Monday, November 27, 2006

QUEEN CITY UTD LOGS 2ND WIN IN ABOITIZ MEN'S OPEN


Courtesy of THE FREEMAN NEWSPAPER (www.philstar.com)
November 27, 2006 Monday issue
By Marigold P. Lebumfacil
Manny Villaruel, Sports Editor

The Queen City United dumped San Roque Football Club, 6-1, for their second win to pace the action in the Men's Open of the Aboitiz- CebuFA Football Cup at the San Roque Football field in Subangdaku, Mandaue.

Adrian Caballero made two goals in the 28th and 78th , Ronald Mahilum added one the 23rd minute and Christopher Menchavez in 41st minute to kick off the campaign of Queen City United.

Ramie Colina, for his part, ignited the fire for San Roque as he banged in at the 72nd minute but it turned out to be the only goal as his teammates failed to contribute.

Then, Josephat Sacil and Anthony Moga made back-to-back goals in 81st and 85th minutes, respectively, to seal the game for Queen City. Crazy Horse Football Club, on the other hand, tamed Wild Cebu Football Club, 4-0, with goals coming from Kristopher Relucio (37th), Mitsuo Tsunakiri (50th), Rodolphe Lina (65th) and Albert Nangkil in the 83rd minute.

The third game saw Don Bosco logging their second win at the expense of Magone, 4-0, behind the combined efforts of John Genson (70th), Ramil Lachica (74th), Crisanto Sanchez (82nd) and Iry Genson (84th).

Also, University of San Jose-Recoletos overpowered University of Southern Philippines Foundation, 4-1.

The goal scorers for USJ-R were Dave Intong (46th), Jonathan Tan (51st), Mark Buglosa (60th) and Oscar Ledesma (81st) while Jose Fucoy made the solitary goal for USPS in the 48th minute.

QUEEN CITY, CRAZY HORSE TROUNCE FOES IN ABOITIZ CUP


Courtesy of SUN STAR DAILY NEWSPAPER (www.sunstar.com.ph)
November 27, 2006 Monday issue
By Mike Limpag, Staff Reporter

FAVORITES Queen City United and Crazy Horse FC tallied their second wins in similar fashion after the second round of the Aboitiz Premier League at the San Roque Parish football field.

Crazy Horse, which outlasted the University of Southern Philippines-Foundation 3-2 last week, trounced Wild Cebu Fashion, 4-0, while Queen City United routed San Roque FC A, 6-1.

Former University of San Jose-Recoletos Kim Relucio slipped into his familiar role as a striker to put Crazy Horse FC up 1-0 in the 37th.

Left unchecked inside the box, Relucio simply tapped in the cross pass from Edelio YbaƱez for a 1-0 lead in the half.

Defensive role

In the second half, Relucio slipped back to his defensive role but there was no shortage of firepower on the offensive end as Mitsuo Tsunakiri blasted in a 25-yarder for a 2-0 lead in the 50th before Rodolphe Lina made it 3-0 in the 65th.

In the 70th, Albert Nangkil drove from left flank and slipped past the midfield and the defense to bang in Crazy Horse’s final count.

On the other hand, the comebacking former Carmen National School booter Ronald Mahilum slotted in Queen City’s first goal in the 23rd before Adrian Caballero and Christopher Menchavez made it 3-0 in the 28th and 41st.

Worse half

Ramie Colina put the home team on the score sheet with his 72nd minute strike but things got worse after that. Caballero added his second in the 78th, while Josaphat Sacil and Anthony Moga scored two minutes apart in the final five minutes of play.

Meanwhile the Don Bosco Almuni FC survived a tough first half before burying Magone, 4-0, in the third game.

After a close game, Don Bosco needed only 14 minutes to bury four goals.

John Henson slipped in the first in the 70th, and Ramil Lachica added another four minutes later. In the 82nd Crisanto Sanchez made it 3-0 and Ivy Genson found the back of the net in the 84th.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

CEBUFA DENIES HIROSHI REQUEST


CEBUFA DENIES HIROSHI FC'S REQUEST TO RETAIN DIV. A SLOT IN ABOITIZ FOOTBALL
Courtesy of SUNSTAR DAILY NEWSPAPER (www.sunstar.com.ph)
November 21, 2006 Tuesday issue
By Marian C. Baring, Staff Writer

CEBU Football Association (CebuFA) denied Hiroshi Football Club’s request to play in the premiere Division A of the Aboitiz Men’s Open Football League next year.

The Men’s Open defending champion Hiroshi FC, also the former top seed in Division A, skipped this year’s tournament because of lack of players, forcing the team to automatically relinquish the top spot and allowing last year’s runner-up, Crazy Horse , to climb atop the rankings.

The Hiroshi FC management wrote a letter of request to CebuFA asking for a slot in Division A next year instead of being demoted to Division B.

But CebuFA president Jonathan Maximo said that to be fair, the committee has decided to deny Hiroshi’s request.

Maximo said if Hiroshi decides to compete next year, the team will have to go through the usual process like the other teams and will need to climb its way up again back into Division A.

“The committee decided on this because there are other teams that were relegated (to the lower division) because they became either inactive or failed to comply with the number of players,” Maximo said.

