By Ivan Suing

@tribunephl_ivan

Another prominent figure is stepping away from the Philippine Football Federation (PFF).

Multiple sources told DAILY TRIBUNE that national team director Freddy Gonzalez had already resigned due to “irreconcilable differences” with the leadership of the country’s football body.

No specific reason was given except that the development will be a major blow to the PFF under the leadership of John Gutierrez.

Prior to Gonzalez’s resignation, the PFF was rocked with exodus among its top executives, including men’s team backer Dan Palami, women’s team patron Jefferson Cheng, and women’s futsal supporter Danny Moran.

Gonzalez is considered as an asset to the country’s national football program.

A former striker for the national team from 1997 to 2002, Gonzalez was appointed in 2024 to oversee the development of both the men’s and women’s squads.

He played an integral role in the selection of coach for the men’s squad and helped bring in Tom Saintfiet of Belgium and Albert Capellas of Spain.

He was also a key factor in bringing in Filipino-foreign players such as Randy Schneider, Bjorn Kristensen, and Gerrit Holtmann, who played for VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga.

Gonzalez was a staunch believer in recruiting the best Filipino footballers available, regardless of whether they are local or overseas-based, in light of other Southeast Asian nations opting to naturalize European players in their squads.

“I’ll never naturalize somebody who doesn’t have any Filipino heritage. That’s not something that I would like to do,” said Gonzalez, a statement that contradicts the stand of the PFF which opts to have Philippine-born talents.

“I believe we have enough talented Filipino players here and abroad, so we don’t need to go that route and try to naturalize foreigners who have nothing to do with the country and have no Filipino blood, who have no relationship to the Philippines.”

Gonzalez’s efforts paid off after the men’s squad made it back to the semifinal of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup in 2024 after six years.

The Nationals even pulled off a shocking 2-1 victory over powerhouse Thailand last December, a feat that hasn’t been done since 1972.

With Gonzalez on his way out, there could be huge repercussions for both the men’s and women’s squads.

In the men’s game, the PFF could have a hard time wooing Major League Soccer player Owen Wolff as well as brothers Anthony and Nick Markanich to help bolster the squad, especially in the ongoing AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Meanwhile, the Filipinas could also suffer as, without a benefactor on board, they might not be able to conduct friendly matches overseas to help in their preparation for various competitions in 2025.

They are set to play in various tournaments like the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers from 29 June to 4 July, ASEAN MSIG Serenity Cup from 6 to 19 August, and the 33rd Southeast Asian Games from 9 to 20 December.