Accountability in Philippine regional football

Accountability in Philippine regional football

By Rick Olivares

 

One of the huge problems in Philippine sports is how many officials are entrenched on their perches. This is one country I know no matter how bad the charges of corruption, scandal, or ineptitude these officials still cling on to their positions as if it is their divine right. They use words like “for the good of the game”, “for the people or constituents”, or “for unity”. 

 

I have followed Philippine football for quite some time and have written about it – both in exhilarating manner or even bad when I have trumped out cases of corruption or exposes. There is good and bad, but the one that is sorely lacking is accountability.

 

All the more there should be checks and balances along the way.

 

Through the years, we have heard and learned about non-performing football associations. These are the regional organizations in charge of the game in their respective locales. They all have their leaders and charts and plans. When they put up an event, many request for budgets then submit a report that includes attendance, pictures, programs, and others.

 

In my opinion, each and every FA should be asked to submit a three-year plan – short and long term goals -- complete right down to the detail. They should receive marks from their constituents and from an independent body that will review everything. It is like in school, or at least when I was teaching where the students rate their professors. But more checks and balances should be in place. An independent review board consisting of non-federation personnel should also review everything at the end of the year. 

 

This way, people can keep tabs on what has been accomplished and what is not going well. It keeps people on their toes. And if they receive failing marks at the end of their term, they should not be allowed to run for re-election. Officials should provide leadership, counsel, and support and not hide behind positions or security of tenure. People should be reminded that they serve the game and its constituents and it is not the other way around.

 

Having said that, I would like to recommend that these regional officials be equipped with certain teachings. I think our national football officials should look into the NBA’s Rookie Transition Program. 

 

Yes, if you can learn from other sports, why not? 

 

The NBA’s Rookie Transition Program was put together by the NBA and the Players Association. It is a mandatory four-day interactive seminar where these kids are given crash courses in financial literacy, career development, media training, diversity and inclusion, league history, stress management, nutrition and hydration, and social media responsibilities.

 

Most local football officials are former players or coaches with lack of training in many of those aspects. They rely on the federation for funding and sundry. And that isn’t fair to the federation because there is a finite amount of money.

 

And you can see this across the board including clubs who think putting up a team is easy as 1-2-3. Yes, slap the sponsor’s logo on the kit and all is fine. Post the pictures on social media and tag some folks and that is fine. They do not know that it is even harder to find your space in the traffic-lined paths of cyberspace.

 

Hence, the need for such a program like the NBA’s Rookie Transition Program. And in the end, it should filter those who grow the game and those who cannot.

 

The proof should not only be in the number of tournaments or festivals. It should be in the quality of those programs as defined by the players who move up from the school system to the clubs and the various national teams. It should be in the quality of coaches and the quality of referees. It should be the growth of the game where one can tap into regional sponsors as opposed to national sponsors.

 

In my observation, many thought the money would pour right in after 2010. It did for some, but not for most. As it is, a lot of what came in was either disposable income or ad-spend. And the question is – where are those sponsors now? Some of those sponsors consider the budgets they invested in as expenses. And when you put it in that term, when it comes to belt tightening more so in this time of pandemic, you cut down on expenses.

 

I found it funny how some 12 years ago, a collegiate league official asked that they be cut some slack from criticism because they are only learning their running a league. And that smacked of incompetence and a startling lack of capability. The leagues have been around for decades and they are still trying to learn how to run it? Granted that some school officials move around after a few years and yet, it still is not an excuse. No wonder there are problems and controversies year after year. 

 

Much must be done for grassroots football for it to thrive. For the longest time, people did their own thing to survive or to grow the game. And when the game got popular, everyone held on to their turf and asked for more. 

 

The sport is at a crucial stage in my opinion. What is done at this point will tell how we fare in the future. It is funny how some people pray for another “Miracle of Hanoi” to give the sport another shot in the arm. I guess what people forget is you don’t just pray for it; you work for it.