Meanwhile, the Men’s Open division received an overwhelming response this year after drawing out the participation of thirteen new teams.

Maximo said the number exceeded his expectation of only seven teams for Division B this year.

“These are mostly teams playing in weekend tournaments. CebuFA is able to entice these groups to join us because of the festivals that we have introduced,” Maximo said.

The development, however, entails several problems and the foremost of all is with regards to the scheduling of the games, particularly as to how to finish the tournament on time. (MCB)

Saturday, November 18, 2006

ABOITIZ CUP FOOTBALL RESUMES IN MANDAUE


Courtesy of THE FREEMAN NEWSPAPER (www.philstar.com)
November 18, 2006 Saturday issue
By Caecent O. No-ot, Staff Reporter
Manny Villaruel, Sports Editor

Even with the 2006 Cebu City Olympics going on, there's no stopping the 10th Aboitiz-Cebu FA Football Cup as it scheduled to kick off today the competitions in two divisions at the San Roque Football field in Subangdaku, Mandaue.

The Boys 12-under, which started last month, will not have games today to give way to the staging of the boys 15-under class.

There will be a total of 12 teams joining and they are grouped into two groups. Last year, only eight teams competed.

Composing group A are PAREF-Springdale School, Blessed John XXIII Seminary , Don Bosco College-B, Colegio dela Inmaculada-Mandaue, San Roque Football Club and University of San Carlos-North Campus while group B has Abellana National School, Don Bosco College-A, Cebu International School, FC Inter Cebu, Centre for International Education and Sacred Heart School-Jesuit.

Tomorrow, it's going to be the men's premier league that will unfold.

Just like the boys 15 class, the number of entries in the men's open also soared from 14 last year to 24 this year.

"We didn't expect to have this much number of entries," says CebuFA president Jonathan Maximo.

With that, the organizers will have to re-format the tournament system to accommodate all teams.

Teams who will be playing in the Cebu City Olympics are being scheduled on a latter date to avoid conflict.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

AMAZING FOOTBALL SKILLS

Amazing Football Skills

Best viewed with broadband connection. For effective viewing, press "Play" then "Pause". Wait for orange indicator to load towards right side, then press "Play" again.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

THE AMAZING MR. WOO

Search for Mr. Woo, Cebu version is on. If you can set it up like Mr. Woo, send your name and no. to pabolfc@yahoo.com For effective viewing: (1) click Play button, then Pause button. (2) Wait until the red indicator is somewhere in the right portion (3) click Play button again

Sunday, October 01, 2006

MAXIMIZE FOOTBALL TO THE MAX? MEET MAXI


Published in SUN STAR DAILY NEWSPAPER (www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu)Sunday October 1, 2006 issue
by John Pages, Columnist - Matchpoint

FOOTBALL sent me to school,” says Jonathan “Maxi” Maximo.

Back in college at the University of San Carlos, Maxi was a football varsity star for four years. He wore green, memorized the USC hymn, tied the shoelaces off his spiked shoes, and played right midfield. In college, he didn’t have to reach inside the pocket to pay tuition. He was a full scholar — thanks to his left and right legs.

It is 4:35 last Thursday afternoon and Maxi and I are seated on a round wooden table at Bo’s Coffee in Ayala. He drinks iced coffee, I sip a cup of hot mint tea.

Maxi, 40, the president of the Cebu Football Association (CebuFA), looks quiet and reserved. But when the topic veers towards the game named “F,” as in fun, he straightens his back, leans forward, extends his arms, and speaks.

His story began in Grade 5. A student of Don Bosco, he was exposed to football—like all Bosconians are—at a tender age. By fifth grade, when he tasted the sweat and smelled the joy of kicking a ball into the net, he was hooked. Maxi rocketed out of the classroom door, dashed to the field, hustled, improved his skills, and joined the Don Bosco varsity. In an all-boys school where football rules, the words “I’m varsity” are golden.

“Don Bosco was founded and built by the Italian priests,” Maxi explains. “And we know how much the Italians love football, right?” I nod my head. Didn’t they just win the World Cup?

“In Don Bosco, unlike most schools, our intramurals are held throughout the year,” he adds. “So from 12 to 1 every noontime, we’re off running. It didn’t matter to us if we were sweating when we entered the classroom. What mattered was we played.”

From elementary to high school and on to college, Maxi lived, breathed and wore shin guards after each school bell ring. But when he graduated, life changed. Maxi focused, like we all do, on family—his wife Sheila and their children, Ina, 14; Igi, 11; and Ica, 7. He founded Maximax Systems, and engaged in the sales and services of air-conditioning units.

Family was good. Business was good. Life was good. The football? It was locked inside the cabinet.

But footballers, they say, are footballers for life. Like driving a car, you never forget it. And soon, the love of football tickles you back...

That “soon” was in 2001, when Maxi became president of the Rotary Club of Cebu South. When his term started, he vowed to champion two goals—education and football—and coined a motto: “Football through education. Education through football.”

With the help of a Rotary WCS grant, he approached three public elementary schools— Basak, Labangon, and Punta Princesa — and distributed books to the children. He also did one more thing: introduce football. They donated balls and invited Graeme Mackinnon to speak. The result? “Batang Rotary” was embraced. Very soon, the boys and girls with skinny legs kicked and shot balls that zoomed past goalies.

