IN a welcome address to Fifa and AFC officials who were in Cebu last Friday night for an audit of the Philippine Football Federation, host Ricky Dakay of the Cebu Football Association said the local FA is doing well because he, as president, basically does nothing.
Which pretty much simplifies things but in a way, it's true. Before the dinner started, I talked for a bit with CFA board member Raffy Musni and PFF sec-gen Atty. Ed Gastanes, who were talking about the number of licensed coaches and the grassroots development in the local scene. Musni, along with coaches Eleazer Toledo, Allan Medalle, Totot Colina and Glen Ramos (did I miss someone?) have been busy over the past years spreading football to Northern and Southern Cebu. Two teams from the CFA teach the sport, spreading it outside metro Cebu.
After an initial foray last year, they will do a followup session this year, one that will involve licensing for the trainees.
Ricky, certainly, wasn't involved with that directly. But indirectly, the vision, direction and targets of the CFA, and the logistics involved in getting that, he had a hand.
"I practically do nothing. We have a working board who do their jobs very well. Everybody here gives her or his fair share and we made ure that what Fifa and the AFC has given to us, we have put to good use," he said.
I started writing about Cebu football in 1997 and have seen how it was run before. I've seen, too, how the sport is run in other Fas and I tell you, Cebu is lucky to have officers who are both involved and uninvovled.
Involved that they care about the sport and uninvolved that they aren't players or coaches themselves who get into tricky situations.
The PFF keeps touting the CebuFA as a model and it's no surprise. And it's no surprise, too, that with the planned merger of Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor into one FA, many still want Ricky Dakay to continue “doing nothing,” as president. He's the perfect man for the transition.
By the way, there's an interesting bit of update I learned last Friday. The Aboitiz group is planning to put up two pitches in Lilo-an, and is even willing to use artificial grass.
I just hope it's going to be one that can be good enough for an international friendly. Yes, it's just a pitch, for now, but hey, since it's the Aboitiz Group, we can shoot for the stars, right? Pray for a Philippine Sports Stadium-type and get a Rizal Memorial kind-of-thing?
(mike@limpag.com)