DAVAO AGUILAS-BELMARE OWNER JEFF CHENG (second from left) DURING THE LAUNCHING OF THE DAVAO AGUILAS SHOHAN BELMARE FC PARTNERSHIP IN MANILA. (Jack Biantan)
By Jack Biantan
AFTER several hours of speculations, Davao Aquilas-Belmare FC owner Jeffrey Cheng confirmed that the lone professional football team from Mindanao will no longer have a professional football team.
A thread in the internet last night circulated by sports writer Cedelf Tupas that the Aguilas will not participate in the next Philippine Football League (PFL) season was confirmed by Cheng.
“Yes DABFC will not field a pro team anymore. Sorry to all our supporters,’’ said Cheng in a text message to this writer.
Cheng added that he is still in Singapore and he will make an official statement when he gets back. “I will let you know the reasons for the decision. Thank you always for your support,’’ he added.
He said that all the players of the Aguilas were already informed and were already told to look for options and they will be released to look for other teams here in the Philippines or abroad.
“Most of our players are good so I do not see them having problems joining other clubs,’’ he said.
He also said that they have to discuss when he comes back on what to do with the club itself.
Cheng also assured the Philippine football community that he will continue to help Philippine football focusing on the grassroots development and the construction of the facilities and programs in Davao City.
It is another sad chapter to the struggling professional club football in the country. It is also bad news for the Philippines Football League which is now under new management and is supposed to be re-launched on March next year as Philippines Premier League.
With this new negative development, only Ceres Negros FC, JPV Marikina, Kaya Iloilo, Laguna Stallions, and Global Cebu has remained. Ilocos FC, and Manila-Meralco Sparks folded up early this year.
The loss of Davao Aguilas-Belmare is a big setback for professional club football in the country. The club just recently partnered with Shohan Belmare FC of Japan and has announced the construction of their football specific stadium in Davao City.
Last year, club acquired some of the best professional footballers in the country like the Younghusband brothers James and Phil to bolster its line-up this season. The gamble paid off as the club finished runner-up to Kaya Iloilo FC in the inaugural Paulino Alcantara Cup last October. (l.biantan@gmail.com)
