I’ve heard that the media center for the Asian Challenge Cup only had one PC on it. Phew.

It isn’t surprising since it was also the case during the Asean Football Federation Qualifiers, hosted by Bacolod City in 2006.

Good thing our office provided us with a laptop then, but the problem was our bulky laptop didn’t have any wi fi, I had to wait for the guy in charge of that lone PC to get finished so I can send my report.

(This is me, pretending to be busy at the AFF Qualifers. Note the photo in the lap top)
I remember, after the second game of the Philippines in the AFF Qualifiers, the guy with the PC (I think he wrote for the AFF Website) left his unit to interview somebody, and I went and commandeered his PC, wrote and submitted my report in under five minutes.

Back to that one-pc media center.

Amazing isn’t it? All this time, football doesn’t get any publicity in the papers and for the biggest tournament this year, this is what we get?

And here’s a quote from one of the PFF’s new moves, “The PFF President hopes to utilize Ramirez’s international track record and media expertise to aggressively work on the sports PR and promotional marketing of its sponsorship programs and to develop awareness for the sport thru extensive media coverage and strategic alliances.”

Aaah, extensive media coverage. Must be all those brown envelopes thingy.

If I was the one in charge with the publicity and promotions of PFF…

Step one simply involves giving Ernie (Or anyone involved in the TV coverage of the games) a gofer with an internet access, hence the people who look for updates of the game through the net can get one, without having to call for a mom, or a friend or anybody who’s watching the game. Ever wonder why the NBA—one of the most publicized league in the world—even offer shot-by-shot update through websites?

Step two. Widescreens. Lots and lots of widescreens. Require each FA to have at least two—on opposite ends of each FA’s jurisdiction—to air the Solar coverage. If the FA is under Stupidcable…er Skycable, let that FA go to the nearest area where Solar Sports is offered and show the games. Gather the fans.

Step three. Read the forums. Read Pinoysoccer.com, Asiasfinest, or whatever forum there is that touches on Philippine football.

Step four, of course, after you read, you have to respond, it shows that the PFF does exist, at least in the cyberworld.

Step five. Pics and videos. Get the local pros, hire them, pay them. It doesn’t matter if they don’t have any outlet to send or have those videos aired, we have the internet, everyone is a budding journalist. Ever heard of youtube?

The Philippines will have one of its most important games this Saturday, and unless a miracle occurs, we are again left to our own devices for real-time updates of the match.

This B.S. about extensive media coverage remains that, unless of course, you define “extensive media coverage” as reading the same report, word-for-word in every paper.

Media coverage shouldn’t be about the media covering or writing about Philippine football, it should be people reading, watching or listening to news about Philippine football. (Add clicking)

Here’s a bet, buy three national papers, compare the write up, and if it isn’t the same, I’ll fight Manny Pacquiao today, with my left hand tied up, sitting.

That my friend, is “extensive media coverage.”

A colleague of mine informed me that the company (or was it franchise) involved with Havianias is holding a “free kick” tournament this Saturday at IT park.  They are reportedly planning to bring in a Brazilian keeper, and if you can beat the keeper, you get a reward.

I told my colleague to tell the organizer to put up a wide screen and show the RP team’s final match against Bhutan, which will be aired live this Saturday on Solar Sports.

I just hope they take up and listen to the offer.

Everybody, go to the official home of the Men’s and Women’s national teams: www.philippinefootball.org.  It’s run by Pinoysoccer.com and got loads of features.

Click away.

Thanks to the idiots running Skycable, the biggest Sham on Air no longer has Solar Sports.  Of course, Solar Sports will be airing the three AFC Challenge Cup games.  Anybody here who has solar sports or has any idea where we can catch the games live?

Please?

Browsing through my favorite website—Pinoysoccer.com—I learned about the controversy surrounding the Cebu All-Stars selection.

Though I’ve read a few posts from the chat box about how the Cebu All-Stars were DB or Pinoysoccer.com All-Stars, I didn’t pay much attention.

I mean, it’s an All-Star lineup, and like all All-Star teams, they do not represent the best, what they represent is who the coach (or whoever chooses the lineup) thinks are the best.

I was surprised with a few names that got included in the All-Star lineup,  but then again, I was also surprised with how the team performed.

Glenn Ramos coached the team, and if he had the major role in choosing the players, he may have made his choice based on his experience as a coach, player and observer.  Players he trust who can deliver, players he know can give a little bit more were on the team.  So it isn’t a surprise that a few members of the team are former players he coached.

Put in another head coach, and we would have a different lineup.

I don’t think the Cebu All-Stars are a collection of the best footballers in Cebu, but I think they represented Cebu football quite well in that match.

And also, Glen, (or anyone else who chose the All-Stars) may have avoided players who think too highly of themselves, players who think because they put on a pair of spikes, they should be on the national team.

Nothing is more deadly in a game involving a national team and a local selection than a member of that local selection who thinks he is better than the national team.

As to the reported snub, here is what I think of it…..(please see previous paragraph).

IT’S a boring Friday morning, and I have a couple of hours to waste before the C. Lhuillier Tennis Open at Baseline, so I might as well address some issues raised in the chat box, my favorite source of amusement.

Here’s news for you folks.  I’m no longer the football reporter for Sun.Star, go figure that out.

Reporters can’t cover all games. The Inter Club had four divisions, in three venues. All played simultaneously. Do the math.

They have other beats and responsibilities, not just football.

Instead of riling against what you perceived is inadequate coverage of the football scene, why don’t you cry out against the absent coverage? Ey?

And the correct way to do it? Here’s how. (And this is also the correct way to have your “missing certificates” investigated)

Write a letter to the editor, with your full name and address, and address the issue, or better yet, call a press conference.  That way, you put a face and a name behind the accusation.  Think Cris Saavedra, Jun Lozada (minus the tears.)  Just don’t bark at the wrong tree for the sake of barking (that’s two birds in one.)

Someone from Cebu did that once, and it shook up the PFF.

Otherwise, this is all just tsismis. And I don’t do tsismis.

Else this blog will be filled about how a certain school keeps dropping its players to make them repeat another year and stay eligible.  Or how a club keeps cheating with age, or how players stay out of school and still play for Cesafi.

And this is the best, how about someone paying just to have their pictures in the papers?

Here are the last batch of Palaro pictures. The team, led by members of Paref Springdale, with reinforcements from a few other schools, got a silver medal, the first podium finish by a Cebu team in the Palaro secondary football since Glenn Ramos’ squad won it all in 2000.

All fotos courtesy of Dr. JP.

Click on more. ( I have to post the pictures after “more” para dili matabunan ang template)

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Here are the first batch of Palaro Pictures, courtesy of Dr. JP.

Click on more

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There seems to be a glitch, so I’m uploading the first batch of Palaro pictures. There are around 42 more pictures coming. Here’s the first six. All pics, courtesy of Dr. JP.

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Paref-Springdale may have won the U12 title against MSLDF Canduman in the 8th Cebu Interclub Football Cup at San Roque, but the champion were just lucky enough to hold on to their lead.

While Ijo Clarito scored the lone goal of the match, getting past most of the Canduman defense, it was the little guys from Canduman who created most chances, attacking through that little No. 12.
Canduman got some a couple of shots late in the game, but both were cleared off by Clarito, who had scrambled to cover his out-of-placed keeper.

Just years ago, Canduman was getting battered in festivals, now they are in the finals and not to long
from now, they’d be one of the elite teams.
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