Cebu Football

I ONCE announced in an online forum that I’d run as naked as the day I was born if the Philippines made the semifinals of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games. I admit, it was one of those if-you-want-the-moon-then-aim-for-the-stars kind of move.

KACHING! That’s the sound Cesafi players should get used to if they get thrown out in basketball. That’s P5,000 for acting like a brat, thank you very much. Ooh? You did it again, give me 10 grand and you can kiss your season goodbye.

This story appeared on Sun.Star Cebu on June 21 TWO Cebuanos made it to the National Futsal Team that will face other neighboring countries in the upcoming Southeast Asian Games (SEAG). Honey Mae Thomason and Binky Estrada are among the 15 players picked from the 30 hopefuls who tried out last March. Most players of the team are from Manila, and some are from Masbate and Bacolod.

LAST week, when our reporter interviewed Cesafi commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy for updates on the Cesafi opening and whether the league, this year, would make sure its schedule won’t be in conflict with the other tournaments, he said: “Sila’y mag-agad namo, di mi mag-agad nila.”

LAST Tuesday, I watched Paolo and his dad Joel, Pao’s sister Carmel, aunt Joseli Mahusay and teammate OJ make a bunch of footballing kids happy by donating 21 footballs for an under-supported but overachieving football program. A few hours later, I watched Paolo and his dad Joel whip the butts of a pair of brothers who thought they could beat an Azkal who hasn’t played tennis since he was an elementary student and his dad, who last held a racquet when going online meant queuing.

THE injustice of it all was written all over Rey Bautista’s face. He just went seven rounds with a tough hombre in Heriberto Ruiz, one of two guys to have beaten him, got cut twice—with one the size of Texas—and after Rico Navarro announces he won, he got booed?

AFTER getting floored by the handsome faces of the Azkals, Gov. Gwen Garcia (who asked if being handsome was a requirement of the national team) said she’d like the Azkals back in time for the launching of a football program in Cebu this September. Coach Michael Weiss, who also has his share of admirers who are a demographic above the shrieking Neil Etheridge fans, said as long as they get an invitation and they don’t have any commitments, they’d love to be back in Cebu.

(This was written May 10, 2001) “ITS too expensive” This was the explanation given by Philippine Football Federation’s World Cup 2002 qualifier campaign deputy Domega Geramidi as to why the country will host only one group stage game instead of three. The Philippine men’s team is currently competing in the World Cup 2002 qualifying stage under Group 1 together with Syria, Oman and Laos. They have already played three matches, all “away” or matches played in another nation’s home field, contrary to the usual home and away format of the World Cup 2002 qualifying stage. In April 30, the Philippines lost 12-0 to Syria in Damascus and on May 4, lost 5-1 also to Syria, still in the Syrians turf. Last May 7 RP lost again to Oman, 7-0 in Oman and will play the Omanese this Friday still on enemy soil. In a usual World Cup 2002 qualifier or any league matches, two teams play each other twice with each team getting to host one game each. However, the Philippines conceded hosting one game aga...

12-0. IN what has become numbingly familiar, the country’s senior team received another sound beating from hosts Syria, 12-0, in their World Cup 2002 Group 1 qualifier in Aleppo, Syria last Monday. The Imai Matasaki mentored RP squad trailed 2-0 in just 16 minutes of play, after Sayed Bayazid struck twice to put the hosts on top. Tariq Jabban joined the scoring act in the 25th minute, while Bashar Sourour added his own goal in the 29th for a 4-0 lead. Lohad Hajj Mustafa banged in the final goal in the first half for they Syrians in the 45th minute for their 5-0 lead. After a goal by Rahjdan Shaade, Bayazid, who plays in the Greek 2nd division made it 7-0 for the 104th ranked Syrians in the 54th minute as they put an early conclusion to their game against the Philippines, the lowest ranked in their group at 181. In the other Group 1 match, favorites Oman scored a similar 12-0 win over 169th ranked Laos to put their World Cup bid on the right note. Only one team from Group 1 will a...

