Mr. Kaya is gone
by rick olivares
Last September 6, Kaya Football Club came out with a
statement on its Facebook and Twitter pages:
“Kaya Futbol
Club would like to announce the departure of long-serving players Eddie Mallari
and Anton del Rosario. Eddie joined Kaya in 2006 while Anton joined in 1999.
They have played important roles for Kaya’s success through the years,
especially in our winning the United Football League (UFL) in 2009. Anton
was Kaya’s respected captain who led the team through the challenges and rigors
of the league. After years of service, Eddie and Anton will forever be part of
the club’s history.
Everyone at
Kaya respects their decision and wishes Eddie and Anton the very best. They are
leaving the club with our sincerest gratitude for their massive contributions,
commitment, and dedication to Kaya during their time with us.”
I know that Del Rosario nearly played for the Loyola
Meralco Sparks last season but contractual issues prevented him from suiting
up. Nevertheless, it still comes as a surprise to me that the man who patrolled
the backline -- and occasionally stayed upfield sometimes longer than his
coaches wished him to do – for close to two decades will no longer do so much
more wear #4 for Kaya.
While I wish him the best with Loyola, his new and
second club, I wonder what has happened to my old and favorite local football
team.
Kaya was the first local football club that I
followed and that was during the late-1990s when I saw them playing in the
Ateneo College football field against Philippine Air Force.
Maybe it was because of those canary yellow jerseys
that reminded me of Brazil. Maybe it was because they had some national players
that I knew about and followed back then in Rudy Del Rosario, Alvin Ocampo, and
Freddy Gonzalez. Maybe it was because of those Christmas colored socks they
wore to games that the late Philippine Football Federation General Secretary
Chris Monfort once formally told the club to ditch in favor of conventional
ones (privately, Chris liked them).
Maybe it was a combination of all of that and more.
But I became a fan who went as far as Nomads in Merville to watch them play.
That Kaya also had three of my absolute favorite
footballers in Anton Del Rosario, Aly Borromeo, and Eddie Mallari who were all
on the national team made me a bigger fan. Then years later, they brought in
Chris Greatwich who I have always admired.
When I think of Anton I refer to him as Mr. Kaya. I
think that playing 15 years for that club entitles him to that title. Fifteen years, man! That's even longer than how long many marriages last these days! Even when
there was a mass exodus of players to Pachanga, Del Rosario stayed with the
team. That scored huge points in my book.
I could be wrong here but the only one who has played
as many years or longer for this club is his older brother, Armand. And now, both
are in Meralco along with Eddie, and Freddy (and they even had former Kaya
defender Yves Ashime too at one point).
Unless Aly Borromeo makes a successful comeback, the
last links to the club’s glory years are gone.
Even for Australian coach David Perkovic who compiled
a winning 19-11-5 record in his two years at the helm is gone. Perkovic, with
his high-pitched voice and demonstrative gestures, was an animated figure on
the sidelines for Kaya during matches. But the man provided a measure of
coaching stability to the club that had been plagued by a merry-go-round of
gaffers (five in a two year span).
Players come and go. That’s the nature of sports and
club life. I understand it but that doesn’t mean I accept it. Maybe I am too
old school and think that players and clubs are forever. Of course, we know
that not to be true.
As a long-time Kaya fan, it was a thrill to be able
to conceptualize and organize the Kaya Reunion Matches. It was fun too sitting
amongst the Ultras Kaya as they went about their non-stop cheering during
matches at the Emperador Stadium. I mean, what fan gets to do that for a
football club? And I’m forever thankful to Santi Araneta and Chris Hagedorn for
that opportunity.
 |
| During the press conference for the organization of the first ever Kaya Reunion Match. As a logn-time fan, it was a thrill to conceptualize and organize this. |
When the new UFL season kicks off, I will be watching
once more after a year’s sabbatical. I am not sure what to think of Kaya now.
A friend of mine seeing as to how many different
games and football jerseys I collected asked if I rooted for a club or a
player. I said it’s the club. While I follow some players who move on to other
clubs -- it’s going to be strange to see Anton Del Rosario and Eddie Mallari
with Loyola -- I remain a fan of the original team that I first followed.
Having said that, I will support the club – hey, they
still have Chris Greatwich don’t they -- and its new coach Adam Reekie.
Una Kaya!
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