LEGENDARY Brazilian Ronaldinho announced his retirement from the game the other day and I really didn’t pay much attention to the story because I thought the Smiling Brazilian has retired a few years ago.
What got me interested in the announcement was his plan to have a farewell tour in Asia and something clicked.
A month ago, someone contacted me of the feasibility of having an exhibition match between Global Cebu and a team of Brazilians that will include the legend Ronaldinho?
I had to ask if its THE Ronaldinho and she said yes. Would a game be a hit and could we fill the grandstand with fans? I said not only would be a hit among Cebuano fans, it would be a hit among Pinoy fans who’d grab at the chance to see the legend up close.
I asked permission if I could write but she told me to hold it for a week. That was close to a month ago and I sure hope they’ve continued negotiations to bring the legend here.
I first saw him in 2002, during the World Cup and I remember his goal from half-court against England and we all thought that this was a legend in the making.
By the way, I asked around if the Cebu City Sports Center could have enough grass for the planned exhibition game, tentatively scheduled in March, but I was told that these are Brazilians, they won’t be complaining about the grass.
ANOTHER TEAM QUITS. After Meralco Manila, it’s the turn of Ilocos United to leave the Philippines Football League, bringing the total teams left to only six. I sure hope it’s the last team to exit this year.
Like Meralco, Ilocos cited its failure to get a new sponsor and the prohibitive costs of joining a league that has no TV exposure, one of the things that made it difficult for them to get a sponsor. Without TV exposure, companies aren’t willing spend millions as they would get nothing in exchange.
Again, that means more talent for the rest of the six teams to hire, which means those that are just near first-division level might not get a chance this year.
I think this will be the most crucial year for the league yet as it would determine its future. Ilocos has said it would closely observe this season and will decide whether it will rejoin in 2019.