Fair Play: Who should sit in the next CFA board?

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on Feb. 9)

I HAVE no voice in the Cebu Football Association elections, and I don�t even have the right to vote, as voting is limited to FA members.

But I have an idea who could be a right fit in the board.

He could even be the right CFA president.

And, like I wrote in a previous column�he�s not from the Don Bosco group, the Cebu Amateur Football Club group and he is certainly not a sitting member of the CFA board.

And, more importantly, he�s had thoughts of running for a position.

Back in 2008, and even a couple of weeks, ago, it was suggested that I should run for president but I told them Crazy is not my middle name and besides, as a columnist who sometimes writes reports about Cebu football, that�s not advisable.

But that doesn�t mean a columnist is disqualified from running for the CFA board, right? Especially one who fulfills the requirement�he is the voting member of a club of good standing, he is experienced in leading a sports group, and he is no stranger to football.

Is this an endorsement of sorts?

You could say that, but an endorsement is worth nothing if the guy you think should be in the CFA board is worthless.

 �I�ve told him that, too. That he should run,� one of the players in the Cebu football scene told me a few days ago.

�Yes, he�s a good choice,� another told me.

�Perfect choice!� said fellow columnist John Pages, who teased me about running. (John, and he�d be shocked to know, is also being considered by a group to run for CFA president. It�s a long story.)

Who is he?

He�s Rico Navarro, the athletic director of the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu and the driving force behind the Cebu Youth Basketball League.

And no, he�s not just a basketball guy.

For sure, he�s no savior and he�d be the first to admit, but I have a feeling that he�d be a good fit. (And yes, it�s the same �good feeling� when the present board took over in 2008).

He�s had the bad experience, too, when sudden changes in rules led to SHS-Ateneo getting defaulted in the Aboitiz Cup when they joined the Rifa Cup, a tournament they were allowed to join last year. And he didn�t react by pulling out his teams.

When this whole issue between CFA and CAFC erupted, about two years ago, I�ve had a lot of talk with Rico and I agree with most of his ideas. That�s why, if I could, I would vote for him.

But that�s just me.

What do you think?