Talking about the July 3 home game

RIZAL MEMORIAL FOOTBALL STADIUM, MANILA -- We held the media walkthrough today at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium and it was certainly a swell meeting with my colleagues. We went through the do’s and don’ts, where we are positioned, and where we can cover the match. 

Nice also to catch up with my buds Mark Zambrano, Ryan Fenix, and Craig Burrows (Dude -- on the right -- , finally!). These guys do a good job in covering football since I slackened off. Look them up (Coz Stone Cold said so). Sorry, I cannot go to Sri Lanka. Lots of work here. I wish though.

Here are some guidelines that should help you when watching the match on July 3:

- In the event of really inclement weather, the match can only be called off by the referee. And if it does get called off, it will be played the day after. So pray for good weather! And a win too!

- Umbrellas are not allowed inside the stadium for a couple of reasons: obstruction and it can be used as a missile. Bring raincoats and/or caps instead. I highly recommend that you dress comfortably and prep for the poor weather.

- Security will be tight. There are some 2,000 security – private, police, and military – on hand for the match because of the possible attendance of the President of the Republic as well as for the protection of the Sri Lankan team. There are also reports of possible terrorist activity against their team. And the mindset of the security detail is -- they'd rather be strict than not. The last thing we need is another Luneta shooting-style incident.

- Save yourselves the trouble of bringing those prohibited items I posted earlier such as backpacks, DSLRs etc. There will be no baggage counter to deposit stuff that isn't allowed inside. Having them left behind with security is not a good idea because they are not there to secure your stuff. The only cameras allowed inside are for the legit media. AS FOR MEDIA, IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THE PROPER MATCH ID THEN YOUR REGULAR MEDIA ID IS NO GOOD. AND NOT EVERYONE (JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A WEBSITE DOESN'T MEAN YOU ARE A MEMBER OF MEDIA) WHO APPLIED FOR IT WILL BE GRANTED A PASS. THIS IS NOT SUNDAY IN THE PARK FOR HOBBYISTS. WE WERE ONLY GIVEN A FINITE NUMBER OF SEATS AND PASSES. DEADLINE IS ON THE 27TH.

Should the Philippines advance to the next round, our home match will also be played at Rizal Memorial Football Stadium. The PFF spent some Php3.4 million on renovations and a one-time match is a waste. 

But there’s even more good news, should Indonesia remain suspended by FIFA, the football tournament of the SEA Games will be held in Manila. PFF President Mariano V. Araneta revealed that it was the Asean Football Federation member nations that ventured forth the idea. So that’s more football for us and an opportunity to cheer on the national team. But chew on this nugget -- in 1991, when we hosted the SEA Games, the football matches were held at Rizal Memorial Football Stadium. We had out best ever finish in that tourney. Can you say deja vu and maybe a better finish?

More details in the next few days!!! Thanks to my colleagues for attending in spite of the horrible weather.

 Us at the players' entrance at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium. All systems are go!