Fair Play: Milo and Cesafi football: Hit and miss
IT’S been quite a while since I last saw a football game in the Milo Olympics. It’s been so long that I’ve forgotten it’s a seven-a-side game, not the full-sided event.
So I was glad I got to catch a couple of games last Saturday, including the elementary semifinals between the Don Bosco College and Paref-Springdale.
Judging from the coaches’ reaction, I thought it was Springdale that was ahead, and not the other way around. I forgot you can never use the coaches’ actions to gauge how a game is going on.
Coach Joselito “Babot” Bono was his usual animated self, screaming instructions left and right and making sure the DBC boys were doing everything right.
“Ayaw pa’g duwa-duwa dira,” he screamed at one point.
I was waiting whether someone from DBC would holler back, “Duwa bitaw ni coach!”
But I guess the DBC players had too much respect to do that.
On the other side of the pitch, Coach Mario Ceniza was his usual self, cool as a cucumber with his soft instructions punctuated by his trademark, “Oy!”
I also got to see—and hear—some of the familiar names when I was still covering the football beat. Enzo Ceniza, who is no longer that little boy who tagged along with his dad, showed he’s got an even defter first touch now that he plays in the elementary level.
There was also Pelenio—Aldrich Michael? The Springdale shirts only showed the surname. The guy who once scored five goals against DBC in an Aboitiz Cup game, caused hiccups in the DBC defense, while Agot—who had three when Pelenio scored five—did the same on the other side, after much prodding from coach Babot.
Coach Mario also had his keeper take the free kick thrice in the game, my first inkling that they were trailing.
One thing I liked about that game was how both coaches showed the players how to respect the ref’s decision.
At one point Enzo got tripped and he looked to his dad as if prodding him to complain, but all it earned was a louder than usual, “Oy!” A DBC player also got pushed, and no foul was called. That would have earned a string of protests from some coaches, but not Babot.
All he said was “Atong bola,” but when the ref said “Play on,” he just kept hollering instructions.
In the end though, the better team won but not after quite a struggle. DBC went on to the finals, but lost to Sacred Heart School-Jesuits.
I was just surprised though, that the ever-vocal Springdale parents were missing in that game. They used to be a regular fixture in matches, with their bullhorns and “Go Springdale go” chants.
Two of them—Dr. Joel Pascual and Tina Mateo—used to religiously follow their sons Paolo and TJ, respectively, back when they were grade schoolers until they graduated from high school that they’ve become a regular in the football scene.
Last I heard, TJ is now in UP Diliman, while Paolo is now the starting keeper for the University of San Carlos in the Cesafi.
Speaking of the Cesafi, I only got to learn the collegiate season has started, thanks to Dr. Pascual’s Facebook account.
It seems the tournament manager is playing favorites with the media.
Whenever our male reporter calls him, he gets ignored, while a lady writer from the other paper seems to have no trouble getting results.
Hmmm, maybe we won’t be ignored if I assign an intern from an all girls school?
Oh well. If they want to play favorites, we can play that too.
I just feel sorry for the football players who are expecting the same coverage Cesafi football got last year.
Why Cesafi decided to change tournament managers is beyond me.
Why fix it if it isn’t broke?
Look what the “fix” is doing.
So I was glad I got to catch a couple of games last Saturday, including the elementary semifinals between the Don Bosco College and Paref-Springdale.
Judging from the coaches’ reaction, I thought it was Springdale that was ahead, and not the other way around. I forgot you can never use the coaches’ actions to gauge how a game is going on.
Coach Joselito “Babot” Bono was his usual animated self, screaming instructions left and right and making sure the DBC boys were doing everything right.
“Ayaw pa’g duwa-duwa dira,” he screamed at one point.
I was waiting whether someone from DBC would holler back, “Duwa bitaw ni coach!”
But I guess the DBC players had too much respect to do that.
On the other side of the pitch, Coach Mario Ceniza was his usual self, cool as a cucumber with his soft instructions punctuated by his trademark, “Oy!”
I also got to see—and hear—some of the familiar names when I was still covering the football beat. Enzo Ceniza, who is no longer that little boy who tagged along with his dad, showed he’s got an even defter first touch now that he plays in the elementary level.
There was also Pelenio—Aldrich Michael? The Springdale shirts only showed the surname. The guy who once scored five goals against DBC in an Aboitiz Cup game, caused hiccups in the DBC defense, while Agot—who had three when Pelenio scored five—did the same on the other side, after much prodding from coach Babot.
Coach Mario also had his keeper take the free kick thrice in the game, my first inkling that they were trailing.
One thing I liked about that game was how both coaches showed the players how to respect the ref’s decision.
At one point Enzo got tripped and he looked to his dad as if prodding him to complain, but all it earned was a louder than usual, “Oy!” A DBC player also got pushed, and no foul was called. That would have earned a string of protests from some coaches, but not Babot.
All he said was “Atong bola,” but when the ref said “Play on,” he just kept hollering instructions.
In the end though, the better team won but not after quite a struggle. DBC went on to the finals, but lost to Sacred Heart School-Jesuits.
I was just surprised though, that the ever-vocal Springdale parents were missing in that game. They used to be a regular fixture in matches, with their bullhorns and “Go Springdale go” chants.
Two of them—Dr. Joel Pascual and Tina Mateo—used to religiously follow their sons Paolo and TJ, respectively, back when they were grade schoolers until they graduated from high school that they’ve become a regular in the football scene.
Last I heard, TJ is now in UP Diliman, while Paolo is now the starting keeper for the University of San Carlos in the Cesafi.
Speaking of the Cesafi, I only got to learn the collegiate season has started, thanks to Dr. Pascual’s Facebook account.
It seems the tournament manager is playing favorites with the media.
Whenever our male reporter calls him, he gets ignored, while a lady writer from the other paper seems to have no trouble getting results.
Hmmm, maybe we won’t be ignored if I assign an intern from an all girls school?
Oh well. If they want to play favorites, we can play that too.
I just feel sorry for the football players who are expecting the same coverage Cesafi football got last year.
Why Cesafi decided to change tournament managers is beyond me.
Why fix it if it isn’t broke?
Look what the “fix” is doing.
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