Detractors out to destroy football — PFF chief

Philippine Football Federation president Johnny Romualdez yesterday hit back at his critics, saying few recalcitrant provincial association members are out to destroy the PFF in particular and Philippine football in general by coming out with charges that have already been addressed by his leadership.

Romualdez said that recent actuations of Laguna Football Association president Arturo Pacificador Jr. and National Capital Region FA head Pocholo Borromeo have indicated that they are set to destroy Philippine football and the PFF by sensationalizing whatever fault they can see — real or perceived.

Guesting at the PSA forum last Tuesday, Pacificador and Borromeo hit the PFF for lack of transparency, professionalism and programs that they claimed are the reasons why local soccer is in doldrums.

"All these charges have already been addressed earlier by the PFF," said Romualdez.

He added that the next elections and regular Congress of the PFF will be held in Nov. 2007 and anyone nominated and seconded for president may run. An Extraordinary Congress, Romualdez stressed, may be called by the PFF president or upon request of at least 2/3 of the members, and the president can be removed if the Board of Governors propose such to Congress.

"But no such proposal exists," he said. "As a matter of fact, in the most recent meeting of the board, it was resolved that amendments be proposed to Congress that would effectively change the representation of the NCR in the PFF."

Romualdez’s detractors also pressed for the accounting of the sports association’s books, which Romualdez has already twice declined. The PFF reportedly spent P90 million over the past years and had earmarked P40-million in 2006.

"They seem to want to give the impression the PFF and its elected officials are pocketing funds intended for development. We categorically deny this, as will be proven by the ongoing Internal Audit and has been shown by the FIFA audits and by the reports of our external auditors and by reports to our Congress and to our Board of Governors," said Romualdez.

The PFF chief also disclosed that he had met with Pacificador and NCRFA representative Ramon Jose last week wherein they agreed that their request to audit PFF’s books would be granted when the revocation of the SEC registration is lifted.

The PFF, however, said the three provincial association presidents have already been conducting an internal audit and that the LFA and NCRFA can ask these presidents all the questions they want concerning the PFF’s finances. He added that the PFF is willing to open its books to all qualified parties.

"If the NCRFA makes good of their threat of filing estafa charges, that is its option. If the courts decide that they have a legal identity despite the revocation of their SEC registration, that is the option of the courts. If the courts decide that there is estafa, that is their option. But it is also our option to insist that the recalcitrants work on the lifting of these revocations before opening our books to them. It is also our option to name a reasonable time and date and to define reasonable procedures for any audit," Romualdez said.