Cebuanos in futsal team

by Cheska D. Geli

TWO Cebuanos made it to the National Futsal Team that will face other neighboring countries in the upcoming Southeast Asian Games (SEAG).

Honey Mae Thomason and Binky Estrada are among the 15 players picked from the 30 hopefuls who tried out last March. Most players of the team are from Manila, and some are from Masbate and Bacolod.
It will be the first SEA Games appearance for the two. Thomason joined the national team last year and wasn’t able to play in the 2009 SEAG, where the team won a bronze medal, the highest achievement for a football team.

Both started playing the Bro. Mari Aberasturi of Don Bosco College.

Unlike football, Futsal uses a smaller but heavier ball that has less bounce than a regular football.

Football out of SEA Games?

DESPITE problems confronting the Football Association of Indonesia, which may affect Indonesia’s hosting of the 26th Southeast Asian Games, Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta said the national under-23 football team will still continue their preparation for the biennial meet.

Araneta’s statement came in the wake of reports that the International Football Federation may suspend the membership of the Football Association of Indonesia for its failure to elect a new set of leaders during its congress last Friday in Jakarta.
“There is a problem in the hosting of the SEA Games. Baka sila ma-suspend at hindi matuloy ang SEA Games football sa Indonesia,” said Araneta after he was told by PSSI secretary general Joko Driyono that Indonesia has a “2000 percent chance of getting suspended by the

Tiger booter chosen to join under-23 team

by Peter Patencio

UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas’ David Basa became the first homegrown talent to be chosen to join the national under-23 football squad seeing action in the 26th Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia this November.

National coach Hans Michael Weiss told Basa that he’s going to join the Jakarta-bound squad after practice last Thursday at the newly renovated pitch of the Rizal Memorial Track Football Stadium.

De Jong ready to join national team to SEAG

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine football team has not closed its doors on Jason de Jong, the Fil-Dutch midfielder who was dropped from the Azkals crew for disciplinary reasons.
Coach Michael Weiss said the 21-year-old De Jong could return to the Phl fold, albeit not as a member of the Azkals seniors squad yet but via the under-23 team being formed for the Southeast Asian Games.

The defensive specialist has earlier fallen out of Weiss’ graces after he failed to show up in the