Cebu in AFF Super League?

TANAWA ra gud ni atong mga misis," CFA president Ricky Dakay said to a group of guys an hour or so after the Cebu Football General assembly.

"Ingun mananghid ra mupauli, pero dugay kaayo."


But it also gave the construction magnate time to banter with fellow goalkeepers Nimrod Quinones, KTec Alazas and three others whose names escapes me.  Ricky, who had surgery to treat an injured shoulder last November, is itching to get back on the pitch--something he hasn't done in months.

"What's the use of having your shoulder fixed if you can't play?" he said.

I know he’s really eager to play, ever since that friendly between the Azkals coaching staff and the CFA board last November, which the Cebuanos lost and as a consequence, paid a P50,000 dinner bill.  At that time, Ricky, who watched the game with his wife at the grandstand, went to the railing to bellow out instructions when his players were trailing, 1-0.

And in the next few months, Ricky and the rest of the CFA may need that time on the pitch to ease the stress level, and even, return to what got them into where they are now, by being on the pitch, playing the game with no care whatsoever to what’s happening off it.

It's like what former Mr. Football and PFF President Nonong Araneta, who also played basketball for the Philippines, said, "I'm not really good with speeches.  I'd rather be out there in the field than talking."

And if what Nonong is planning comes true, the guys in the CFA would really wish that they'd be out there, in the field, instead of being involved in the nitty-gritty stuff of running a club.

No, it's not about the President's Cup.  It's something bigger, at least for Cebu. The AFF Super League, one that would have a team based in Cebu.

According to Nonong, the guys running the Suzuki Cup are so pleased with its success that they are planning to have an Asean-wide competition for clubs.  The Philippines will get one slot and Nonong wants it to be based in Cebu because of the support the community has shown and of how the CFA has shown it can handle responsibilities.

Nonong said they are going to have a meeting in April, to iron out the rules for the competition, planned to launch next year. 

Though it's going to be a team based in Cebu and run by Cebuanos, it won't be a team of Cebuanos.  Mind you, if we are to have a team in an AFF Super League, we have to have the best players available.

I asked Ricky if he knew about that plan and he said he didn’t know but he welcomes it.

“We serve at the pleasure of our president,” he said, just as he was about to leave with his wife Gina.

He didn’t get to leave.

After talking to a few guys, next thing I saw was Ricky talking with his fellow keepers.

“We serve at the pleasure of our president,” he told me a few minutes earlier.  But I think he meant, “We get to play at the pleasure of our wives.”

A Super League? A team based in Cebu run by the CFA?  This would mean yet another milestone for Cebu football. And yes, these guys need all the distractions they need, bum shoulder or not.

(www.cebufootball.blogspot.com)