In this column of Dec. 4, I wrote about Foundation University banning two football coaches and a young player of a city elementary school from all FU-organized games for a period of one year. The two coaches had fielded the young player who was over-aged, and when confronted by an FU coach, one of the two coaches punched the FU coach, while the parents of the over-aged player heckled at the FU coach. When the FU assistant director for sports approached the organizers table manned by NORFA officials to complain, he was ignored, and the tournament in-charge refused to take action and correct what was blatantly a violation of the rules promulgated by NORFA for the conduct of the City’s Sandurot Fiesta Football Cup. In a letter sent by FU to the principal of the elementary school, both coaches and the young boy were given up to Dec. 31 to appeal the FU ban. This notice was ignored.
But that’s not the end of the story. During the Christmas break, in an informal football game where one of the coaches and the FU assistant director were present, this coach approached the FU sports official and threatened him with the words akin to in Tagalog: “Uubusin ko lahi mo.”
This violent behavior manifested by the coach is believed to be due to his being banned by FU which he attributes to the FU official because it was him who complained to the tournament officials during the Sandurot Football Cup.
The coach is now facing charges of grave threats filed by the FU official with the barangay captain.
As director of the FU Institute of Youth Sports for Peace (IYSPeace) which overseers the University’s sports and wellness program, I am confronted with questions on how to reconcile my beliefs in the potentials of sports for good, and the current attitude manifested by some sports stakeholders in the University Town.
I have been involved in physical education and sports education for some two score years, and this is what I have always believed in: sports competitions are organized to provide opportunities for young children and youth to learn the values of sportsmanship and fair play, discipline and hard work, questing for excellence, respect for authority, and the inner peace of humility and personal pride developed through participation.
Sports is not a medium for coaches and participants to indulge in cheating and violence. Millions of pesos, man hours and resources are expended in the organization of sporting activities and for unscrupulous persons to use these occasions as opportunities to allow young people to indulge in cheating and violence–condoned by parents and officials as had taken place during the Sandurot Football Cup, must be stopped by all concerned people in our University Town.
Thus, the FU administration decided not to take part in any sporting event where the two banned NORFA coaches are allowed to participate.
And for FU to support NORFA-organized events, the association must manifest its support for the University’s campaign to rid sports of misfits and malpractices in our midst.
We call on NORFA to respect and support the FU campaign to put a stop to the seeming-impunity being tolerated in sporting events in Negros Oriental.
We are happy to report that in a recent meeting with Engr. Junny Dumalag, head of the provincial sports office, and Provincial Administrator Arnel Francisco, they fully support our proposal for the institution of a training and accreditation program for sports coaches. In the words of Dumalag: “We must start with the coaches, infusing them with sound values.”
We likewise seek the support of the academic institutions, the local government officials for this campaign to create a sporting culture that nurtures the traditional values and potentials for good of sports embodied in the Olympic ideal: “Sports is Peace.”
On another note, KRI, the popular eating place located along Silliman Ave. serving delicious and nutritious food priced affordably to beckon regular visits, is now a partner of FU’s conservation campaign. Visit KRI Restaurant and find out what this partnership is all about.
