"We only want to help"
THE decision to hand a lifetime ban on Crazy Horse in the Thirsty Cup didn't go well with the team, but it is willing to accept it.
Team representatives said the sanction was excessive considering their players were the ones attacked and were just forced to defend themselves as they were already leading, 2-0.
"We can't just let them hit us," Crazy Horse player Hayato Ayabe said.
However, organizer Neil Montesclaros said the incident, which happened during the aborted Thirsty Cup Men's Open semifinal last Sunday, was already Crazy Horse' second offense in the tournament, after its manager, Ayabe's father Yozo, had an altercation with tournament officials last Saturday when they were refused to change their line-up.
Hayato explained that they wanted to change their line-up because they were told they could do so before their first game. The younger Ayabe added that six other teams were also trying to do the same.
For the Ayabes, the Thirsty Cup was their first brush with controversy, and it couldn't have come at a worse time - they are planning to put up a stadium in Cebu through their K7 foundation.
The father-and-son football patrons spend their own money for their team and say they want to uplift football in Cebu.
"They are being painted very negatively," a family friend said. "And these guys just wanted to play football. His dream is to uplift football in the Philippines."
The Crazy Horse officials are also willing to talk with the organizers to settle the conflict and keep it from getting bigger.
The elder Ayabe is very strict in disciplining his players and tells them to only play fair and refrain from questioning the referees in their matches. They also give financial support and pay for the studies of their players, which include Gary Panagsagan, who got into an altercation with Ariel Cahilig of Hiroshi last Sunday.
Panagsagan admitted punching Cahilig after referee Kurt Acre turned his back but claimed he was provoked. Almost simultaneously, Harold Buot slapped Albert Nangkil at the back of the head and then the free-for-all started.
About the picture of him holding a plastic cone, Yozo explained that he was using it as a megaphone.
"I can't see very well without my glasses, so I thought the game was over, and then here comes Gary, who was being chased and punched, and I grabbed him. I didn't make pok-pok (hit), they pok-pok (hit) me," he explained.
Both teams also said that the organizers should have anticipated a heated match between the two teams and should have provided security.
Team representatives said the sanction was excessive considering their players were the ones attacked and were just forced to defend themselves as they were already leading, 2-0.
"We can't just let them hit us," Crazy Horse player Hayato Ayabe said.
However, organizer Neil Montesclaros said the incident, which happened during the aborted Thirsty Cup Men's Open semifinal last Sunday, was already Crazy Horse' second offense in the tournament, after its manager, Ayabe's father Yozo, had an altercation with tournament officials last Saturday when they were refused to change their line-up.
Hayato explained that they wanted to change their line-up because they were told they could do so before their first game. The younger Ayabe added that six other teams were also trying to do the same.
For the Ayabes, the Thirsty Cup was their first brush with controversy, and it couldn't have come at a worse time - they are planning to put up a stadium in Cebu through their K7 foundation.
The father-and-son football patrons spend their own money for their team and say they want to uplift football in Cebu.
"They are being painted very negatively," a family friend said. "And these guys just wanted to play football. His dream is to uplift football in the Philippines."
The Crazy Horse officials are also willing to talk with the organizers to settle the conflict and keep it from getting bigger.
The elder Ayabe is very strict in disciplining his players and tells them to only play fair and refrain from questioning the referees in their matches. They also give financial support and pay for the studies of their players, which include Gary Panagsagan, who got into an altercation with Ariel Cahilig of Hiroshi last Sunday.
Panagsagan admitted punching Cahilig after referee Kurt Acre turned his back but claimed he was provoked. Almost simultaneously, Harold Buot slapped Albert Nangkil at the back of the head and then the free-for-all started.
About the picture of him holding a plastic cone, Yozo explained that he was using it as a megaphone.
"I can't see very well without my glasses, so I thought the game was over, and then here comes Gary, who was being chased and punched, and I grabbed him. I didn't make pok-pok (hit), they pok-pok (hit) me," he explained.
Both teams also said that the organizers should have anticipated a heated match between the two teams and should have provided security.
Comments
c'mon ayabe's, your'e digging yourself a hole which you may never be able to climb out from.