News: It’s official: FIFA upholds Martinez ouster

Filed by Neil Bravo (12/21/10) as of 4:00 p.m.

This time, redemption came for Philippine football.

A day after the Philippines formally bowed out of the AFF Suzuki Cup with a two-nil aggregate to Indonesia, the country’s national football association can celebrate the declaration of the world’s highest football governing body upholding its new leadership.

FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke, in a letter addressed to Philippine Football Federation (PFF) Secretary General Ramon Manuel, formally upheld the change of leadership in the PFF and the ouster of former President Jose Mari Martinez.

Valcke wrote that FIFA Vice President and Association Committee chairman Geoff Thompson was convinced that the elections held last November 27 was valid under Article 13.5 of the PFF By-Laws.

Under the said provision “Only the PFF Congress, by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the entire voting membership may remove and replace the PFF President upon the recommendation and majority vote of the Board of Governors.”

Valcke cited the documents submitted to FIFA in a letter by the PFF on December 6 in reply to the FIFAs letter of December 3 as the basis for FIFA to reconsider its earlier decision of nullifying the elections.

“After having consulted the minutes of the 7^th ordinary congress of the PFF on 27^th November, 2010, as well as the other enclosures which we now have in our file, we consider that these bring a new light to the held Congress and its results,” Valcke wrote.

The submission of the new enclosures prompted Valcke to refer the matter to Thompson which issued an opinion that the elections last November 27 was held according to the By-Laws of the PFF. He cited that the recommendation of the majority of the Board of Governors was carried out in meetings last September 25 and October 29 and resumed on November 27 leading to Martinez’s ouster the election of Mariano Araneta as the new PFF President and Ismael Batiles, Jr. as Vice President.

Based on Tompson’s opinion, Valcke wrote that the FIFA considers the motion to remove Martinez was accepted.

The letter also confirmed FIFA’s vesting of rights to the new PFF President and Executive Vice President.

“We would like to congratulate Mr. Mariano V. Araneta and Mr. Ismael C. Batiles, Jr. to their election and thank you for taking note,” Valcke concluded.

The letter was faxed from FIFAs Zurich headquarters last Monday.

Martinez was ousted because of alleged unauthorized disbursement of PFF funds, falsification of public documents and failure to return missing funds before a set deadline. This was placed under Point VI of the agenda “Finance.” 26 members voted to oust Martinez with 4 abstentions and 3 of the 33-member Congress absent.

Martinez, however, clung on the post after seeking help from the Asian Football Federation (AFF) which reaffirmed its recognition of him as President. The leadership crisis in the PFF reached high pitch when the members of the Philippine football team criticized Martinez after a successful campaign in the AFF Suzuki Cup where they beat Vietnam en route to its first ever stint in the semis.

Martinez is said to be a close ally of AFF President Kiram Keramuddin of 2022 World Cup host Qatar after the former reportedly delivered the swing vote for Keramuddin in the AFF elections.

Last Sunday, the Azkals finally bowed out of the Suzuki Cup but not after earning the respect of its neighbours in Southeast Asia and the warm embrace of its fans at home. (Neil Bravo, DSA)

Will David Alaba play for the Azkals?

Forget that we lost to the Indons in the semis of the Suzuki Cup. Forget too this lad named Chad Gould. If there is one player the Philippines should pursue to sustain the football revolution triggered by the Azkals, it must be an 18-year old teen phenom from Austria.

This teen sensation is now regarded as the great hope of the Alpine nation of Austria and plays for the Champions League ballclub Bayern Munich of Germany.

Who is this boy and why the interest in him? I googled his name and found some interesting facts about this kid.

David Olatokunbo Alaba was born on June 24, 1992 in Vienna, Austria to a Nigerian father George and a Filipino mother Gina who is described as a nurse and former Miss Philippines back in the 80s. His father earns his salary as musician and rapper. That makes him a multiracial individual. He is a citizen of Austria by birth and may also be a citizen of both Nigeria and Philippines by choice.

According to his web profile, David Alaba started his football club playing days at 9 years old playing for SV Alpern. Austria Vienna cashed in on his talent and brought him into their youth academy. Alaba was an instant sensation in Vienna's youth ranks, playing for their U-17s as a 14-year-old. As a 15-year-old, he suited up for the U-19s and not too long after in April 2008 he was a teener sitting on the bench with the Austria Vienna professional club.