“You can never forget,” Maxi says, “the smiles on their faces. And since that time, I promised never to leave football.”

Two years later, in 2003, Maxi was elected CebuFA president.

Fast forward to September ’06, football is peerless in this Visayan island. At last week’s 2nd Aboitiz Football Festival, a total of 2,400 players and 216 teams joined—the most ever. You saw cute six-year-olds, brave 43-year-olds, and brackets for 8, 10, 12, 14, and 17 years old. Men’s Open? Women’s Open? Girls high school? Check, check, check. A group for 36-year-olds and older. Soon, a 23-and-under bracket. And very soon, two categories for the children to split the advanced teams from the newcomers—an excellent move.

RP CENTER. Maxi and the CebuFA Board are driven by two goals: One, to spread football not only in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-lapu—but all over the Cebu Province. Two, to dislodge Iloilo and Negros and place Cebu as the center of RP football.

Since Maxi assumed the CebuFA top spot, he’s been all-football. Sometimes, too much football. At the Aboitiz event, he and his team stayed from 6 a.m. until past midnight. Golf at Alta Vista? Goodbye, small white ball. His youngest daughter Ica, only seven, used to enjoy ballet but is now wearing soccer shoes because, as Maxi suspects, “football is all we talk about at the dining table.”

But Maxi’s not complaining. Football’s his passion and there’s so much more to do. He pulls out a two-page handout and shows me the goals of the CebuFA: to introduce Futsal, upgrade the expertise of our coaches, divide the province into eight districts, introduce Sports Medicine...

For with Maxi Maximo, the driver of Cebu football, he steps on the pedal, revs it, kicks the engine into high gear, zooms ahead, and knows only one way to drive this sport: to the max.

(john@brightacademy.edu.ph)

Friday, September 29, 2006

TAKING THE FUN OUT OF PLAY

by Maxi Maximo

The recent aboitiz-CebuFA National Football Festival, organized by Cebu Football Association (CebuFA) and sponsored by Aboitiz Group Foundation (AGFI), has been a joy to watch ever since the parents tag along their kids, some of them as young as 5 years old, and bring them to Cebu City Sports Center for the games.

I have been involved into organizing youth football tournaments and I have experienced different lessons, both on and off the field. Let me share with you some of them.

Parents of young football players play a very important role in their kid’s development in sport. Consider the following story about a parent and his son as they experience game day.

BEFORE THE GAME. On the way to the tournament, the dad starts to ask: “What position is coach going to play you today? “Take some shots; you don’t have to pass to your teammates all the time. Be tough on your tackles.”
Few minutes later they arrived at the venue. Dad continues with his advise. “Don’t forget to ask the coach to put you at forward.”

GAME TIME. The game begins and the child is not on the starting line-up. Dad is uneasy and started to talk to himself. “This coach doesn’t know what he is doing! I’m sure he will not let my son play forward.”
Then the kid finally gets to play as a left defender. More negative self-talk, but this time becoming louder. “What is the coach doing? My son cannot even kick a ball using his left foot!”
As the game continues, an opposing player dribbles straight at the kid. Dad’s negative “coaching” comments begin such that his son can now hear them: “Come on ... get that ball ... tackle him!”.
The child falls on the ground as the opponent dribbles past him, straight to the goal and a score is made. Dad is disappointed! His comments are now getting very vocal. “Get up, what are you doing? Hey ref., he knocked him down, isn’t it a foul? This is unfair.”
The game ends and his son’s team loses 1-0.

AFTER THE GAME. Dad gets into the car and tells the son to hurry up and get in. The “interview” continues. “Did you not ask coach if you could play forward? He does not know coaching anyway.”
Once they get home, the kid goes up straight to his room and ... decides to quit playing football!

Some Friendly Advise: I am sure that we, as parents of young kids, have experienced some of this parental behavior. Here are some suggestions that might help us make a positive change in our kid’s development in the game.

BEFORE THE GAME. Let’s make affirmative comments to our kid like “I’m so excited to watch your game. Let’s have some fun.” Let us assist them in getting the proper nutrition before the game.
It is important for our athletes to be mentally ready for the game via “positive self-talk”. The trip going to the game is a good chance for this. Some athletes like to listen to music, others want to talk ... but let them start the talk if they want to. It is difficult for them to mentally prepare if we are the one talking with our questions and advices!

GAME TIME. Let us cheer on the players... including the opposing team. The kids are trying their best and what we say on the field affects them, whether we are their parents or not.
Let’s try not to coach our kids or the other athletes. In football, there are a lot of things to think about, dribbling, passing and shooting. Let them focus.

AFTER THE GAME. After every match, it is the time for mental and physical recovery. Parents and the coach should have encouraging words about their efforts in the game. These explanations are very helpful and mean a lot to our kids. Let us not scrutinize the game or our child’s performance in the match. It is the job of the coach.
And lastly, let us enjoy watching our kids play. It will be much less stressful on us parents and, certainly, on our athletes.
See you in our next tourney.

