There is trouble brewing between a high-ranking official of a certain national sporting association and an official of one its national teams.
From what the source shared to The Designated Kit Man, the official wants to have more say on the team, which is being managed by the other party. Example given was more homegrown players be included in the team, which the team official is open with and in fact, he also supports.
The problem, however, is that once you’ve given the guy an inch, he wants the whole arm. And this is beginning to be an issue with the team official, who has spent millions of his money just to ensure that the team will stay competitive and continue the momentum it has gained in such a short period of time.
Many things have been said on this team official in the past, In fact, I might even have said a thing or two about him. But you can’t argue with his accomplishments and the success in carrying the cudgels for the team, from being minnows into now a formidable force not only in the region but in the continent as well.
For me the solution is simple, if this big boss wants control of the team, then why not? He should, however, walk the talk and be ready for what it takes to run a successful team. For starters, he should be ready to spend for the team, and not just take care of the literal financial expenses, but also for the other things that go beyond the budget needed by the team. He should also show that he cares for the team.
Ever since this high-ranking official entered the NSA, he has done at least two moves that have been considered controversial to say the least. Apparently, he is not yet finished.
Rather than “fixing” things that ain’t broken, this official should instead focus his attention on why he was in that position in the first place rather than shooting his foot twice or in this case, thrice. Like fulfilling the promises he made with regional officers to advance the sport he is supposed to champion in the next four years.
The usual photo ops or papogi, that has been his trademark of late, will not suffice. It’s not even the barest minimum.
The honeymoon period is supposed to be way, way over. Trabaho na po Bossing.
On a happier note, I heard that former Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president Nonong Araneta was elected as the Panay Regional Football Association chief by acclamation last Monday. Among his foremost goals is to reclaim the glory days of Iloilo football.
“Our first agenda is to change the name of Panay Regional Football Association into Iloilo-Guimaras RFA. But more than the name change, we were directed by the PFF to increase the membership. As soon as we establish the Iloilo-Guimaras RFA, we will help Panay, Aklan, Antique and Capiz to form their own football associations,” he said.
Araneta grew up in Barotac Nuevo, one of the undisputed hotbeds of football in the county, so it’s just expected that Iloilo should be in the forefront of advancing and discovering football talents who will eventually play in the national teams, whether in the youth teams or even in the senior teams.
For his initial program, Araneta aims to put a system in place in the Iloilo-Guimaras RFA.
“Para maayos namin from grassroots to senior level, magkakaroon ng ID para sa mga player at para alam namin yung mga clubs na may mga player talaga,” he explained.
Araneta has noticed that Iloilo has been overshadowed of late by other provinces when it comes to the beautiful game. Iloilo Football has been fragmented by factions. With his election, Araneta is hoping that a more solid regional football association will be in order soon.
“I’m back at my roots,” Araneta added.
While Araneta is at it, maybe we can expect him to lend his voice and expertise to the current leadership of the PFF in the coming days.
Congratulations to Team Secret for making it to Stage 1 of the VCT Pacific playoffs. An offline tournament organized by Riot Games, the VCT Pacific is part of the VALORANT Champions Tour.
The harder part now comes for Team Secret as it faces South Korea’s T1 today in the knockout round. A win will keep the Philippine side in contention for a spot in the upper bracket finals the following day against GEN. G or DRX, both are South Korean teams.
Team Secret is hoping to book a seat in the bigger and highly-competitive VCT Masters Shanghai, but to do that, it has to win or stay home. Other teams in the playoffs include Paper Rex of Singapore and Talons Sports of Thailand, which will figure in the other must win game.
All the best of luck, Team Secret!
Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!
For comments or questions, you can reach The Designated Kit Man at erel_cabatbat@yahoo.com or follow his account at Twitter: @erelcabatbat