Ref Cuaresma is one Cebu football personality I’ll never forget. It was the final year of the Cebu Amateur Athletic Association (CAAA) and Southwestern University (SWU) made it all the way to the finals against the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R). Ref showed up for the finals only, taking a break from his stint with the PHL U19 team in Manila.
Of course, the other team protested but it was denied since Ref was part of the lineup. SWU won, thanks to him, becoming the last CAAA football champion before the league folded and became the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc.
That was more than two decades ago. Ref returned to Manila and had a stellar career with a lot of clubs, Kaya among them. On his return to Cebu, he got the most cheers from the home fans playing for Kaya against Global Cebu.
After retiring, Ref has taken his talents back to Cebu, as goalkeeping coach of the local pro team and in that brief stint he has encountered one ugly facet of the game here — player piracy.
Some of the good youth players here belong to two teams — a school-based club and a community-based club. Each team invests time and effort to train them and they get disappointed when the players leave for another team, usually because the coach talked with that player’s parents.
Some parents feel there’s no need to ask permission from coaches because they think as parents, they have the final say in their sons’ and daughters’ careers.
They are right, in a way.
In an impassioned plea, Coach Ref asked his fellow coaches to end the practice of player piracy, which he repeated during the Central Visayas Football Association (CVFA) assembly a week ago.
The CVFA said it will look into the matter, with Nimrod Quiñones saying a player database, the dream of many FAs, could help address it. President Rodney Orale also issued his own plea to the parents, to inform the CVFA of any player movement, especially when it comes to Cebu players representing teams outside of Cebu.
It’s not that the CVFA would prevent them from playing as board member Dr. Alvin Roxas said, adding that their transfer is a testament to the strength of local football.
It’s a matter of informing the mother clubs and FA.
I agree.
It’s a long-standing problem that can be solved by one simple thing: respect.
Respect for coaches, clubs, schools and the FA.
The CVFA is doing everything to professionalize local football — requiring coaches and referees to have licenses and requiring local leagues to only hire licensed refs.
What it can’t regulate though are the parents. And this is where their support is needed. Some parents are the first to complain when it comes to referees’ and coaches’ conduct, demanding that things must be done in a certain way.
In this issue, it is their cooperation that is needed. If a coach approaches them regarding their kids’ transfer, all they have to do is inform the coach.
The coaches, referees and the CVFA are stepping up for the game.
Now, it’s their turn.