COACH Let Dimzon of the Women’s national football team answered a question in a pre-match press con and has since been derided for it by blind admin supporters who call any slight to the administration as crab mentality. The same supporters have been harassing her online too and wishing that the team will lose. Who’s the crab now?
“Just support the team; stop criticizing,” they say. Well, some of the critics who pointed out lapses in the preparations were exactly doing that, leaving work early to get to the venues and watch the teams. They’ve been doing that long before some of those who equate criticism as being unpatriotic even knew there was a thing called the SEA Games.
Coach Dimzon was in charge of the girls U13 team that won a silver medal in the Asean Regional Championships, the first time we won a medal in an international youth tournament in God knows for how long. Her rise has been steady, just like that of the Malditas, who made it to the Asian Women’s Cup for the first time in 2018.
It’s a pity that her achievements—and those of the team—have been reduced to a soundbite for something that isn’t her fault.
I’m just curious though if any of the football beat reporters were there because I’m pretty sure if they had led the questioning, it wouldn’t have been about what the team had for breakfast. The focus, I think, would have been more on the Malditas having a home game for the first time in a decade.
I can’t blame too whoever asked that question as at that time, what was prevalent were the foul-ups the other football teams were experiencing and perhaps the two teams got asked on whether they experienced any.
Anyway, the issue is over and done with, and I hope there’s no more of the vicious attacks on coach Dimzon.
The Malditas did well in their first game, drawing Myanmar for the first time and were set to face Malaysia last night. A win would put them in the semifinals for the first time.
By the way, I think it’s a brilliant move to let the home crowd in for free in some of the venues for the meet. We’ve already lost the hometown edge in some of the events since the national teams weren’t able to use the venues extensively before the rest of the country, so having a vocal home support would be more than enough.
Basketball and volleyball are expected to draw a huge crowd but I hope the other events—track and field and taekwondo especially—will also have lots of Pinoys in the stands.