Your comments and suggestions are welcome at pabolfc@yahoo.com, 0917-328-1588 or http://www.pabolfc.blogspot.com/

Sunday, September 24, 2006

2006 aboitiz NATIONAL FESTIVAL



2006 2nd ABOITIZ CEBUFA NATIONAL FOOTBALL FESTIVAL
GIRLS-12 (1994) DIVISION
September 23-24, 2007
Cebu City Sports Center, Cebu City

PaBol-A (above) captured the 1st Runner-Up title while sistem team PaBol-B (below)bagged the 2nd Runner-Up award.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

CESAFI BARS 18 FOOTBALLERS


Courtesy of Sun Star Newspaper (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/)
Thursday, September 07, 2006 issue
by Marian C. Baring, Correspondent

Can the University of the Visayas win the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) football championship again now that four of its players are barred from joining the year’s season, which is set to open at the Cebu City Sports Center today?

UV, which ousted four-time defending champion University of San Jose-Recoletos last year, lost key defenders in former Carmen National School booters Josaphat Sacil and Ivan Dimco as well as Dominic Villamor and Freddie Rica.

The four are among the 18 players barred by tournament director and Cebu Football Association president Jonathan Maximo for failing to pass Cesafi eligibility requirements.

Maximo refused to give the names of the 18 players, but Sun.Star got a few names from other sources.

Under Cesafi rules, athletes need to be enrolled in school in order to play. They must take up at least 14 academic units and pass a majority of their subject .

The maximum age of an athlete is 25 years by June 30.

Of the 18, six can still play this year once they get authenticated documents from the National Statistics Office. The rest, however, will have to sit this season out.

Holdovers

UV head coach Eddie Buot said that with the loss of some first stringers, he will be banking on the holdovers, Frederick Alazas, Junard Aguilar and Julius Acre. He also intends to lean on newcomer Benjor Gomora to man the defense. Aguilar is one of the top strikers in Cesafi while Alazas is excellent both as a field player and as a goalkeeper.

For his part, Maximo said they are implementing stricter rules as directed by the new officials of Cesafi.

“We have been given specific instructions to implement the rules and regulations to the fullest,” said Maximo.

The University of Southern Philippines-Foundation and USJ-R lost two players each to disqualification, while the University of San Carlos lost three .

One of the players USP-F lost was its trusted striker, Rene Menchavez, who has maximized his playing years in the Cesafi.

Today, Eleazar Toledo and the USP-F will face a tall order when it takes on USJ-R in the curtain raiser at 1 p.m., while USC will face the University of Cebu at 2:30 p.m.

Friday, September 01, 2006

222 SOCCER TEAMS WANT TO JOIN ABOITIZ FESTIVAL


Courtesy of Sun Star Newspaper (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/)
Friday, September 01, 2006 issue
by Mike Limpag Sun.Star Staff Reporter

Cebu's traditional powers Cebu International School, Don Bosco College and Paref-Springdale will have their hands full in the 2nd Aboitiz Football Festival, as some of the country's best footballers are set to join the P12 bracket in the two-day event set Sept. 23 and 24.

Cebu Football Association president Jonathan Maximo has asked the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) to make the Aboitiz festival as part of its talent identification program for the national team and has invited PFF's Vince Santos and national coach John Carmona to watch the event.

Carmona is the coach of the youth national teams, while Santos is in charge of the countries Center for Football Excellence. Each CFE is in charge of training elite players in the 1992 age-group, the players groomed to win the gold in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.

"We have also sent an invitation to each FA to send their elite P12 players for the festival," Maximo said.

Participation in the Aboitiz Festival is set to break local records as 222 teams have signified their intention to join the event. "Labad ni sa ulo," Maximo said.

"We also have an option to hold games at night, but with 222 teams, we might have to hold games until midnight," said Maximo.

To address the problem, only 180 teams will be accepted, depending on who pays the registration fees first, said Maximo in a text message to Sun.Star Cebu.

As to the P12 group, Maximo said it is not sure whether Cebu will form an elite team in the bracket.

"We're not sure if the coaches will release their best players," Maximo said.

Mario Ceniza, who coaches Springdale, is in charge of Cebu CFE.

Aside from the local teams and the P12 teams, the football associations of Davao, Cagayan de Oro, San Carlos CIty, Iloilo, Dumaguete will also send delegations.

"Mark Bretherton (CebuFA board member) is also inviting teams from Manila," Maximo said.

To accommodate the entries, CebuFA has designated the Cebu City Sports Center as the venue for the event, which houses the biggest football field in Cebu.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

2006 MIZUNO FOOTBALL FESTIVAL


Kirsten Intl-PaBol Team bagged the 1st Runner-Up title in the Girls-17 (1989) Division of the 2006 1st Mizuno Football Festival last August 26-27, 2006 held in Ayala Field, Cebu Business Park, Cebu City. The team is composed mostly of students from Sacred Heart School - Hijas de Jesus.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

2006 SAN ROQUE FOOTBALL FIESTA



SAN ROQUE FOOTBALL FIESTAAugust 19-20, 2006
San Roque Field, Subangdaku, Mandaue City
Organized by San Roque Football Club
Sanctioned by Cebu Football Association, Inc.

