Link to article from Philstar.com
MANILA, Philippines - Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon said yesterday he’s ready to give Philippine football a lift and mentioned the possibility of top Spanish stars like striker Raul Gonzalez and goalkeeper Iker Casillas visiting the country to promote the world’s most popular sport.
Calderon, 60, is in town on a business trip with son Jaime. They are guests of former National Power Corp. president Guido Delgado who is exploring a tie-up with Calderon’s company Oasis International in supplying low-cost housing structures ranging in size from 22 to 33 square meters that can be built in eight days. A model unit is now available for viewing in Valenzuela.
For eight years, Calderon was involved with the Real Madrid sports organization in football and basketball. He was elected president in 2006 and played a key leadership role in Real Madrid’s twin La Liga championships in 2007-08, the club’s first back-to-back victories in 18 years. Calderon, a lawyer, left Real Madrid in 2009 after a three-year term as president to concentrate on his law firm, venture into new projects and spend more time with his wife Teresa and their three unmarried children, lawyer Leticia, 32, businessman Jaime, 30, and actress Mariana, 25.
On his first visit to Manila, Calderon is overwhelmed. “I think the Philippines is a booming country,” he said. “There is big potential for everything, even football – why not? I was in Boracay for two days and as I enjoyed the clear water under the blue sky, I phoned my wife in Madrid to tell her I was in paradise. I’ve known about the Philippines since I was a boy in school. The ties between Spain and the Philippines are very close. In fact, we use a few expressions in Spanish with reference to the Philippines like ‘los ultimos de Filipinas’ and ‘desastre de cavite.’”
Calderon, who returns to Madrid tomorrow, said he is excited about initiating social housing projects in developing countries. “I believe that every person has the right to a decent home and my company has come up with a product that makes it affordable to own a sturdy, steel-structured low-cost home,” he said. “We’ve started building homes in Angola, Nigeria, Guatemala, Morocco and Colombia. We want to invest in the Philippines. I’ve introduced Mr. Delgado, who’s involved in energy, to the concept of social housing. I’ve also been fortunate to meet the Spanish Ambassador Jorge Domecq and Mr. Pedro Roxas. I’ve conferred with Mayor Lani Cayetano of Taguig and Senators Allan Peter and Pia Cayetano. I’m looking forward to pursuing projects in the Philippines, including football.”
With his vast experience at the Real Madrid helm, Calderon is in a position to advise the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) on steps to take in bringing the sport to the next level. “I understand the situation with the Azkals, that several players come from overseas and join the Philippine team only for major competitions,” he said. “But that’s not necessarily bad. I think the star players from abroad can do a lot in generating more interest in the game. The key is involving kids to play. Once the interest is created, you’ll see more kids playing. That’s when you establish football academies to teach kids how to improve their game. The Real Madrid Foundation supports academies all over the world. In Argentina, the academy has 1,500 children. In Panama, there are 1,000. In Africa, there are two schools. Many years ago, nobody thought that Africa could produce outstanding soccer players. Now, they’ve got Africans playing for Chelsea, Barcelona, and other top European clubs.”
Calderon said he could use his close relations with FIFA president Joseph Blatter, UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) president Michel Platini, Bayern Munich chairman of the advisory board and football legend Franz Beckenbauer and a slew of Spanish stars like Raul and Casillas to give Philippine football a boost.
“The Spanish Ambassador told me that Real Madrid has plans to help out Philippine football which is excellent,” said Calderon, a former FIFA and UEFA vice president. “There are 95 million Filipinos. Surely, if an academy is in place, we could develop skillful players. In Barcelona, the players aren’t tall but they’re quite skillful and that’s what counts. The top Filipino players could go to Spain for training or play in leagues to gain experience. I could talk to Raul, now playing in Germany, and Casillas to visit the Philippines although I realize their schedules are very busy. I could sit down with Filipino football officials to find out how to work together. I know basketball is the Philippines’ most popular sport and Manny Pacquiao is everyone’s sports hero. But little by little, I think football has a chance to be popular, especially with the Azkals.”
Calderon said when he was with Real Madrid, the club stood for not only playing excellence but also values. “It wasn’t only about winning championships but also playing with values like hard work, humility, discipline, teamwork and sacrifice,” he said. “My job at Real Madrid was exciting but also taxing. When we would win, it was more a relief from the pressure of demanding fans. We would play before 100,000 fans. In Madrid, the fans aren’t like in England where they support their clubs for life. Most Madrileños weren’t born in Madrid so their support is based on performance. During the season, it was like I had to abandon my family. I was constantly traveling. Our club is run professionally. With 400 fixed employees, Real Madrid deploys 2,500 for each home match in the stadium. We have 140 million Euro contract a year for TV and our budget is 480 million Euros a year for football and basketball. You can imagine how stressful the job is. In the end, my wife was fed up and I decided to move on.”
But while he’s not involved with football at the moment, the sport is in Calderon’s blood. And with the Philippines now looming as a major destination in his business map, Calderon might just kick back into football about 7,000 miles away from home.
