Courtesy: The Manila Times


Women indoor football team resigns

By Krista Angela M. Montealegre, Reporter

The RP women’s indoor football (futsal) team can no longer endure the Philippine Football Federation’s (PFF) lack of respect for its athletes and coaches, which led to the mass resignation of its members.

“We just want to make it clear that we did not resign because the coaches were sacked,” noted Ria Tanjuangco, captain of the women’s football team. “We resigned because of the way the president dealt with us.”

Tanjuangco, part of the RP squad that won the bronze medal in the 24th Southeast Asian Games in Thailand two years ago, pointed out that after the coaches were relieved, the team sought an audience with PFF President Mari Martinez to clarify the issue.

But the team got frustrated with Martinez’s remarks when he said, “you’re getting allowances [from the Philippine Sports Commission] so what’s the problem?”

“For a president to repeatedly reduce all our efforts to a monetary value shows a lack of respect for us as national players,” she said.

They even added that it was only after scoring that breakthrough win in Thailand when they started receiving their allowances.

The PFF relieved head coach Manny Batungbacal and assistant coach Paul Encarnacion from their posts based upon the recommendation of Esmaeil Sedigh, an Iranian national who heads the PFF futsal committee.

Sedigh claimed that the RP team joined a tournament in New Zealand that the PFF did not sanction.

But Batungbacal showed documents signed by former PFF Secretary- General Pablito Araneta sanctioning the New Zealand trip dated June 5, 2008, which also allowed the team to use “Irok Futsal Team-Philippines” for its designation in the event.

He added that Martinez, in the presence of team members, had also given them the go-signal.

Batungbacal and Encarnacion said they no longer want to be reinstated in their jobs, adding that what they want now is an explanation for their removal.

“I wish they simply explained, and stood by the reasons on why we were relieved. Perhaps there was simply a communication problem with the PFF because everything was documented,” said Batungbacal, athletic director of the University of Asia and the Pacific, in Filipino.

“He wanted us to just “‘put it in our pockets,’ or in effect forget about the matter,” he said.







Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com