BACOLOD CITY – Mariano “Nonong” Araneta formally announced his decision to run for re-election as president of the Philippine Football Federation, citing a desire to maintain unity among the country’s football stakeholders.
Araneta officially threw his name in the hat during an evening gathering hosted by Ceres-Negros club chairman Leo Rey Yanson and attended by key personalities led by Azkals team manager Dan Palami.
“Rest assured I will do my best to develop football more,” Araneta told the attendees that included heads of various football associations around the country.
The PFF is scheduled to hold elections during its national congress on Nov. 28, with Araneta’s bid for a third four-year term to be challenged by Negros Occidental Football Association President Ricky Yanson.
Araneta admitted that he initially planned to run as vice president and allow Yanson to run for presidency. But fears of potential rift within the federation prompted him to change his mind.
“Running as vice president was just an idea for supporting somebody for president,” Araneta said. “But because of the circumstances right now, then I am forced to run again to protect football from the infighting.
“And what I perceive is that if I don’t run, I think there will be a lot of people running and this will not be good for football because it will really create a disunity among member associations.”
He did not go into details, but it is likely related to the bitter feud between the Yanson siblings over the control of the Ceres bus company.
Araneta’s announcement came on the heels of PFF’s negotiation to build its new headquarters in Carmona where the National Training Center is located.
He also inked a deal that will have Qatar Airways as title sponsor for the Philippines Football League, the national league that has been dealing with difficulties since its formation in 2017. (Jonas Terrado)