GIRLS-17 (1989) DIVISION
Champion – Maximax-PaBol2nd Place – San Roque Football Club

Friday, July 28, 2006

CAN'T HIDE AGE: CESAFI


Courtesy of Sun Star Newspaper (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/)
Friday, July 28, 2006 issue
by Marina C. Baring, Sun.Star Correspondent

Incidents of athletes lying about their age to get into the CESAFI and play will soon be a thing of the past, with match organizers now requiring those competing in auxiliary events to submit certified and original documents from the National Statistics Office.

This development came up in last Wednesday’s meeting of all coaches and tournament directors at Cebu Coliseum.

"It was agreed that this will work more to the advantage of the coaches because when there are cases of ineligibility, the coaches are still liable for it," said Jonathan Maximo, the tournament manager for football.

Ineligible athletes who manage to ease their way past screening is a common problem in multi-event sporting meets such as Cesafi.

"With NSO certification, we could be assured of the authenticity of the documents," Maximo added.

During the meeting, the modification of ground rules for every event was also discussed, including the penalty in cases of walkouts.

For this year, Cesafi implements stricter rules when it comes to teams storming out of the playing area. Before, when a team walks out, the schools or team owners are made to answer to it by paying a certain fee. This time, coaches will be penalized and be banned forever from the league.

Meanwhile, the other events of Cesafi will have its opening in the first week of September at the Cebu Coliseum.

Cesafi Commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy confirmed this and said that the opening ceremony will be held in the morning since there will be scheduled basketball games in the afternoon.

There will be different playdates for the events in athletics, badminton, football, beach volleyball, volleyball, table tennis, swimming, chess, scrabble, lawn tennis, sepak takraw, taekwondo and dancesports.

Each event also marks the date for the deadline of the submission of requirements. For football, Maximo said that all teams must produce the documents by August 14.

There will be five teams competing in the collegiate division and five from the high school class.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

FIFA PLAN: SUMMIT FOR WOMEN IN CEBU


Courtesy of Sun Star Newspaper (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/)
Wednesday, July 26, 2006 issue
by Mike Limpag, Staff Reporter

If plans don't miscarry, Cebu could host another Asean summit before December, and this one is for women's football.

Cristy Ramos, the deputy chairperson of the Asian Football Confederation Women's Committee, said FIFA is planning a women's football seminar in the Philippines on Sept. 25 to 29 for the 11 Southeast Asian nations plus four other countries.

"I suggested to FIFA to hold the seminar in Cebu because of its central location, and I think it would be excellent to bring the seminar outside of Manila to generate more interest and development from the provinces, especially in the Visayas area. I hope FIFA (and the PFF) will approve Cebu as the venue," Ramos said in an e-mail to Sun.Star Cebu.

Ramos, who is in Australia serving as match commissioner of the AFC Women's Cup, said the tentative topics for the seminar include administration, management, technical development, competitions and marketing.

Growth

If the seminar pushes through in Cebu, it could also help further spur the growth of girls’ football, which has grown tremendously in the last three years.

From just a Women's Open a few years ago, the Cebu Football Association now regularly holds competitions for the Girls 17-Under and 12-Under.

Meanwhile, Ramos, a staunch critic of the PFF, is hoping that the PFF will be fair in choosing whom to invite from the Philippines to attend the seminar.

"I also hope that many people who are especially interested in women's football will be able to take advantage of this," she said.

Monday, July 17, 2006

QUEEN CITY UTD DOWNS SAN CARLOS


Courtesy of CEBU DAILY NEWSPAPER (www.inquirer.net)
July 17, 2006 Monday issue
By Jonas Panerio, Correspondent
Rick Gabuya, Sports Editor

Solon waxes hot, scores four goals for Queen City

Queen City United Football Club took off to a sizzling start as it drubbed sister team University of San Carlos (USC) Football Club, 6-1, in the opening game of the Aboitiz Cebu Football Association Women's Open Cup on Sunday at the San Roque Football Field in Mandaue City.

Queen City forward Marlou Solon made mincemeat of USC's defense as she scored four goals in a spectacular display of ball control and precision striking.

Solon started off early, scoring the game's first goal at the 4th minute.

She then added two stellar strikes in the 19th and 23rd minutes of the game before assisting midfielder Jan Salac for Queen City's fourth goal of the game in the 36th minute for an insurmountable 4-0 lead.

Solon scored the last of her goals in the waning moments of the first half as she bobbed and weaved past USC's defenders to score from the right wing.

Queen City finished off the rout with a goal by defender Cristina Fuentes at the 67th minute, after the latter intercepted a pass by USC's goalkeeper and then struck it in to make the tally, 6-0.

USC's lone goal came in the 86th minute off a penalty kick conversion made by Rose Barinan.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

ALL SET FOR ABOITIZ CUP FOOTBALL


Courtesy of CEBU DAILY NEWSPAPER (www.inquirer.net)
July 12, 2006 Wednesday issue
By Jonas Panerio, Correspondent
Rick Gabuya, Sports Editor

22 events expected in 10th season of tournament

The Cebu Football Association (CFA) and the Aboitiz Group Foundation (AGFI) are raring to set the local football scene on fire as the 10th season of the prestigious Aboitiz Cup unfolds this Sunday at the San Roque football field.

With the World Cup fever still raging, the 10th season of the Aboitiz Cup promises to be bigger and better with 22 proposed events waiting on the list of the football calendar.

