Graeme, Manfred and local football
A FEW years ago, Manfred Schuwerk e-mailed our former sports editor to comment on Australian football guru Graeme Mackinnon’s coaching style.
He was quite harsh about the way Graeme complained to the refs and shouted at his players regularly, saying it showed Graeme wasn’t a good coach.
I’ve seen Graeme coach and he’s good. He also screamed a lot. And he can be really noisy, especially against a player whom he knows isn’t taking the game seriously.
He can also be funny. A striker who forces his way to shoot righty gets an “OY, NO
LEFT FOOT?” Then he’d show that striker how to kick with his left, “ANA O” with that distinct Australian twang.
Imagine hearing “SUS REFFF!!!!” or “WALA KITA REF?” shouted with an Australian accent. That’s Graeme.
I’ve also seen Graeme let it rip against a ref in one game at the old CIS campus in Banilad. Predictably, Graeme was sent off the field.
He passed by me as he stormed off and boy I’ve never seen Graeme so angry before.
Yep, he did leave but the poor ref didn’t hear the last of him. Only a wire fence separated the CIS field from the sidewalk and that wily coach stood near it, bellowing his instructions.
The poor ref had to run over to him and ask him to leave the field, again. But since he was already out of the field, there was nothing he could do.
That was really funny. I remember I had to stifle a laugh when I reported that incident to my then boss, Nimrod Quiñones of the Freeman.
That was the only time I saw Graeme get red-carded, but in his defense, though, he thought the calls were going one way because the center referee was the brother of the other coach. I think even a local coach would scream bias in that case.
Anyway, the game Manfred saw and wrote about was played in the CIS new campus years later. He was just an observer, then.
Since then, Manfred has assimilated into local football, even becoming a board member of the Cebu Football Association (CFA).
He’s also established a team, the FCIC, from the ground up. Now, he also knows how tough it is to have all your hard work foiled by spotty officiating.
Manfred’s hard work at FCIC is indeed admirable. In their first tournament, these kids were trailing by more than 10 goals, in the first half.
Now, they can compete with the top teams.
It’s just sad that for the next three years, his 17-Under team won’t be able to compete in CFA-sanctioned events. His 12- and 14-Under teams will sit it out for six months.
Manfred ordered his 17-Under team to walk out after a contentious decision against Abellana National School. He also pulled out his two other squads a day later.
While I don’t agree with Manfred’s move, I agree with him that the punishment against the boys may be a bit too harsh.
Players do what coaches order them to do. If Manfred pulled out his team, the players can do squat about it.
It should be the coach, not the players, who should get brunt of the punishment, right?
Manfred said that he’s reported the incident to the PFF and since the PFF would really bend over backwards to torment the CFA, I expect this is one time the PFF president will act on a local matter.
Abangan.
Anyway, since Manfred won’t be able to join CFA tournaments, I hope Harry Radaza, the Lapu-Lapu City councilor with lofty dreams for the city’s sports program, will tap him to work on their football program.
I hope, too, the controversies last weekend will remind coaches that walking out is never an option.
As to the refs? Well, a sharper eye can help prevent controversies.
He was quite harsh about the way Graeme complained to the refs and shouted at his players regularly, saying it showed Graeme wasn’t a good coach.
I’ve seen Graeme coach and he’s good. He also screamed a lot. And he can be really noisy, especially against a player whom he knows isn’t taking the game seriously.
He can also be funny. A striker who forces his way to shoot righty gets an “OY, NO
LEFT FOOT?” Then he’d show that striker how to kick with his left, “ANA O” with that distinct Australian twang.
Imagine hearing “SUS REFFF!!!!” or “WALA KITA REF?” shouted with an Australian accent. That’s Graeme.
I’ve also seen Graeme let it rip against a ref in one game at the old CIS campus in Banilad. Predictably, Graeme was sent off the field.
He passed by me as he stormed off and boy I’ve never seen Graeme so angry before.
Yep, he did leave but the poor ref didn’t hear the last of him. Only a wire fence separated the CIS field from the sidewalk and that wily coach stood near it, bellowing his instructions.
The poor ref had to run over to him and ask him to leave the field, again. But since he was already out of the field, there was nothing he could do.
That was really funny. I remember I had to stifle a laugh when I reported that incident to my then boss, Nimrod Quiñones of the Freeman.
That was the only time I saw Graeme get red-carded, but in his defense, though, he thought the calls were going one way because the center referee was the brother of the other coach. I think even a local coach would scream bias in that case.
Anyway, the game Manfred saw and wrote about was played in the CIS new campus years later. He was just an observer, then.
Since then, Manfred has assimilated into local football, even becoming a board member of the Cebu Football Association (CFA).
He’s also established a team, the FCIC, from the ground up. Now, he also knows how tough it is to have all your hard work foiled by spotty officiating.
Manfred’s hard work at FCIC is indeed admirable. In their first tournament, these kids were trailing by more than 10 goals, in the first half.
Now, they can compete with the top teams.
It’s just sad that for the next three years, his 17-Under team won’t be able to compete in CFA-sanctioned events. His 12- and 14-Under teams will sit it out for six months.
Manfred ordered his 17-Under team to walk out after a contentious decision against Abellana National School. He also pulled out his two other squads a day later.
While I don’t agree with Manfred’s move, I agree with him that the punishment against the boys may be a bit too harsh.
Players do what coaches order them to do. If Manfred pulled out his team, the players can do squat about it.
It should be the coach, not the players, who should get brunt of the punishment, right?
Manfred said that he’s reported the incident to the PFF and since the PFF would really bend over backwards to torment the CFA, I expect this is one time the PFF president will act on a local matter.
Abangan.
Anyway, since Manfred won’t be able to join CFA tournaments, I hope Harry Radaza, the Lapu-Lapu City councilor with lofty dreams for the city’s sports program, will tap him to work on their football program.
I hope, too, the controversies last weekend will remind coaches that walking out is never an option.
As to the refs? Well, a sharper eye can help prevent controversies.
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