The stability of the Philippines Football League was put into question again after Ilocos United became the second club to withdraw from the pro league, citing financial concerns.
Ilocos announced the pullout through its Facebook account Thursday, more than a week after Meralco-Manila made a stunning decision to cease operations despite placing third in the last year’s inaugural season.
“Unfortunately, after months of negotiation, efforts to attract a new naming sponsor for the Team were unsuccessful,” the club said. “Consequently, it has become financially prohibitive to continue participation in the PFL.”
The club also citing the league’s failure to secure a broadcast right after government channel PTV 4 decided to cut ties with the league near the halfway point of the season, which would have given clubs the needed revenue to make up for the massive expenses.