“This is a series of football tournaments that will cater to players, both young and old,” said CFA president Jonathan Maximo at the press launch on Tuesday at the AV room of the Aboitiz Corporate Center in Banilad.

Maximo was joined by Jackie Lotzof, Dave Sharpe, PILMICO president Antonio Moraza, Cebu International School superintendent Mark Bretherton and AGFI representative Sonny Carpio.

The Women's Open Cup kicks off the event, with five teams vying for the chance to represent Cebu in the PFF National Women's Open Tournament slated August in Dumaguete City.

Queen City United will start its title defense this weekend against sister team USC in the 1 p.m. opener followed by the Mulbachs FC-San Roque FC tiff at 3 p.m.

Much like last season, the Aboitiz Cup will have two types of tournaments.

The Cup type will still be played every weekend, while the Aboitiz Football Festival starts on September 23 at the Cebu City Sports Center.

A total of 110 teams are expected to compete in the festival, with teams competing in 13 different tournaments based on the players' respective age-groups.

The Cup type on the other hand, doubles as training grounds for Cebu’s future out-of-town delegations.

A total of 233 local teams, totaling 2,523 players, are expected to vie in the 22 events of the Aboitiz Cup, surpassing the 141 teams which took part in the 12 events last year.

Moraza emphasized the role sports play in the development of the youth.

“Sixty percent of the AGF's funds mainly go to the education of underprivileged children. Education, however, is not only academic. There can be no development without competition,” said Moraza. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio

Thursday, June 29, 2006

FOOTBALL BODY CREATES AUDIT TEAM


Courtesy of Sun Star Newspaper (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/)
Thursday, June 29, 2006Football issue
by Mike Limpag, Staff Reporter

The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) has set up an internal audit team to address the issues raised by the National Capitol Region regarding its business transactions.

In a memo sent to the 28 football associations in the country, PFF president Johnny Romualdez appointed Neil Frazer, president of the Misamis-Ozamiz Football Association; Pastor Merced, president of the Negros Oriental Football Association; and Apolonio Clemente Jr., president of the Butuan-Agusan Football Association to the audit team.

Concerns

Cebu Football Association president Jonathan Maximo said those with questions regarding the PFF finances may address their concerns to the three members.

“Among the concerns they are to address are how the FIFA funds are spent, the administrative expenses, who receives what salary and allowances. This is also to help dispel any doubts on the correctness and veracity of the financial report submitted during the Board of Governors Meeting last February,” said Maximo.

Funds

The PFF received P14.3 million from FIFA, P3.6 million from the Asian Football Confederation, and P6.5 million from the Asean Football Federation, as well as the P13 million it is set to receive from other sources, for its P38 million budget this year.

However, the PFF is projected to spend almost all of the money, including P5 million for administration.

The National Capitol Region Football Association earlier asked the PFF to allow its team of auditors and lawyers to look into its business transactions. The PFF denied the request. (ML)

Sunday, June 25, 2006

CEBUFA CHIEF: PFF, NCRFA FEUD COULD GET RP SUSPENDED


Courtesy of Sun Star Newspaper (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/)
Sunday, June 25, 2006 issue
by Mike Limpag, Staff Reporter

Cebu Football Association president Jonathan Maximo said the latest infighting between the National Capitol Region Football Association and the Philippine Football Federation could lead to the country’s suspension from the sport’s governing body, FIFA, a fate suffered by basketball, which got suspended by FIBA.

“I can’t remember the name of the country, but FIFA has suspended one member,” Maximo said.

The NCRFA asked the PFF to allow its team of accountants to check the business transactions of the organization and has also asked PFF president Johnny Romualdez to turn over the rein of the PFF to Rene Adad, the former president.

Revocation

The issued stemmed from the PFF’s revocation of its certificate of registration from the Securities and Exchange Commission last Nov. 3, 2003, three weeks before Romualdez was elected president. The revocation was discovered only last May and the NCRFA contested that because of the revocation Romualdez isn’t the legitimate president and is not authorized to act as PFF head.

A check with the FIFA website showed that it suspended the Yemen Football Association for violating Article 17 of the FIFA Statues last year.

Article 17 states: “A member’s bodies shall be either elected or appointed in that association. A member’s statues shall provide for a procedure that guarantees the complete independence of the election or appointment.

“Any member’s bodies that have not been elected or appointed in compliance with the provisions of paragraph one, even on an interim basis, shall not be recognized by FIFA. Decisions passed by bodies that have not been elected or appointed in compliance with paragraph one shall not be recognized by FIFA.”

If the PFF does get suspended by FIFA, Maximo said the Cebu Football Association will become just an ordinary sports group.

International tournaments

“We will lose the blessing or mandate to govern football in Cebu. Though we can still continue to hold tournaments, we can no longer join international tournaments,” said Maximo, who was named the head of delegation for the Philippine team, which had three Cebuanos, in the Under-14 Youth Festival in Malaysia last month.

To prevent the issue from getting out of hand, Maximo said he will initiate a move, in conjunction with the other football association presidents, to have the issue settled within the PFF, instead of in court.

The NCRFA plans to bring the issue to court as a last option.

