ILOILO CITY � The all-Visayas regionals of the Smart Club championships featuring 3 teams and some of the best players in the region kicked off on Tuesday at the Central Philippines University (CPU) football field in Iloilo.
With the last-minute withdrawals of Dumaguete and Bacolod, Stallion Football Club (FC) of Barotac Nuevo, Don Bosco United FC of Cebu, and Laos FC of Leyte were left to battle for 2 slots in the next phase of the inaugural club competitions.
The tournament is sponsored by Smart and organized by Philippine Football Federation (PFF).
The hosts and the Cebuano booters were to collide in the initial match on Tuesday afternoon following simple opening ceremonies graced by PFF president Mariano Araneta Jr., Iloilo Football Association (IFA) President Roceller Sumbillo, and CPU president Dr. Teodoro Robles.
�We would like to thank the city of Iloilo, led by Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, CPU president Robles and IFA president Sumbillo for hosting the Smart Club Visayas regionals,� Araneta, a former national team mainstay and proud product of Barotac Nuevo, said.
�We consider Iloilo a football hotbed in the Visayas so we expect a lot of local football fans to come over to watch and support the tournament,� he added.
While all representatives of all three teams were optimistic about their chances of qualifying for the next round, they admitted that doing so would be far from easy.
�Being the hosts, we like our chances of securing seat in the next stage,� said Stallion FC manager JR Robles, whose charges will be mentored by Ernie Nierras, the acting national women�s coach. �But Leyte and Cebu are pretty strong teams so we will try our best to win.�
ABS CBN News
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Tuesday`s Result : Stallion FC 8-0 Don Bosco United FC
Match report ABS CBN News
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Wednesday : Laos Fc (Leyte) 4-1 Don Bosco United !!
Laos Fc and Stallion FC qualified for national finals
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