Cebu Football

Folks, there were a lot of requests in the cbox, sorry, I just got back.

I got home. I saw the field in school, where we used to play, and the field in my place where we learned the game. They were unused. Nobody played. I passed by our school and I remembered, once in my second year, everybody thought we will be the first Mindanao team to win the national Coke title. I passed by the field in my subdivision and I remembered how it was packed during the weekends. It's sad really, to note, how a once promising place could sink so low. Adjancent to our field was a basketball court and a tennis court. Back then, all three places were always packed. The people who play football, would disperse to play basketball, while some would go on to play tennis. That is the advantage in our place, we can play all sports. Heck, I'm even willing to bet against the best football team in Cebu, Hiroshi? Crazy Horse? Don Bosco? Name it. I bet in a one-day series of a game of football, tennis, baseball, basketball, volleyball and table tennis, we'd whip your ass. N...

I went home, last Thursday to attend my friends' wedding -- to fulfill my promise that I would be there when they exchange vows. In the process, I missed a lot of football action in Cebu, but so what? My friends will only get married once, Cebu can host another regional, there's another women's open. Still, when I got back, I thought, heck, I didn't miss much. Leading 2-0 at halftime and losing 2-4 after full time? Losing to Bacolod (was it) by five goals? Wheew! I haven't seen any of the games and but I can surmise on the facts. Cebu did their best. That is for sure. There was no hometown factor. The players -- who have practiced and sacrificed a lot for the tournament -- are their own biggest critics. You can't blame the coach, I don't know about you, but the Cebu U17 coach is the best coach in Cebu as far as I am concerned. But no matter how good a coach you are, there are some things that cannot be taught. Things that a player learns by playing bare...

In the past two years, there are more competitions, more and more kids are playing the game -- and those who have left it have returned in the 36-above categories. Cebu hosted the under-19 nationals and is set to host a regional tournament. There will be a coaches seminar this month (or has that been moved to next month) DBC won the Palarong Pambansa title, Springalde sprung a few national football festivals title, CIS is one of the top teams in the Inter-IS league. San Roque has come back to life, the Call Centers are putting their own teams, we have a two-division league.

Fifa officials are here in Cebu. Guess what happened.

What -- please distinguish it isnt 'who'-- the CebuFA president should be. Tada!!! A few reactions on those nominated in the chatbox. First me. Seriously, that's not possible and I'm not interested. Thanks for the vote of confidence though, but I do what I do because I love football and I want to help it grow, not because I want to be part of the policy making body -- here's a thought, you can help influence policy without the need of being in the body. Second nominee, Ronaldo. First, I've learned to admire and take seriously Ronaldo's posts and comments here, but seriously folks, must we nominate (no offense bay Ronaldo) a guy for president because of his posts in this blog? Third nominee (s) Elying and Babot. I know both guys though I know Elying better, but still, they can serve Cebu Football more as coaches than as president and it's not about lack of skill or what. Fourth. Hi red horse Fifth... I was gonna put something really smart here...but I k...

MULBACHS FC was supposed to be the second-best team in the Aboitiz Women’s Open, but against San Roque FC, the second seed was anything but as Mulbachs fell, 0-1, yesterday at the San Roque Parish football grounds. On the other hand, there were no surprises in the opening game as the defending champion and top seed Queen City United hacked out a masterful 6-1 demolition of sister team, University of San Carlos. “Most of my players are still new (to the game) and are very young,” said USC head coach Joshua Fegidero. In the second game, San Roque, playing in front of a few brave souls from San Roque who braved the drizzle, had Mulbachs on the defensive most of the first half. However, their lack of finishing had the score at 0-all after the first 45 minutes. The wily Christine Mantos, who played for Cebu in the National Under-17 finals last summer, kept feeding Melanie Bordalba and Monica Trebol from left flank but the two strikers couldn’t capitalize on the their chances. Against the Mu...

*bahala'g late, basta na-ay update ** photo by Ruel Rosello ENGLAND may have gone out in the quarterfinal round on penalties, but the ‘England’ team of Don Bosco Boys Home alumni took the opposite route as they won the BPI Inter Don Bosco Cup over the Netherlands, 5-4, yesterday at the SVD field. The shoot out was still tied after the two-sets of three kickers got their chance, giving the respective goalkeepers a chance to save their team. Fr. Leo Dizon, who had one stop in the shootout, converted his, while Ramil Lachica missed high for their win. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the ‘England’ squad, composed of a few members of the 1996 National Coke-Go-For-Goal champion, were wearing the colors of Espania. “They were supposed to wear the England colors, but the uniforms they ordered were that of Spain,” said one bystander in the one-day contest which gathered the football heroes of Don Bosco Technological Center and DBBH. The eight teams were wearing the colors of the eight quarte...

