
The Starstruck Referee
By Azkals.com
Professional football in the Philippines is still in its infancy. Maybe not really a full blown professional yet, but I'm pretty sure we are going that way.
With it are growing pains of some sort is inevitable, including the referees' officiating.
I was in Cagayan de Oro to watch the PFF Smart Club Championships last August 9, and I witnessed some of those first times. In the pre-match ritual, I saw for the first eleven players holding hands with kids in soccer attire.
In the first match between Smart San Beda FC and Bao Breakers. A lot peoples' eyes men and women were glued to the players in red and white especially to the media darlings James and Phil Younghusband.
Women were shrieking every time the Younghusbands hold the ball. We all knew that women and a few gay men's admiration of the Younghusbands are in the matters of heart.
But there's one man on the pitch was secretly admiring one of the Younghusband brothers, specifically James. This man's sexual orientation is still to be known, but basing on his appalling officiating, it led me to think that he loves James Younghusband.
My suspicions started when referee Wilfredo Bermejo controversially slapped a yellow card on Micko Pendang of Bao Breakers. It was a corner kick, another San Beda player was in the corner to kick the leather, James was close to the kicker, probably waiting for the ball to pass to him. Pendang who was inside the box, quickly ran to mark James Younghusband, but the latter elbowed Pendang. Pendang was not physicall at all, but too close.
The whistle sounded, the referee ran to both players, picked a card in his pocket. And faced the yellow card on the Bao Breakers player. Wow. Just wow.
It did not end there.
James Younghusband committed a lot of fouls on the opposing winger of Bao Breakers. Younghusband should have been given a card for the repeated fouls.
I hope the PFF referees would learn from this, not getting starstruck or in love with our goodlooking football stars.
People don't take my article seriously.
