Project Guinness or anyone want to be a part of setting a world record?

With Mark Maravilla of the Homeless World Cup Team, Elmer Bedia, and Alex Camara (of the Loyola Meralco Sparks) last night at the Trinity Ihawan along Macapagal Avenue in Manila.

Project Guinness or anyone want to be a part of setting a world record?

by rick olivares

I met up with Mr. Football himself, Elmer Bedia, last night for dinner at the Trinity ihawan along Macapagal Avenue in Manila late last night. Bedia just flew in from Australia where he has resided since 1986 and yet he wanted to meet up. It sure is flattering to know that Mr. Football reads the stuff I write.

Previously, we only met briefly before prior to the home match against Kuwait although we do chatted a lot online about a variety of matters.

Over dinner last night, he recounted how in 2009, he put up an event in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo, a football match that lasted 35 hours! Two teams played this in order to raise money for a charity event and the local ABS CBN station showed highlights of the “match” on television. Bedia heard of a match in Australia that was played for 31 hours and he wanted Filipinos to break the record. Only that “record” was never submitted to the Guinness World Records as Coach Elmer tells me.

So we discussed Project Guinness which to re-attempt and re-play the match… except for one tiny detail. Instead of trying to repeat the feat of a 35-hour match, we are going to play a 38-hour game. You see, while doing my research about the longest football match played, I found this on youtube.

Turns out there was a match in Norway between an English and Norwegian team that was played for 37 hours and in the freezing rain!

However, a cursory check with Guinness World Records site shows that there is no category for the longest football match played. So even if we could theoretically play a nine-hour match, knowing that there is an unofficial record of 37 hours is hanging on top like some specter. So, unofficial or not, we’re going for 38 hours and hopefully, with representatives from Guinness present.

As I discussed with Coach Elmer, there will be two teams of 18 players each who will play 38 hours of football or 25 consecutive matches. Man! Bring out the Gatorade, the Omega Painkiller, Alaxan, Revicon and what have you for this!

For this to get done, we are looking for a couple of volunteers to help out with the marketing, logistics, and promotions for this charity football match. Kindly email me at bleachersbrew@gmail.com. We’re hoping to stage this feat this coming September.