Bayern Munich found the talented youngster in summer of 2008 and brought him to their academy. He played for the U-19s in 2008-09 and he started the 2009-10 season with Bayern's amateur team in the third league. David was eligible to train under the Bayern professionals as early as January 2010.

He was also described as “a confident, grounded and intelligent young man. He helps to coach the Bayern U-11 team and also works as a helper at a school for handicapped.”

This boy wonder surely has reached full stardom as a booter. And in Austria he is even considered as a “a jewel and blessing.” It was former Austrian great and current Austrian U-21 national team coach Andreas Herzog who has called Alaba a "jewel, a blessing for Austrian football"

While it looks like Alaba could be what the doctor...err veterinarian (?) ordered for the Azkals, the chances of convincing him to play here are either slim or none. The reason is, Alaba is already the subject of a tug of war among Nigeria, Germany and Austria—three nations which are regular World Cup qualifiers. If David plays in any of the three nations, he is assured of seeing action before World Cup lights.

The same cannot be said of the Philippines. If he plays for the Azkals, he bids his dream of playing in the WC where the world’s best compete in football’s grandest stage. There is only one hope he will play for us—that is, if his mother says so.

But I will not bank on that.

For the record, Alaba has set the record as the youngest player ever to play on Austria’s national team and broke the record of Toni Kroos (17 years, 265 days old) as the youngest ever to suit up for Bayern Munich.

No doubt, Alaba will be a future football star whether or not he plays for Germany, Austria, Nigeria or the Philippines. Let’s admit it, he has more chances of conquering the big stage wearing the colors of either of the three countries outside us. But he can make his mark in history if he carries a World Cup stranger like the Philippines to greater football heights.

Here’s hoping he will. If not, let’s hope to find more talents from our dogpounds...err, backyard.

Start believing the Azkals are good

I rushed to my favourite coffee shop Museo Cafe down Tionko Street at half past nine in the evening Thursday hoping to catch the remaining minutes of the Philippines-Indonesia semifinal match on live video streaming.

My television at home got busted recently. Trouble is, the China-made boob tube does not have spare parts available in the city.

When I finally got to the official website, the match was over and the score read 0-1 for the Indons.

I heaved a sigh. Not bad. Eight years ago, the scoreboard read 13-1 for the Indonesians. Thursday night, it was as slim as it can get. And it was not too pretty a win for the Indons in front of their President and 70,000 red-shirted fans.

I watched the game highlights and that goal by Christian Gonzales was nothing short of spectacular. That lone goal came after Azkals keeper Neil Etheridge and Ray Johnsson banged each other in a defensive mix-up. Coach Alfred Riedl couldn’t hide his relief after the close win and paid tribute to the defence of the Azkals.

Riedl was kind of saying after the win that this is why the Philippines is in the last four. "Today, we saw why the Philippines are in semi-finals. They are a very strong team but I think that we deserved the win because we were the more active team,” Riedl said in the Suzuki Cup’s official website.

But a win is a win and the Indonesians will savor the victory going into Sunday’s final match of the tie.

Minutes after the match, the official Facebook page of the Azkals were flooded with comments from their hordes of fans. Most of the fans thought they put up a tough stand but needed to communicate better. Some thought they had better be on the attacking mode if we have to win the next match.

Coach Simon McMenemy surely had his strategy well cut out for the Azkals and it worked. The goal came by an error and things like that happen. Don’t cry for Neil Etheridge. I believe he will live to fight another day and forget about the miscue. You can’t blame him and Johnsson either. Playing before 70,000 fans, they can hardly hear each other.

What have we gained from the match?

First, we have come to play at this level. The boisterous home crowd was something they haven’t experienced before. I don’t even think we can gather that much crowd unless it is Edsa People Power again or a Cory Funeral.

We have proven to all that we can play this global game. Football is but a sport waiting for a spark. Everyone loves this game surprisingly in a country where most are crazy with basketball. And yes, contrary to the interpellation of Senator Jinggoy Estrada last Monday in the Senate, football is not a tall man’s game. The Senator should be told that even Spain, the World Cup champions, are not a tall team.

On Sunday, expect the Azkals to come out with smoke in their noses.

Theodore Roosevelt couldn’t have said it more aptly when he said: “If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

It's not the critic that counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or whether the doer of deeds could have done them better...The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust, and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and often comes up short again and again. Who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause. And who, if at best in the end, knows the triumph of higher treatment and high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his soul shall never be with those cold and timid ones, who know neither victory nor defeat.”

The battle is not over.

Finally, let me borrow it from Karen Carpenter.

“We’ve only just begun.”