I found a few old stories I wrote about the last time the Philippines joined the qualifiers. Two reasons why I'm posting it. 1.) It's been said the Sri Lanka game will be the first World Cup qualifier match and 2.) I spent a darn lot of time scouring through old files that I want to reward my effort. RP 2002 World Cup qualifier matches April 30 vs. Syria May 1 vs. Syria May 7 vs. Oman May 11 vs. Oman May 19 vs. Laos May 26 vs. Laos (in Manila) FORMER Southwestern University mainstay Rocky Garciano start another chapter of his football career when the Philippines open their World Cup 2002 qualifying bid against Syria today in Aleppo, Syria. The 22-year old Garciano was a member of the Salazar Institute of Technology team who won the Coke-Go-For-Goal crown in 1996. He then played for the SWU Fugsports under Glenn Ramos for two years before he was recruited to play for the Philippine Army. Garciano, a sleek midfield operator during his stint with SWU, has been train...

AFTER writing about the factionism in local football and how I see it as one of the stumbling blocks for the sport, I got to meet, for a few minutes, members of the two factions and learned one thing—they’re willing to work together and are working on separate projects that will ultimately complement each other. God, indeed, works in mysterious ways.

I HAD something lined up for today, a column I was about to finish but something came up, something big that I had to disregard the draft. And no it wasn’t Maria Sharapova losing in the French Open semifinals the other night to Li Na. It is, to a certain degree, a much bigger loss.

This report came out on Sun.Star Cebu on May 30 ALTHOUGH they were down early in the Men’s Open championship match of the 11th Cebu Amateur Football Club National Interclub Football Cup yesterday at the University of San Carlos-Technology Center pitch, Hiroshi FC showed the will of a champion to score a come-from-behind win over, 5-4, over Waterfresh-Queen City United (QCU) in penalty shootout.

I MET two of my most favorite Azkal players over lunch—Alexander Borromeo and Emilio “Chieffy” Caligdong—during a lunch with the team at The Port just last Saturday. I like the two because they were with the team when this whole football turnaround started, in the Tiger Cup 2004 in Malaysia. For me, that was when this renaissance started, and it culminated in that unforgettable night in Vietnam.

THIS is getting ridiculous. And I’m talking about the factions in Cebu football, whose fighting, believe, is stopping the growth of local football. Both, mind you, think they are right and in a case like that, nobody wins. One of the latest issues was Carmelo Genco’s inclusion in the national U13 team.

Here's a column by Michelle P. So on the Azkals. ARE the Azkals a national treasure that they need to have security all throughout their stay in Cebu such that guests who enter the resort where they are staying are screened? From the way the team’s administrative manager is said to have instructed the resort staff, yes, they are. And the team is using human resources whose services the public is paying for to secure the players. To read the rest of the column, click here

THE few people who pay attention to my tweets may have noticed a rather strongly-worded tweet against the Azkals the other day and were puzzled. All things are settled now. But I believe I owe an explanation. Especially to Sir DP, who sent me a message after reading my tweet.

“There was this kid in the Palaro, who was really very good,” the official said. “With those skills, he’s a prodigy, a real asset in this age group.” Coming from someone who has seen his fair share of prodigies and was even a prodigy himself, that statement was something. But the curious thing is, they’re not sure he’s 12.

This report came out in Sun.Star Cebu on May 24 FORMER national team member Chad Gould expressed his willingness to play anytime for the Azkals after he fully recovers from his mosquito bite infection that forced him to end his comeback early. Gould, who has scored six times in 13 games for the team, had surgery on his left leg last week after the infection got worse and is on antibiotics for the next seven days.

IF YOU are reading this, it either means you’re here stuck with me, left to languish in hellish Earth until October or some crackpot minister has been caught laughing his way to the bank. Either way, you’re here and it’s not the end of the world, for us. But just last Friday, it seemed it was the end of the sporting world for me. I couldn’t move a muscle and laughing brought me to tears. When climbing the stairs, it seemed I was carrying the spirits every other guy has drunk and when I lifted my right arm, it felt I was lifting a metal cross.