*bahala'g late, basta na-ay update ** photo by Ruel Rosello ENGLAND may have gone out in the quarterfinal round on penalties, but the ‘England’ team of Don Bosco Boys Home alumni took the opposite route as they won the BPI Inter Don Bosco Cup over the Netherlands, 5-4, yesterday at the SVD field. The shoot out was still tied after the two-sets of three kickers got their chance, giving the respective goalkeepers a chance to save their team. Fr. Leo Dizon, who had one stop in the shootout, converted his, while Ramil Lachica missed high for their win. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the ‘England’ squad, composed of a few members of the 1996 National Coke-Go-For-Goal champion, were wearing the colors of Espania. “They were supposed to wear the England colors, but the uniforms they ordered were that of Spain,” said one bystander in the one-day contest which gathered the football heroes of Don Bosco Technological Center and DBBH. The eight teams were wearing the colors of the eight quarte...

There are 11-a-side tournaments -- albeit the cup kind -- for the age groups mentioned in the report, the one about the football festival. Sorry, that kind of got left off in lieu of a certain team's boycott. As to the U17 girl's team, any one can still join. Which reminds me, this is why precisely, the CebuFA needs to have their own website, so issues and questions raised can be answered directly. Instead of me having to answer it for them, hereby reinforcing the belief, which someone has expressed to a fellow reporter, that I am in their payroll. Frankly folks, if I am to charge, the way Manila reporters charge, for football's publicity here in Cebu, the only money left for CebuFA won't be enough to buy one single decent stud.

Musings Here’s a weird thought I had after the World Cup finals. Fans = football league = success. Without the fans, any league what so ever will go the way of the dodo. But, what, I ask, kind of fan will stick to his team if the team is a.) known for Manny Pacquiasque moves, b.) a prima donna c.) cheats or d.) you-won’t-let-us-play-then-we-will-no-longer-join-any-of-your-tournaments kind of team? This year’s Aboitiz Men’s League will have the luxury (and I do mean every essence of the word) of not having its defending champion back. So I say, ditch the Men’s League. The Association will save time, money and a whole bunch of headache-pills for that. What, I say, should we put up in place of the Men’s League? A school-based league. (Plus the other clubs who are not associated with any schools like FC Inter Cebu, San Roque FC) A school league –- or more precisely – a high school league -- would have been great, imagine the rivalry between schools, spilling over the football field – minus...

WATCHING the World Cup finals, at 2 a.m., drunk, tired and stressed out was an experience. Knowing the circumstances about the World Cup finals, is sadly, an experience in itself. I was at Badgers, again, though I was disappointed with their P150 entrance policy, I’ve grudgingly accepted it – after all, they have a business to run. But, I still don’t agree how the place, and the other one, came out of nowhere and started charging entrance fees. However, after learning of how one group was going to be “robbed” blind by a certain cable company, I’ve learned to sympathize with the clubs – a bit. There was a planned free viewing at the Ayala Entertainment Area for the finals, which could have brought hundreds of fans together, but the good folks at our ‘favorite cable company’ asked for P20,000. From reports of other folks who went to other venues, the places were packed. And still they insist there is no market for football?

Its nice when your team is winning, and too sad when they are losing

Its nice when your team is winning, and too sad when they are losing

Here's a picture of the first day of the FC Inter Cebu Inter League

There was once a place called Shallows They showed the World Cup for the fellas But when Brazil played They asked to be paid And everybody fled I've had it with this greedy establishments. ____ is another place I will never go back to -- not in a million years -- not even if Aubrey Miles will dance naked in the bar. The day before -- for me -- it was the best place to be in town. Good atmosphere, good place, affordable beer, great viewing of the world cup. And curiously, most of the guys I saw there, were the same guys who used to be regulars at an uptown bar -- before that certain bar charged an entrance fee. The next day, while the scores of fans who went there were texting and informing their friends to come to _____ for the anticipated England-Portugal, and Brazil-France matches, they blindsided everybody and asked for another fee. P150, entrance fee. "You will get a free beer sir," the attendant said. So the text brigade began again, just as it did before the Germ...

Finally, Brazil meets France again. Eight years ago, I saw Les Bleus blank Samba, 3-0, to win their first World Cup. It's payback time. Go Brazil!