THE match between Central Visayas Football Association (CVFA) and the Iloilo Football Association has been moved to a later date due to the bad weather condition in the Visayas.
Of course, we all know about the recent tragedy in Iloilo, where scores lost their lives after three bancas capsized and the parents of the visiting team weren’t willing to take risks and travel by sea to Cebu for the game.
I think the cancellation also helps both teams as it gives them more time to prepare as the two, including Negros Occidental Football Association (Nofa) and Negros Oriental-Siguijor Football Association (Nosirfa), are still in the running for the two spots for Group E for the national finals.
Nofa leads the group with 13 points in six games, while Nosirfa is second at nine points in four games. CVFA is third at seven points in five games and Iloilo is fourth at five points in four games.
The teams will all play eight games, so Iloilo and CVFA can still catch up with the leaders. CVFA, which beat Nofa in its last game, can’t afford to drop any more points and may need to fatten its goal difference when it takes on bottom-feeder Eastern Visayas Regional Football Association (EVRFA) on Aug. 17, 2019.
Goal difference may come into play in the final standings and it would be a real disappointment if we miss out on the nationals on that. After the EVRFA game, Central Visayas will take on Nosirfa at home and of course the postponed match against Iloilo.
As the last game in the group, I think the postponed match will now determine the final rankings.
The CVFA vs. Nosirfa game will be on Sept. 7, just a day before the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) football season opens. There won’t be a conflict in schedule for the players as this tournament is for the Boys 15, while the high school division of Cesafi is for Boys 18.
However, I think there might be a conflict in the use of the Cebu City Sports Center pitch for the CVFA vs. Iloilo game as Cesafi usually books the weekends for its game. But since it’s only one game, I’m hoping it can be inserted into a Cesafi playdate, especially the high school division.
Why? Because the CVFA players come from Cesafi member schools—Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu and Don Bosco Technological Center in particular—and it would be great to see the players off the field cheer for CVFA before they take on each other, right?