Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio is looking forward to sit down with International Football Federation (FIFA) president Gianni Infantino to discuss the possibility of having the country host more international football events.
Gregorio said meeting the Swiss-Italian football chief during the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup on 21 November at the Philsports Complex will be a perfect opportunity for them to discuss the country’s initiative of boosting the sports tourism initiative of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
He said the inaugural Futsal Women’s World Cup is a good test for the country’s capability of hosting future FIFA competitions.
“When I was informed that the FIFA president would fly to Manila, that’s when we have to capture the moment. That’s when we tell him we’re ready to host more FIFA events,” Gregorio said.
“That’s when we asked him to help us develop football in the Philippines. We can be very good at this.”
Gregorio cited the potential of futsal to grow in the Philippines after seeing the huge turnout in the Batang Pinoy in General Santos City last October.
“If FIFA is giving us the opportunity to host here, that means they will also allow us to develop the sport,” Gregorio said.
“We have 112 million Filipinos — how many young kids? When I attended Batang Pinoy in General Santos, I was pleasantly surprised — hundreds of futsal players. The grassroots development of futsal is fantastic.”
The Philippines’ campaign will not be easy as it will face powerhouse squads Poland, Morocco and Argentina in Group A with only the top two teams of each group will advance to the knockout stages.
Tuloy FC striker Isabella Bandoja and Filipinas forward Katrina Guillou will banner the Filipina5 in this prestigious futsal tourney.