“There should be a consensus with the other FAs because this is affecting everybody already, especially now that there are coming national tournaments and we are set to host the LG Cup in November. We should initiate moves to have an honest-to-goodness meeting between the two parties,” Maximo said. (ML)

Sunday, June 04, 2006

RP U-14 BEATS MALDIVES


Courtesy of Sun Star Newspaper (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/)
Sunday, June 04, 2006 issue
by Mike Limpag, Staff Reporter
Paul Taneo, Sports Editor

Team Philippines scored a win in the Asian Football Confederation Under-14 Festival of Football in Malaysia. After dropping all its first three matches without scoring a goal, the Philippines drew with Australia, 1-1, before winning over Maldives, 1-0, in the youth football festival.

However, against Southeast Asian giant Thailand, the powerhouse showed there is still a large gap between potential and tradition as the Thais whipped the Pinoys, 4-0.

“The team somewhat recovered from its first-day jitters and were physically and mentally prepared to play,” said head of delegation and Cebu Football Association president Jonathan Maximo in an e-mail to Sun.Star Cebu.

Cebuanos in the team are midfielder Kevin Tecson, who is on his second stint with the youth squad, defender Evanjames Mendoza, and goalkeeper Joshua Cruz, the youngest member of the team.

Against Australia, Ken Kazuo Hager, a Fil-Swiss based in Davao, struck from left flank to put the Philippines on top, 1-0.

However, Christian de San Juan fouled an opponent in the dying minutes, paving the way for the equalizer by Australia through a penalty. (ML)

Sunday, May 28, 2006

NAT'L UNDER-14 FOOTBALL TEAM SWEEPS GAMES


Courtesy of Sun Star Newspaper (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/)
Sunday, May 28, 2006 issue
by Mike Limpag, Staff Reporter

Just a few days before playing its first international tournament, the Philippine national Under-14 team showed positive signs as it swept its two friendlies against Southridge and Ateneo de Manila.

The RP team, which will compete in the Asian Football Confederation Youth Festival, defeated Southridge’s 16-under team, 3-2, last May 24 and the ADMU U-16 squad, 8-0, yesterday.

Joseph Villarino stuck first in the ninth minute inside the box, and Warren Rosillo made it 2-0 in the 13th after redirecting a cross. Henry Llaban added his goals in the 17th and 25th, while Christian de Juan made and Michael Mabanag scored the final two goals in the half for a 6-0 lead.

Direct kick

In the second half, Rob Famador’s perfectly-taken direct kick got past the goalkeeper and de Juan added his second goal seven minutes from time.

“The coaching staff is rotating the players, for them to get a feel on what position they will be playing,” said Cebu Football Association’s Jonathan Maximo.

Maximo was appointed by the Philippine Football Federation as the head of delegation for the tournament.

“Llaban and Mabanag are small but fast players. The attack starts from them and (they are) good in crosses,” Maximo said.

Also with the team are Paref Springdale’s Joshua Cruz, Evanjames Mendoza and Kevin Tecson, who is on his second stint with the national squad. (ML)

Thursday, May 25, 2006

MAXIMO TO LEAD RP DELEGATES TO ASIAN UNDER-14 TOURNAMENT


Courtesy of Sun Star Newspaper (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/)
Thursday, May 25, 2006 issue
by Mike Limpag, Staff Reporter

The Philippine team to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Under-14 Football Festival just got another Cebuano in the line-up.

This after Cebu Football Association president Jonathan Maximo was appointed head of the Philippine delegation to the May 29 to June 4 tournament.

This will be Maximo’s second football-related trip to Malaysia after representing the Philippines in the AFC Asian Youth Re-education Course in 2004.

“This won’t be an easy job. I have to leave for Manila tomorrow to check on the team,” said Maximo. “They are having final training now at the Ultra.

“I’ll be out of Cebu for 12 days; I may have to close my company,” Maximo, a businessman, half-jokingly said.

Paref-Springdale’s Joshua Cruz, Evanjames Mendoza and Kevin Tecson are also on the team, which will compete with teams from Indonesia, Maldives, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia.

Other members of the team are Florence Agraviador (Negros Occidental), Ronald Batisla-ong (Iloilo), Christian De Juan (Iloilo), Rob Francis Famador (Dumaguete), Irvin Joearl (Cagayan de Oro), Ken Kazuo Hager (Switzerland), Henry Llaban (Iloilo), Michael Mabanag (Quezon City), Jesus Joaquin Melliza (Iloilo), Klieff Ian Pasquin (Iloilo), Warren Rosillo (Cagayan de Oro), Darwin Salavia (Davao City), Ian Soliman (Laguna), Jimer Telebanco (Negros Occidental) and Joseph Villarino (Negros Occidental).

As head of delegation, Maximo will deal with the team’s needs and deal with the local organizing committee. He will also submit a comprehensive post-competition report to the president and the technical development committee of the Philippine Football Federation. (ML)

Friday, April 14, 2006

BRIGHT PLAYS HIROSHI TODAY


Courtesy of SUN STAR DAILY NEWSPAPER (www.sunstar.com.ph)
February 14, 2006 Saturday issue
By Mike Limpag, Staff Reporter

As the month of love begins, action heats up in the Red Ribbon Boys Under-16 tournament in San Roque, while four teams vie for the top spot in the final day of the Aboitiz Division B this weekend.

