“I didn’t say anything before because it’s in the past and I had forgiven him and moved on. But the fact that he did it again makes me question his character,” said Tarlac Congressman Charlie Cojuangco.
Former Negros Occidental Football Association (NOFA) President and now Tarlac Congressman Charlie Cojuangco has asked the the leaders of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) to think twice about re-electing Mariano “Nonong” Araneta to a third term as PFF president, as he questioned Araneta’s character and leadership of the PFF.
In a dinner he hosted for media at his home, Cojuangco, a football patron at his Tarlac district, said he was compelled to speak out after being disturbed by Araneta’s mishandling of the PFF’s hosting job for football teams in the ongoing SEA Games, underhanded politicking, and lack of support for football grassroots project.
Cojuangco called out Araneta for disappearing as apologies were being made for the multiple embarrassing problems besetting the on-going football competition in the Southeast Asian Games. Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) head and House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and PFF general secretary Atty. Edwin Gastanes, instead, faced the foreign delegations to make amends.
“You are the president of Philippine football. You are the host for all the football teams. Why send an underling?” Cojuangco asked. “Are you only there front and center when everything is okay?”
Cojuangco added that the PFF as the hosting NSA, should have ensured that all arrangements were in place for the foreign teams and even the Philippine squads, before the start of the Games.
“The PHISGOC is handling everything, yes, but the PFF also has the responsibilty to make sure everything was in order for football,” said Cojuangco.
Cojuangco added that he was disturbed by Araneta’s lack of character with his pattern of personal betrayal and underhanded politics.
“I was compelled to speak out after I found out that he did to Ricky Yanson (the current NOFA president), what he also did to me,” said Cojuangco.
Cojuangco revealed that in 2007, Araneta asked Cojuangco to withdraw from his plan to run as PFF president, because Araneta said he himself was planning to run. Cojuangco said agreed to withdraw for Araneta, only to hear rumors a few days later that Araneta had withdrawn in favor of Mari Martinez.
Cojuangco said he reached out to the media after reading reports that Araneta had promised the PFF presidency to Yanson –only to renege at the last minute.
Regional Football Associations (RFAs) were surprised because the PFF rules only allow the PFF president to serve up to two terms, and were expecting Yanson to succeed Araneta.
“So it’s now an issue of character,” Cojuangco said. “I didn’t say anything before because it’s in the past and I had forgiven him and moved on. But the fact that he did it again makes me question his character.”
Cojuangco also stressed that grassroots development in the sport has suffered during Araneta’s nine-year run as football president, and declared that the new age-group tournaments Araneta is now promising should have been initiated much earlier. In the past four years, the PFF only had one age-group tourney.
Also, Cojuangco says that Araneta and the PFF this year received an award from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for successes achieved by NOFA under Yanson, and is overly dependent on Fil-foreign players and the annual funds given by FIFA, the world governing body for the sport.
“The national team is not the only football the PFF should be involved in. Foreign-born and -trained athletes are just a temporary solution. The building blocks should be grassroots development, and here, Araneta has been found sorely wanting.”
