Cebu Football - Sinulog Cup adjusts schedule to avoid conflict

ORGANIZERS of the 1st Sinulog Football Festival have adjusted their schedules to avoid a conflict with the Aboitiz Football Cup.

The Sinulog Cup will be played at the University of San Carlos, while the other event will be at the Aboitiz Sports Field in Mandaue.

Instead of asking the Aboitiz Football Cup to postpone its games this weekend, Francis Ramirez, is tweaking the schedule of the Sinulog Cup.

�It will be hard to inform the other teams (in the Aboitiz Football Cup). That�s why I went to my plan B. For the teams that will play in the morning in the Aboitiz Cup, I will schedule their Sinulog Cup games in the afternoon. For those who have afternoon games in the Aboitiz Cup, will have morning games in the Sinulog Cup,� said Ramirez in an interview by Sun.Star Cebu.


Ramirez said he decided to give way to the Aboitiz tournament because its schedule was mapped out before the announcement of the Sinulog Football Festival.


�They were first, that�s why we were the ones who adjusted the schedule so there will be no conflict,� he said.


Only two teams from Paref-Springdale pulled out of the tournament. Paref-Springdale has a crucial game with Don Bosco in the Aboitiz Fooball Cup.

The 1st Sinulog Football Festival has attracted 105 teams, five more than expected.

Ramirez said that because of the success of the first edition of the Sinulog Football Festival, it will be a bigger event next year.

�Maybe next year we will look for a bigger field. We�ll try the SRP,� he said.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on January 07, 2011.