Today, Bright Academy debuts against the dangerous Hiroshi FC in the first Red Ribbon match at 12:30 p.m., before FC Inter Cebu goes for its first win against Blessed John XXIII Seminary in the next match.

Host San Roque FC goes for a win against the reeling Cebu Inmaculada Concepcion-Mandaue.

In its first game, CIC-M got buried, 7-0, by a rampaging Paref-Springdale, while Hiroshi also blanked Don Bosco Boys Home, 2-0, and Don Bosco Technological Center routed FC Inter Cebu, 7-0. Both Springdale and the two Don Bosco teams sit out today’s round.

In the Best Striker race, DBTC’s Francis Buot and Evanjames Mendoza lead the field with three goals a piece, while 10 others have one goal each.

Meanwhile, in the Aboitiz Division B tomorrow, FC Inter Cebu plays Cebu State College of Science and Technology in the first game before the top four teams in the group battle it out in the final two matches.

Hosts SRFC will face leaders Metropolitan FC, while Queen City United goes up against Wild Cebu Fashion. All four teams have a 4-1 mark and have 12 points and are only separated by goal difference.

San Roque needs a win today as it is fourth in the standings, with 22 goals scored, while Wild Cebu is third with 25 and Queen City second with 28. (ML)

Thursday, April 06, 2006

CEBUFA TO HOLD TRY-OUTS FOR RP UNDER-14 SQUAD


Courtesy of Sun Star Newspaper (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/)
Thursday, April 06, 2006 issue

The Cebu Football Association (CebuFA) will hold tryouts tomorrow and on Saturday for the Philippine Under-14 team that will compete in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-14 Tournament on May 29 to June 4 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

CebuFA president Jonathan Maximo said those who will be selected will be included in the training pool that will undergo intensive training.

The tryouts, which will be held at the San Roque football field in Subangdaku, Mandaue City, is open to players born on or after 1992. Players from Negros Occidental, Iloilo, Negros Oriental and other Visayas areas are also expected to join the tryouts.

The tryouts will be conducted by national coach John Carmona to be assisted by Center For Excellence coach Mario Ceniza.

“We have lobbied to the Philippine Football Federation that they should conduct a separate tryout for Cebu since we now have a pool of very good youth players capable of playing for the national team,” said Maximo.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

CEBUFA TO HOLD TRYOUT FOR GIRLS UNDER-17 SQUAD


Courtesy of Sun Star Newspaper (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/)
Tuesday, April 04, 2006 issue
by Mike Limpag, Staff Reporter

The young lady footballers of Cebu will have their chance to shine in the national scale in the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) National Under-17 tournament next month in San Carlos City.

Cebu got one slot in the nationals, the first national tournament in the women’s age-group.

“The PFF decided to just hold a national for the Under-17, no more regional qualifiers,” Cebu Football Association (CebuFa) president Jonathan Maximo said.

Top team

Since the CebuFa didn’t hold a local tournament for the Girls Under-17, the group will just hold a tryout for the Cebu City team.

“We expect the core of the team to come from CIS (Cebu International School) since they are one of the top teams in the division,” Maximo said.

CIS, which finished runner-up in the International Schools Activities Conference last month, is still having classes and Maximo is factoring their schedule to the tryouts.

Aside from winning in their age-group in various football festivals, the CIS ladies, coached by Dexter Arrojado, has competed regularly in the Women’s Open for years.

In Cebu, the CIS ladies have strung up consecutive wins in the San Roque Football Fiesta, CIS Friendship, Aboitiz Football Fiesta and the Thirsty Cup.

After the trials, CebuFA is planning to put up a training pool not only for this year’s National Under-17 but for next year also.

“Since we have only a few female players, we can start a training pool also for next year’s tournament, so we can encourage more girls to play,” Maximo said. (ML)

Sunday, February 05, 2006

2006 MANILA TOUR


3rd RIFA CUP
Feb 4-5, 2006
Ateneo de Manila Univ Fields
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Scoring a goal and a win against Montessori School, PaBol Girls-17 had a blast in their Manila Football Tour.

Friday, February 03, 2006

CEBUANA BOOTERS START CAMPAIGN IN RIFA


Courtesy of CEBU DAILY NEWSPAPER (www.inquirer.net)
February 3, 2006 Friday issue
By Marian Baring, Correspondent
Rick Gabuya, Sports Editor

CEBUANA football players test their skills against Manila's finest in the Rizal Football Association (RIFA) Cup Girls Football Tournament which opens today in Quezon City.

Making up the Cebuano contingent are PaBol Cebu training graduates from Sacred Heart School-Girls High, Southcrest School and Sacred Heart School-Jesuit.

Competing NCR teams are Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, Miriam College, Woodrose, Poveda, Colegio de San Agustin, Xavier University, Montessori, HED Center, Sunken Garden FC and Sphere FC.

"This is a very good chance to strengthen the girls' football arena because mostly, girls would not prefer football because it is rough and played under the heat of the sun," PaBol FC organizer Jonathan Maximo said.

"Girls football in Manila is on another level and we hope that we can give them a performance that is at par with theirs," Maximo added. Correspondent Marian Baring