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THE
Philippine Football Federation (PFF) will launch the
Filipino Premier League on August 2, the same day the
PFF’s House of Football will be inaugurated by no less
than International Football Federation (Fifa) president
Joseph Blatter and Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
president Muhamed bin Hammam.
Blatter
and Hammam will visit the Philippines for the second
time in less than a year. They visited the country in
December.
PFF
president Jose Mari Martinez said the league will start
a month after the launch and will be coorganized by the
PFF and Sports Vision Management Inc., the same group
that manages the Shakey’s V-League and Baseball
Philippines.
“This
league will be a first under the PFF. We will bring in
the technical aspect while Sports Vision will bring
other aspects like marketing,” said Martinez during
Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at
the Shakey’s United Nations Avenue.
Seven
Metro Manila teams will initially play in the league.
Visayas and Mindanao will have their own tournaments to
determine the national champions.
The
champion team will represent the Philippines in the
Asian Club Championships.
“This
will be the first time we will be sending a team to the
Asian Club Championships. We are already fixing our
papers in our participation,” said Martinez.
The PFF
House of Football, a three-story building at the corner
of Danny Floro and Henry Javier Streets in Pasig City,
was constructed in 2007 through a $400,000 grant from
the Fifa through its GOAL II project, a development
program that helps in the construction of technical
centers, headquarters and pitches.
The
House of Football will be the new administrative
building of the PFF, which currently holds office at the
PhilSports Complex also in Pasig City.
Blatter
and Hammam will arrive in the country on August 1 via a
private plane from Hanoi, Vietnam. |
