By JONAS TERRADO
It will now be the turn of the Philippines Football League training sessions, beginning with three clubs on Wednesday at the Philippine Football Federation National Training Centre in Carmona, Cavite.
PFL commissioner Coco Torre said in Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum that United City, Kaya-Iloilo and Stallion-Laguna are scheduled to train at the Carmona pitch with health protocols to be strictly enforced.
Torre added the training ground has a regulation-size pitch and three smaller versions which allows all players, albeit divided into groups, to practice at the same time.
The PFL has also allotted slots for the Azkals Development Team and Mendiola FC 1991 to train on Thursday, but both clubs are still in the process of addressing some logistical concerns.
Torre is hoping the clubs can successfully observe the protocols as a first step towards a possible start of the PFL season next month.
“Our special instruction to the players is really due diligence,” said Torre, who joined PFF president Nonong Araneta in the online session.
“Itong ginagawa namin amid the pandemic to resume training, ang pinakaimportante is to really sundin yung instructions because each and everyone’s cooperation is vital to what we are trying to achieve,” added Torre.
A sixth club could also train in Maharlika FC, provided it secures the approval of the PFF’s first instance body regarding its application for a club license.
The FIB is deliberating Maharlika’s application at presstime, along with the fate of Global FC, which could likely see its license revoked over repeated failures to meet financial obligations.
Araneta said the PFL will first implement General Community Quarantine guidelines even though Cavite was placed under a more-relaxed Modified General Community Quarantine.
“I think we have to be conservative because we had just started training. Kung nakapagtraining na tayo after two weeks at medyo ok na, then maybe we can tweak it based on the protocols approved by the IATF,” Araneta said.
