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| Pinoy street kids off to Street Child World Cup |
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| Thursday, 18 February 2010 20:42 |
 YOU can take this guy out of football, but you cannot take football out of this guy.So after organizing the successful 2009 stint of several street children in the Homeless World Cup in Italy, Ed Formoso has come up with his latest project: sending a different set of kids to this year’s First Deloitte Street Child World Cup next month in Durban, South Africa. As any football-loving fan knows, South Africa will be the epicenter of the world’s No. 1 sport when it hosts the World Cup finals in July, and the March 14 to 23 event for street children is one of those activities meant to hype up the “Olympics” of football. The nine players set to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience are skipper Erica Mae Inocencio, John Robert Gaerlan, Ladylyn Ampe, Noriel Pineones, Mario Titoy, Raymond Ilona , Jayson Simangan, Roberto Orlandez, Jr and Lorelyn Cabanayan, Formoso said. “But we have two alternates -- Jonah Garrido and Gerry Boy Joaquino -- should anyone of them be unavailable for the trip,” he added. The Pinoy footballers will go up against Brazil, Ukraine, and Tanzania in Group B of the competition. Group A is made up of India, the UK, Nicaragua and host South Africa. Formoso said the team members were chosen in tryouts organized last year at the La Salle Greenhills football grounds through the efforts of the Harry V. Moran Foundation, which was set up by businessman and former national player Danny Moran. Other adult members of the team are coach Jess Landagan, assistant coach James Gates, social worker Marivi San Juan and British expat Craig Burrows, the team manager and largely responsible for soliciting support for the team’s trip. A director of the British Chamber of Commerce, Burrows, a Manila resident of three decades, virtually was able to solicit most of the side’s supporters such as Deutsche Bank and other supporters such as Deloitte, Angus Lawson Memorial Trust, Mitre, Whitehouse Scientific, Amos Trust and Amici, Formoso said. “He’s a true-blue football lover and this team is fortunate to have him.” Contrary to popular belief, this bunch of young people are no underdogs. They actually have a strong chance of competing against the best in the world,” Formoso, a former marketing and PR guy of the local football association, quoted Burrows as saying. Of course, all of the players bound for South Africa are absolutely thrilled not only to play but also to go out of the country for the first time. Take the case of team captain Inocencio, who said: “Hindi ko inexpect na makukuha ako dito para irepresent ang Philippines . . . Binago ng football ang buhay ko.” Providing the tough love and training for the players is Landagan, himself a former child of the streets but whose adverse experience did not stifle his spirit but used it to be springboard to improve his lot in life. “A trip like this requires a lot of logistics so we still need more support to cover the other team needs,” said Formoso, who is hosting a fund-raiser at the Howzat Sports Bar in Jupiter, Makati City tomorrow. Fora ticket of P1,000, those who come will be entitled to drinks, Howzat’s great food, an auction and raffle supported by Etihad, JEC, Asian Eye Institute, Apo Reef Club and the British Chamber of Commerce, among others, he said. Well, that’s Formoso, the football impresario for you, and we can only wish all of the players and members all the success in the world in helping keeping the sport alive and kicking. Here and there: Looked who paid a surprise visit at the Journal Group offices yesterday but good friend and all-around sports official Red Dumuk, who, if we are not mistaken, is involved in at least four sports – or is it more?...The CHED National Games opens on Monday with colorful ceremonies at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. |
