.

"If the fine is implemented in this case and in all future matches, then these people might not walkout in the future. Incidents like all the others in the past are just unsportsmanlike acts and a total lack of respect to the sponsors," Mackinnon wrote.

"Even if the calls are bad, walking out of the game deflects the vision from the officiating to the perpetrators of the walkout. So nothing is gained by the team that walks out except bad publicity."

DID the University of Cebu (UC) walk out of their match last Sunday or not?

Last Sunday, the UC Webmasters left their Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc (Cesafi) football match after the University of San Jose Recoletos leveled the score at 1-1 with 28 minutes left. They also refused pleas by tournament manager Bro. Mari Aberasturi for them to return, prompting ref Michael Culibra to end the match.

A few minutes after Culibra ended the match, Aberasturi approached the ref to inform him that UC wanted to resume play. It was too late however, as the decision to end the match stood and a win was awarded to USJ-R.

However, according to UC athletic director Bernard Ricablanca, his coach Glen Ramos told that they did not walk out of their match.

"Glen said that they were just in the field but did not abandon the match, he was cooling off the players," Ricablanca said. After the game last Sunday, Ramos also told reporters that he called his players out to cool them down.

Ricablanca also clarified that he did not recommend to tournament manager Bro Mari Aberasturi to make UC pay a P10,000 fine but instead gave him what sanctions he could give to a team that walks out.

"I had the impression that they really did walk out, so I gave him the options, which was a fine, a suspension or a ban, but when I talked to Glen, he said that they did not walk out," Ricablanca explained. "If it's proven that they really did walk out then there should be a penalty."

Aberasturi consulted Ricablanca since there are no Cesafi guidelines for incidents like last Sunday. "In the absence of ground rules, we should follow the guidelines in basketball," Ricablanca said.

"Walking out is a big offense, it's not in the vocabulary of UC (to walk out), we are being paid to teach our athletes," Ricablanca said, "I also referred Bro Mari to Doc Danny (Villadolid) since I don't have the authority to recommended sanctions and besides I am with UC,"

As to whether UC really walked out or just left the field, veteran Fifa referee Randy Estremos said simply:

"If they did not walk out why did they not return to the field? This is not basketball where they could just ask for a time out," said Estremos, who has officiated in Asian Football Confederation (AFC) tournaments in Malaysia, Brunei and Cambodia.

According to Estremos, no player may leave the field without permission from the referee and only the referee, not the coach, has the authority to stop matches.

"If we were strict about it, there would have been cautions the second somebody stepped out, but we gave them almost 15 minutes and Bro Mari repeatedly wooed them to return but they didn't. Now, that they are being sanctioned they will deny that they walked out?" Estremos said

The University of Cebu denied they walked out of their Cesafi match last Sunday against the University of San Jose-Recoletos.

For more details, buy Sun.Star tomorrow.

RISING tempers and a walkout marred the final pairing of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. football match-ups yesterday at the Sacred Heart School-Jesuit field.

University of Cebu (UC) and defending champion University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) were tied at 1-1 when UC left the field with 28 minutes left.

In the other games, Kurt Acre scored thrice to lead the University of the Visayas (UV) to a 10-1 win over Cebu Institute of Technology (CIT), while University of San Carlos (USC) blanked University of Southern Philippines (USP), 3-0.

The walkout was triggered by an alleged non-call by ref Michael Culibra on a foul on UC's goalkeeper Jovie Sacad during a scuffle that resulted to Jade Paghubasan scoring the equalizer for USJ-R in the 72nd minute.

"Sacad was bumped by a teammate (not by USJ-R players), Culibra said. "But even before that, Paghubasan already scored the goal."

Players from other schools who watched the game also said that it was a teammate who bumped Sacad.

"Nag-unay sila (They bumped each other)," a UV player said.

At that point, UC players left the field and went to their coach, Glen Ramos, who said he was "trying to cool them down."

"Init na ka-ayo ang duwa (Play was already very rough)," Ramos, a former national team mainstay, said. "It's in the laws of the game; we should always protect the goalkeeper but the referee has already made his decision and the ref is always right."

In the first half, Culibra ejected USJ-R striker Joseph Buglosa for trying to hit Sacad after the goalkeeper secured the ball. UC's Randy Gandiongco, who scored the goal and USJ-R Mark Buglosa were also cautioned.

Cesafi tournament manager Bro Mari Aberasturi tried to convince UC to return but failed.

"Mo-concede na lang daw sila, kay init na kaayo ang duwa," Aberasturi said. (They decided to concede the game because the game was already very rough.)
Things took another twist when UC decided to return to play after Culibra had already signaled the end of the match and had already changed clothes. The decision to stop the game was not changed.

Meanwhile, Aberasturi is still to decide whether to the win to USJ-R or declare the game a draw.

If USJ-R gets the win, it will earn three points and dislodge USC at second place on goal difference. USJ-R will be at third if the game is declared a draw, which is worth one point.

In next Sunday's semifinals, the first-place UV will take on the third placer, while the second-placer will take on fourth-ranked USP.

Leaders University of the Visayas will take on Cesafi doormats Cebu Institute of Technology in the curtain rasier today while the surging University of Southern Philippines face the University of San Carlos in the second match.

In the third game, defending champion University of San Jose Recoletos, who have lost their last two games will try to have their five-peat campaign back on track as they take on the University of Cebu.

The UV Greenbooters have piled up four wins so far with an impressive plus 15 goal difference while the leaky CIT defense has yeilded 25 goals in four lopsided losses already.

On the other hand, the USP Panthes are on a high note as they erased a one goal deficit to hand USJ-R just their second defeat with a 2-1 escape last Sunday.

Catch the action live at the Sacred Heart School Jesuit Field this Sunday