Football teams complain of shabby treatment

Phisgoc apologized to foreign delegates for the confusion and chaos. #2019SEAGames

Players of the Timor-Leste football team anxiously wait at the airport for the bus that will shuttle them to their hotel in Manila.(Twitter)

What was supposed to be a festive and competitive start of the 30th Southeast Asian Games was marred with disaster as four football teams raised complains over the shabby treatment by the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc).

Football players from Thailand, Timor Leste, Myanmar and Cambodia ranted on social media after the local organizing body failed to pick them up from the airport ahead of the opening match of the men’s football tournament on Monday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

The Thai delegates had to cancel their first training after organizers booked it at the Biñan Football Stadium in Laguna, which is about two hours away from their billeting area at the Century Park Hotel with heavy traffic expected at the South Luzon Expressway where the bus for the teams will pass.

Instead, they broke sweat by holding a workout session in the streets.

They also ranted about the shortage of rooms as organizers squeezed in three people in a twin-sharing accommodation as well as the food ration, which is the same in every meal, and the limited water supply.

Fortunately, the Prime Minister of Thailand vowed to solve the situation by sending Thai food and additional staff to make sure that athletes and coaches will be at their best as they shoot for the football title.

“As a policy for a footballer, I want players to have a good environment and perfect good meal. I wish organizers can provide these for our team players,” said Thai manager Akira Nishino during the pre-tournament press briefing.

Also suffering early SEA Games woes were Timor Leste, Myanmar and Cambodia.

Timor Leste athletes had to wait for three hours at the airport and were brought to the wrong hotel before finally settling in while Cambodian booters had to sleep on the floor to get their rooms ready.

The Burmese, for their part, waited “for a very long time” and were squeezed into a small vehicle that drove them from the airport to their hotel.

“Myanmar planned to do some training in the evening before,” a report from the ASEAN Football News reads.

“But now, they can’t do team training as planned and expected because of these problems.”

In a statement before noon of Sunday, Phisgoc apologized to foreign delegates for the confusion and chaos.

Phisgoc chief operating officer Ramon Suzara said the mix-up in the hotel of the Cambodian squad was just part of the “confusion” that usually happens before a major international tournament such as the SEA Games, Asian Games and the Olympics.

“We sincerely apologize to our athlete guests from Timor-Leste, Myanmar and Cambodia for the inconvenience caused to them by the confusion regarding their transportation and hotel arrangements,” said Suzara, speaking on behalf of Phisgoc chairman Alan Peter Cayetano.

“While Phisgoc strives to ensure proper coordination of the arrival details, airport welcome and transportation provisions of all international teams to their respective assigned hotels, we acknowledge our shortcomings in this particular incident and vow to do better.”

Phisgoc also justified that their games services department was informed late on the change of arrival details of the Cambodian team, which affected the accommodation of the delegates.

“Instead of the arrival time initially relayed to Phisgoc, the Cambodian team arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 4 a.m. Transportation was immediately provided, but their hotel rooms were not yet available because the standard check-in time is 2 p.m.”

Phisgoc officials also stressed that they requested a function room for the participants “where the members could rest and feel comfortable while waiting for their rooms.”

The organizing committee, however, did not give any explanation on the delay of the transportation arrangements of the Burmese squad or the mishap suffered by the Thai team.