Sunday, March 30, 2008 CebuFA gets new board; PFF head bares plans
FORMER University of San Carlos coach Richard Montayre led the nine-man members for the new Board of Directors after the Cebu Football Association finally held its election yesterday at Bright Academy.
Montayre, who is now with the Cebu Amateur Football Club, got 31 votes out of the 33 members who joined the election. Don Bosco’s Bro. Mari Aberasturi and sportsman Ricky Dakay also got 30 votes each, while Tony Moraza got 24.
Moraza was appointed to the previous board and is the only holdover.
The other members of the board are Raffy Musni, Rachel Genco, Eleazer Toledo, Sportswriters Association of Cebu Orlacsan awardee Manfred Schuwerk, and Adonis Quitoy.
The new members will select among themselves the new president, general secretary and treasurer.
Philippine Football Federation president Mari Martinez, who took over Johnny Romualdez’s post last November, also attended the election and a gave an overview of what his administration has done since taking office.
Martinez also said that Fifa president Sepp Blatter raised concerns that the new PFF administration should answer; unity, local tournaments, grassroots development and the need for the Philippines to join international events.
Martinez said 29 members have already signed a manifesto of support for the new administration, while the Philippines will be joining seven international tournaments, from the youth to the senior team.
“We are coordinating with Milo for our grassroots program, we are looking at the Philippine Olympic Festival for the Under 15s, we are talking with Mizuno for the Under21,” said Martinez, who offered to resign if he couldn’t turn around Philippine football in six months.
Martinez said they are also talking with three companies for their possible backing of a senior men’s league by the end of the year.
On the other hand, Martinez lauded a local private company’s effort of constructing a football pitch that conforms to the standards of Fifa and said Cebu can now host international events.
The PFF had to switch the venue of the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup from Bacolod to Iloilo City after encountering problems with Bacolod, host of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games and AFF Championships qualifiers.
“We didn’t look at Cebu because you didn’t have a field, now you are one of the group (of cities that can host international games),” he said. (ML)
