MANILA -- The much-awaited arrival of the Philippines Football League (PFL) in Iloilo City will be delayed for a while.
Kaya-Iloilo general manager Paul Tolentino confirmed on Tuesday that the scheduled showdown between his club and Global Cebu at the Iloilo Sports Complex on Wednesday was postponed.
"It's unfortunate that we read the news that Global is not going to travel to Iloilo for the match tomorrow," Tolentino said in a video statement posted on Iloilo's Facebook page.
Following a full season of hosting games at the University of Makati Stadium in Makati last year as well as the first two home games of the ongoing season, Iloilo was supposed to finally set foot at its new home, and it was supposed to come at an opportune time as the club is taking on its old rival.
However, the inability of Cebu to make it to the Philippines' football central, as told by Tolentino, doused cold water on the Ilonggo fans' wait.
"We're obviously very disappointed. The players were looking forward to this match," he said. "This is really an opportunity to the people of the province of Iloilo what Kaya FC is about. With a positive performance tomorrow, we're hoping to rev up the support from the people of the province for the next games in the future."
Tolentino said the PFL notified Iloilo of the development on Monday night through a letter, but he did not disclose the full details of the reason behind it.
"We were just given the information that Global is under some struggles. I'm not in the best position to be speaking about it. If there are more specific questions, they should be addressed to the league or to Global," he added.
To make up for the postponed match, Iloilo will instead hold a fans day at the said venue on Wednesday.
In a related development, Tolentino said Iloilo and Negros agreed on swapping hosting rights to their home games.
Iloilo is supposed to host Negros on May 12, but in the new development, the match will instead be held at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod as Negros gears up for the AFC Cup ASEAN Zone semifinals.
In exchange, their July 7 rematch, a supposed Negros home game, will be held at the Iloilo Sports Complex. Both clubs are to play again on June 9 in Iloilo.
The developments mean that Iloilo will only get to play at the Iloilo Sports Complex on May 20, when the club hosts Davao, and according to Tolentino, the tickets bought for the postponed Iloilo-Cebu match can be used for the Iloilo-Davao clash.
Speaking of Davao and Negros, both teams will meet on Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium here, which will now be the lone match to be played on the said day. (PNA)
