MANILA – The Copa Paulino Alcantara tournament taking place this year is unlikely following the delay of the Philippines Football League (PFL), Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president Mariano Araneta said.
According to Araneta, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic which continues affecting the country has pushed back the opening of the PFL to next month, possibly, and has made Copa impossible to be played.
“We will push through with the PFL if they will allow it. But with the shortened tournament, I don’t think we can have the Copa Alcantara,” said Araneta in a report published on aseanfootball.org.
The Copa Paulino Alcantara, which should be staging its third edition this year, was named after Filipino-Spanish football legend Paulino Alcantara. He was born in Concepcion, Iloilo in 1896.
Alcantara, then 15 years-old, took FC Barcelona (one of the best Spanish football clubs in the world) by storm when he scored three goals in his first ever game for the team over a hundred years ago.
It was all history next for the Filipino-Spaniard as he scored a total of 369 goals during his 15-year career with Barcelona – club record for most number of goals scored by any player until Argentinian superstar Leo Messi broke it.
Ceres-Negros FC is the defending champion of the Copa Paulino Alcantara after dethroning Kaya Futbol Club-Iloilo in the one-game finale last year, 2-1. Robert Lopez Mendy and Tristan Robles were the goal scorers for the Negrense team.
Meanwhile, Araneta said that the PFF officials are waiting for the final approvals from the Games and Amusements Board and Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases for the top-flight league to kick off./PN
