AN ERA HAS ENDED: Cheng leaves Filipinas with grateful heart

The beers were cold and the music was loud.

On a balmy Wednesday night, Jefferson Cheng threw a lavish party to players, coaches and team staff as a way of extending gratitude for the support showered on him in his six years as team manager of the national women’s football team.

From a thick crowd, Cheng surfaced to sit down with DAILY TRIBUNE and take a short trip down the memory lane, including the highs and lows of his stint as chief benefactor of the team that made a historic run to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand last year.

But qualifying in the biggest stage of women’s football was supposed to happen as early as 2018 following a sixth-place finish in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Jordan.

“We almost made it to the World Cup. We just missed it by one spot,” said the amiable businessman, looking dapper in his navy blue coat paired with black Filipinas shirt that signifies his all-out love for the squad.

“And then, Sir Nonong (former Philippine Football Federation president Mariano Araneta) said: ‘Let’s give it another shot and let’s prepare really well.’ That’s the time when we assembled the whole team and coaching staff again.”

Like a family

Football runs in Cheng’s blood.

The 58-year-old businessman has been in-love with the “beautiful game” even while he was still studying at Xavier School and University of the Philippines.

“I just played the game casually back then.” said Cheng, who leads the Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions Inc., the country’s leading ground-handling company.

But his love for the game grew when he acquired a stake in the Western Sydney Wanderers, a team in the A-League Women in Australia.

There, Cheng met the most crucial piece in the Filipina’s success: Australian coach Alen Stajcic.

“We have a common friend who brought us together, Jim Fraser, who has been our goalkeeping coach for some time now,” Cheng said.

“He was the one who helped us convince him to take a look at the team. Luckily for us, it happened.”

With Stajcic at the helm, Cheng injected key pieces to the Filipinos as he recruited Filipino-foreign players like Sara Eggesvik, Reina Bonta, and sisters Olivia and Chandler McDaniel.

Then, he showered the squad with resources that enabled it to stage talent identification camps as well as play friendly matches against the best in the world.

He said their relationship was so solid that they were already treating each other like part of their respective families.

“We are not just friends but we built a family together with how long we have been with each other,” Cheng said.

“And we always look out for each other. I think that things will go well sometimes, but together we can solve the problem and overcome it.”

Dedication keys success

The camaraderie and bond forged among members of the team were handsomely rewarded when they emerged fourth in the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in India, a feat that served as their elevator to their historic appearance in the Women’s World Cup.

With their morale soaring high, the Filipinas clinched a bronze medal in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi and clinched the AFF Women’s Championship at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium, proving that they are more than ready to face the best national teams in the world.

But for Cheng, nothing is sweeter than seeing Sarina Bolden wildly running down the pitch after knocking down the goal that gave the Filipinas their first win in the world stage via a 1-0 demolition of host New Zealand.

“I saw the players’ dedication and they would always give their 110 percent in the games,” Cheng said, adding that hard work, commitment, and sacrifices — not skills or talent — keyed their success.

“They would always play up until the last whistle.”

“You gotta have heart. It’s not going to be easy because we were on the road almost every month.” “All the very dedicated and loyal staff. Most of them even volunteer their time.”

Cheng didn’t stop supporting the team after its World Cup stint.

In fact, with the departure of Stajcic, Cheng tapped another Australian mentor in Mark Torcaso to steer the Filipinas in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. They reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Japan, 1-8.

Cheng said to make sure that there will be a smooth transition, he established a solid assembly line of talent featuring young booters who have what it takes to shine against the best in the world.

“That’s why we looked after the U17 and U20 teams also so that there’s an understanding of the system. Tournaments like the SEA Games are not in the FIFA window so we should have players who are familiar with the plays and have an easier time getting into the team,” Cheng said.

Stepping down

But Cheng will never get to see the fruit of his program.

He stepped down as team manager last June due to what he claimed was an “unworkable situation” with the new leadership of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) under John Gutierrez.

Right now, the Filipinas are under the care of PFF national team director Freddy Gonzalez.

Cheng said whoever will be given the chance to serve as team manager of the national booters must display the same drive, hunger, dedication and compassion he had when he was still at the helm.

“I think, No. 1, I hope they know that the staff and coaches that we have are world-class. We won’t be backing down to teams like the United States,” Cheng said, obviously enjoying the night with the same people who were with him when he guided the Filipinas to glory that they never experienced before.

“Hopefully, they will see that and retain the staff.”

The beers were still cold and the music remained loud. Everybody was having a good time.

Then, Cheng politely excused himself, stood up and quietly disappeared into the thickness of the crowd. In just a blink of an eye, he was gone.

Hope there will be another Jefferson Cheng, whose love, passion and generosity for Philippine football will be tough to match.