JOHN Gutierrez and the Philippine Football Federation have been a favorite target of social media vitriol ever since the new president took over but it was only when Anton del Rosario made a scathing accusation that the PFF has fought back.
Del Rosario, the 7s founder who was already part of the senior team even before the Azkals nickname was born, accused the PFF of pocketing the millions the PFF got for the Fifa Women’s Futsal World Cup hosting through shell companies, even comparing it to the flood control scandal. He also accused the PFF of having no promotion materials and for delayed approvals of funds, what these funds would have been for he didn’t say.
The PFF, while acknowledging it welcomes fair and factual scrutiny, said it is thinking of pursuing legal action in a statement, to which Anton replied in a statement of his own that his “fair comments were made in good faith, without malice, motivated only by a desire to see greater clarity and integrity…”
First of all I don’t think the comment was fair or nor was it made in good faith. Nor do I think such an animal as “fair comment” exists in the untamed wild world of social media. If you want to say something which should be considered fair, you present both sides of the issues, facts, then your opinion, as what most columnists do. I haven’t seen a comment like that, and not just in football pages.
Anton’s comment was six lines long, no facts were presented, only that he heard stories of funds being coursed through shell companies.
Such accusation shouldn’t be taken lightly because if it were true, that shows a collusion between the PFF and the PSC, the funding agency. Also, in August, President Marcos formed an inter-agency task force for the Fifa Futsal World Cup hosting and such task force will scrutinize every peso spent.
Also, does the PFF’s move mean it is allergic to queries from fans who are seeking transparency and accountability. No, there are proper way to do such things or if you want to seek information.
Calling the PFF president names in a comment and asking how the money is spent won’t get you noticed.
When and how does the PFF publicized its finances? During the annual congress and had there been any controversial expenses, we would have heard from the RFAs. But the last time I was interested enough to ask an RFA president what happened when the PFF presented its financial status to the RFAs, he simply said the RFAs were stunned in silence at the sorry state of the PFF’s finances and its numerous obligations.
So yes, I agree with Anton and the fans who have been screaming for accountability and transparency. Let it out, show everything. The next congress is just around the corner, and the PFF should welcome fans or any stakeholders who want to know the state of the PFF’s finances and how it is spending its money.
The PFF should have been under such scrutiny a decade or so ago, when the then growing popularity of the sport meant it was getting money left and right from sponsors and TV rights.
This lack of scrutiny has led to the PFF spending at least P70 million because it lost a case in the Committee for Arbitration in Sports.