PHL futsal teams off to SEA Games to revive football medal hopes

Football medal hopes spring anew and this time, from the national men's and women's futsal teams, who head off Monday to Indonesia for the 26th South East Asian Games. Both teams' first matches will be on November 18 with the ladies going up against Myanmar and the gents pit versus Indonesia. "They will play with their hearts for the country," Esmaeil Sedigh, head coach of the men's national futsal team, told GMA News Online during the Luzon Finals of the ongoing Winners' Cup of the Pilipinas Futsal Cup (PFCWC). Futsal is indoor football. The men's team is in Group A with Indonesia and Vietnam while the women's team will be in a round robin format with Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand. Sedigh, who is also the chairman of the Philippine Futsal Committee of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF), said the national futsal teams have been practicing over the last six months with the help of the PFF and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). PFF president Mariano “Nonong" Araneta said at the sidelines of the PFCWC that the team "are in shape and skillful and have been practicing a long time already." Sedigh said the teams practiced three times a week on evenings of Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. First national futsal tourney To hone their abilities and teamwork, the national team members compete in the PFCWC, the country's first year-long national futsal tournament, which began with its first eliminations way back January 29. "The PFCWC was originally planned to be a tournament in Metro Manila only. But with interest in areas as far as Ilocos in the north and Cagayan de Oro in the south, it has now blossomed into a nationwide competition with 2011 Tournament Legs in Naga, Bicol Region, Subic, Cebu and Davao," Tournament director Xarex Velasquez said to GMA News Online via email. The PFCWC's Visayas and Luzon finals ended earlier this month. The Mindanao finals will be staged in early December after the SEA Games. The first national finals will be on December 17 and 18. In the 9th elimination leg at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, the Fatboleras bested the women's futsal teams of Centro Escolar University and Ateneo de Manila University, who were 1st runner-up and 2nd runner-up, respectively. The Ateneo men's team edged out 1st runner-up Letran and 2nd runner-up Don Bosco Canlubang. The previous Sunday, in the Luzon finals, which was also the championship stage of the 3rd Philippine Futsal League, the Pasargad men's and women's teams emerged as champions . Women's division first runner-up were the Malditas while Rizal Technological University and Philippine Women's University were 2nd and 3rd runners-up, respectively. In the men's division, 1st runner-up were Pars FC, followed by Manhur FC and Don Bosco United. Training for referees, coaches Mohammadpour Hamid, one of two coaches of Pars FC, said in an interview with GMA News Online that more interest and involvement of the public in fitsal and soccer is welcome. "There is a big need to bring more people into the field and to prioritize referee training," Hamid said while recalling how he and many of the futsal players found each other at various sports venues in Metro Manila. Sedigh said the futsal committee is aware of the need for more training. "There was an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Level 1 coaching course from October 13 – 18 attended by 12 coaches and earlier this month we have referee training for three days at the ULTRA where 200 attended," Sedigh said. He said the training program will resume early next year. "We are here to help. People interested in forming futsal teams and staging futsal tournaments can get in touch with PFF to request any help they need." Futsal has also been brought to the Manila city jail and to Aroroy, Masbate where 30 participants- mostly physical education teachers- were taught basic futsal. "Nagulat kami na maraming sumali sa PFCWC. There is momentum for futsal, said PSC marketing head Albert Almendralejo. "Ang mabuti sa futsal you can play it anywhere, kahit sa loob ng gym. Nagugustuhan ng mga Pilipino kasi fast-paced ang laro," Almendralejo said. — RSJ, GMA News