DUBAI: The 2nd Philippines-Asian Friendship Cup recently kicked off at Emirates English Speaking School graced by Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes.
Nine teams took part in the tournament, including two Philippine teams – Pinoy FC Dubai and Pinoy FC Aguilas Abu Dhabi; and two from China – the China Soccer FC, China Liere FC.
Other teams were Viking Indonesia, Thailand FC, Nepal FC, Vietnam FC, Sri Lankans FC, and Bangladesh FC.
Friendship was the word emphasized by the consul general to remind the players that at the end of the day whether they are Asian or not, it is important to be friends with each other.
According to Cortes, this is what the United Arab Emirates, especially Dubai, aims to ensure: a safe and peaceful place to dwell in. Furthermore, he wished the entire group to have a clean and disciplined match.
Teams played 7-aside, 7-players per on ground per team; and each game lasted for 15-minutes. The match was done in round-robin format wherein the best of the four moves to the semi-finals; and knockout stage will be the best of two and winner takes it all.
Nepal FC reigned supreme in the final with 3 goals against Pinoy FC’s 2.
One of the founding members of the Pinoy Futbal Club, organizer of the event, Sebastian de Souza, said: “We have organized this game to build up the friendship among the Filipinos here in the UAE, promoting football, and Philippines as well. Additionally, we like to promote camaraderie and love to our brethren in the region.”
Established in 2011, Pinoy Futbol Club (PFC) aspires to promote football in the Filipino community in UAE and the Philippines. Most of the Filipino members in the club came from ex-ASKALS, the national team of the Philippines. The PFC had also organized football events to collect some money for charity works in Mindanao and other parts of the Philippines.
By Iba Ognikob
