Fair Play: The overdue finals

AFTER browsing the forums at www.pinoysoccer.com, I learned a rather interesting tidbit, a football team in the Cebu City Olympics was supposedly disqualified for “cheating on their ages.”

Great.

I asked a source to confirm it but all he knew was that the coach was late in submitting credentials, that was why the team got disqualified.

Double great! Now, it’s either the coach is a cheat, or is incompetent.

I hope both scenarios are wrong, but if they aren’t…

Cebu City Education Consultant Joy Young said when he batted for the ban of the Abellana National School that “we should discipline the athletes.”

I wonder what Mr. Young would say if he hears about this scenario involving “a cheating and or an incompetent” coach.

Cheating coaches deserve everything in the book and the kitchen sink, but coaches who fail to submit credentials on time? What gives? Unless the team was formed a
week ago, what excuse is left for a team’s credentials to be not submitted on time?

In games or practices, coaches hassle the players on everything, “Run back,” “Don’t forget your man,” or “Pass.”

Or to be more realistic, not a few coaches say, “Hastang bugo-a nimo…” or, “Gamita intawun imong utok, dong.”

I hope, now that the team has been disqualified and their practices went to naught, the players won’t holler back at their coach, “Na-submit na nimo credentials? Wala pa? Gamita imong utok, hastang…”

Like I said, I hope both scenarios are wrong.

There were also a few comments regarding the officiating but because the Cebu City Olympics is a DepEd meet….it’s like complaining why jeepney drivers violate traffic rules, it’s an exercise in futility.

CESAFI. Tonight, or rather, this afternoon, will be the University of the Visayas and the University of San Jose-Recoletos match in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) finals.

Last Wednesday night, the news was the Cesafi finals will be at the Cebu City Sports Center but a day later, it’s back to the original schedule, this afternoon at the University of San Carlos-Technological Center.

(I just pray and hope that Cesafi didn’t decide to change it anew between the time I wrote this and when this sees print.)

These latest moves are disappointing. I have always said to anyone who cares to listen that the Cesafi football tournament is being run better than the Aboitiz Cup, but with this indecision and sudden changes? What’s going on?

Though I am not in favor of a night game, (for the sole reason that I am busy at night and can’t watch it) that night schedule was favorable to fans, since they have no classes, no work and the proposed venue, though it could be called the unofficial homecourt of UV, is also accessible to most of the fans.

When I announced the news in my blog, someone commented, “A night championship game! Great move Cesafi!” while another said he lauded the move because he can sit pretty in the grandstand while watching the games.

Now that it’s back to the original schedule, I hope no poor schmuck will be waiting tonight at the Cebu City Sports Center for a game that’s going to be played at USC this afternoon.

Anyway, back to the game, today’s finals is three years overdue. After losing to UV in the 2005 finals, I thought the teams would meet again and USJ-R would have their chance in 2006 to get even.

But UV was never the same team after their 2005 win, losing most key players in 2006 and in 2007 getting booted out because two of their players were found to be ineligible after UV has topped the semifinals.

Now, UV, the only undefeated team in the tournament, finally gets a chance to fight for the title three years after winning their first one or, in the flip side of the coin, USJ-R will get the chance to get even after having their four-year reign ended.