‘Azkals should learn to respect sports officials’

A senior colleague advised me not to touch the issue between AFC match commissioner Cristy Ramos and Azkals Lexton Moy and Angel Quirado.
“We don’t know the circumstances. Did Cristy’s group knock before they entered the Azkals locker? Were the Azkals informed of the inspection beforehand?’” my colleague asked, adding that this matter has escalated into a network war which he detests.
GMA, he said, is in support of Cristy while ABS-CBN is protecting the Azkals, who have a live contract with the network.
“Keep off it,” he repeated. It was a friendly advice. Or so I think.
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A couple of days ago, GMA aired an interview with Cristy, who had filed sexual harassment charges with the AFC against the two Azkals. Cristy was a member of the varsity football team during her college days and later became an official of the Asian Football Confederation, a position she acquired through her own merits and not because of the influence wielded by her once powerful father, former President Fidel V. Ramos.
At one time, Cristy also was the president of the Philippine Olympic Committee.
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As Cristy related on national television, the Azkals changing quarters was in disorder when her small entourage entered. As match commissioner, she said it was her duty to check the team’s accreditation one by one.
“The room was noisy, everyone was laughing, there was no discipline. When I started calling the players one by one, Lexton Moy took a place directly to my right although it was not yet his turn. Then he announced in a loud voice, “must be a cup B!” The room roared with laughter.
“When it was Angel Guirado’s turn to be checked, he stood in front of me clad only in his briefs, so I proceeded to inspect his ID. Since he was much taller than me, my eyes were downcast as I scanned the card. Obviously the team saw malice in this and they started laughing again.”
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Yesterday I texted Cristy to ask her what she was wearing when she made the inspection. I told her maybe her mere presence could have caused the team’s testosterone levels to rise and go haywire.
Cristy is a sexy, attractive woman.
“I always wear a suit when I do matches,” was her short, cold answer.
Also yesterday, some enterprising reporters caught Cristy’s parents Fidel and Ming Ramos at the airport where they were taking a flight to Taiwan for a business trip.
Asked to comment on his daughter’s predicament, the former president said Cristy has been a sports official for a long time, “and she’s doing her job well. The Azkals should learn how to respect sports officials and they should start winning games!”
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For election lawyer Romulo Makalintal, the fight between Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista and impostor Genaro Pantenta Garcia is unquestionably “one for the books.”
“But what is most strange, if not totally shocking, was the fact that the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) allowed the fight when it was a clear violation of the permit it issued to the promoters,” Makalintal said.
As the promoter of the fight, ALA Promotions should have discontinued the bout, said Makalintal.
“Mr. Angel Aldeguer should have just proceeded with the undercard events since he already reimbursed those who have purchased tickets.
As for Bautista, he could have shown the highest degree of a true sportsman had he not agreed to fight that boxer who was in poor form and certainly a mismatch for him. He should have not taken advantage of the clear weakness of his opponent.
“What if that boxer sustained serious injury in that fight? Then Bautista, the GAB and ALA promotions would be held responsible and we would be criticized by the entire boxing world for being so insensitive on a clear and present danger in such a very lopsided boxing bout.
“Under the law, the GAB does not only issue permits for the holding of professional sports but “supervises its actual conduct” which means personal presence and supervision during the actual contest. Hence, GAB should be the very first to stop that fight which was clearly in violation of the permit it issued.”