JUDGE Leah I. Geraldez has rejected a petition for a Temporary Restraining Order aimed at stopping the conduct of the U16 domestic elimination of the Cebu Regional Football Association.
The petition was filed by parents of 11 players Benthel Asia School of Technology Football Club after some players were deemed ineligible by the CRFA for failing to pass the three-month residency rule.
The CRFA is conducting a domestic qualifiers for the PFF U17 national tournament and invited the eight quarterfinalists of last year’s Aboitiz Cup 14-Under division, including the champion BAST. Under the PFF guidelines for the qualifiers the CRFA can conduct a school based competition, a club-based competition, or a hybrid club-and school based competition. The PFF also specified that the third option does not allow club and school-based teams to combine.
BAST, which failed to play its first scheduled match on Aug. 16 against the University of San Carlos-Education Department, fielded players who were not students of the school but a member of Azkals Development Academy.
On Aug. 20, the parents filed for a TRO, saying under the PFF guidelines, the third option meant it was allowed to field a team of players from BAST and ADA and alleged that the CRFA’s “discriminatory, arbitrary, and malicious” actions “denied their players the “right to be selected by the national team.”
During the hearing on Aug. 26, the CRFA, represented by lawyers John Piasidad, Renee Songalia, and Kirsten Casa, argued that the RTC had no jurisdiction over a sporting matter as the PFF statutes specify the proper judicial body to address such matters to the exclusion of regular courts.
On Aug. 26, BAST has lost two of its three matches and had no chance to advance to the semis. The winner of the local qualifiers will advance to the regional finals, which will determine which team gets to play in the nationals.
In her decision, Judge Geraldez said the rights of the players were not violated as they could still try out for the national team through other means.
“Whether minor plaintiffs would be recruited as players for the national team based on their performance in the Domestic Qualifier is highly speculative and could not possibly be the basis for the issuance of a preliminary injunction,” she said in her decision.
Judge Geraldez also said granting the petition of BAST would invalidate the results of the other games and doing so would violate the rights of the other teams whose rankings has been determined.