Ilonggo players play non-stop soccer

ILOILO CITY – Players in Barotac Nuevo town begun yesterday a marathon game of soccer in an attempt to break the world record.

Joeys Soccer Club holds the record for having played non-stop for 32 hours and 50 minutes in Armidale, Australia, according to the internet.

Players from the Barotac Nuevo National Comprehensive High School and the Iloilo State College of Fisheries will play soccer against each other for up to 34 hours, or until around 8 p.m. today to break the record, Duffie Botavara, secretary-general of the Iloilo Football Association, told The STAR yesterday.

Australia-based Elmer Bedia, a former national player and Philippine’s Mr. Football in 1986, organized the match, dubbed World Football Marathon, to highlight Barotac Nuevo as the soccer capital of the Philippines and test the players’ commitment and passion for the sport, Botavara said.

“We’ve made a name for ourselves in the country, now it’s time to take on the world. Most of the national soccer players in the country are from the town of Barotac Nuevo.

“So far everything’s okay, although some of our players are tired and some suffered cramps, but it’s just normal,” he said of the marathon match. “Besides, we have substitute players who fill in for those who need rest.”

The two teams began playing at the public plaza at 8:40 a.m. yesterday, Botavara said.

“As of 1:30 pm, when I went home to take a rest, the score was 4-4,” he said yesterday, during a phone interview at around 2 p.m.

The two teams, which have 18 players each, will play for 45 minutes, after which they have a ten-minute break. That would be the sequence until they shall have played for at least 34 hours, he said.

“There’s no sleeping here. They will continue to play even at night,” he said.

If they need rest, players can have one at a nearby lounge, but they cannot go home. Players will also be eating their meals in the bench. Botavara said.