Ilonggos break soccer marathon record

ILOILO CITY – Players from Barotac Nuevo town have broken the world record for marathon soccer by playing for over 35 hours.

Organizers and officials of the World Football Marathon (WFM) will meet today to finalize the documentation of the match, including the continuous video coverage of all the games, in order for the event to be certified by the Guinness World Records (GWR), Duffie Botavara, secretary general of the Iloilo Football Association, told The STAR.

“We are preparing the documentation and the records of the game for our efforts to be recognized,” he said, adding that for now, the record is unofficial.

Organizer Elmer Bedia, a former national player and Philippine’s Mr. Football in 1986, explained that a GWR certification in favor of the WFM is required to break the record set in Australia.

The soccer teams of Barotac Nuevo Comprehensive National High School (BNCNHS) and the Iloilo State College of Fisheries (ISCOF) played against each other for 35 hours and 20 minutes at the town’s public plaza.

The match began around 8:40 a.m. Friday and ended at around 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

A total of 19 games were played, each lasting for 45 minutes.

ISCOF prevailed over BNCNHS, 136-133, in what Botavara called “a tight match.”

“It wasn’t a giveaway match. Both teams played tight defense, the reason for the low score, unlike that in Australia,” he said, comparing their match to the one in Armidale, Australia, where Joeys Football Club won with about a hundred point-advantage over its opponent in a game that lasted for 32 hours and 50 minutes.

Of the 19 games played, ISCOF and BNCNHS each won eight matches, and tied in three.

“Although the players were already tired, they could have played one more game, had it not been for the coaches who decided to end the game,” Botavara said.

In fact, he added, the last game was very physical, with one player shoving his opponent at one point.

“Their intensity was so great they were still putting up tight defense up to the last match. It was so intense that the teams nearly got into a fight when one player shoved his opponent during the last game,” he said.

“I expected the players to only last until 8 a.m. Saturday because at around 2 a.m. that day, they were no longer running. Now I believe in the passion and commitment of our players,” Botavara stressed. 

After the last game, 4th District Rep. Ferjenel Biron awarded the players from the two teams with cash and medals.