QCU to give up spot in Smart club regional qualifiers

By Cheska D. Geli

Sunday, August 12, 2012
THE CEBU Football Association still has yet to find a team that will represent them in the Smart Club championships regional qualifiers.
This was after Queen City United said it will go through the qualifiers in the UFL second division instead of the regional qualifiers for the Philippine Football Federation Smart Men’s Club Championships.
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In the new format, the top 10 in the UFL Division 1 will get seeded, while the next six spots will come from the UFL Div. 2 and the regional qualifiers. The 12 Div. 2 teams will face off and the winning six will face the six qualifiers to complete the
round-of-16 of the smart men’s championships.
QCU is in a unique spot because aside from playing in the UFL, it also won the Aboitiz Cup last year and the right to represent Cebu in the regional qualifiers, which was supped to be in Dumaguete on Aug. 24 to 26 but has been postponed.
“It will be easier for us (to go through the second division) and less expensive because the format will be a home and away match,” said QCU manager Stanley Villacin.
He also added that they also have greater chances playing in the second division because they will be playing against familiar teams in the recent league.
QCU finished third out of the 12 teams in the second division and will face 10th-ranked Manila All Japan, which they already beat.
Meanwhile, CFA vice president Rico Navarro said that until Queen City submits a formal letter to the CFA, the board will assume that they will represent the CFA for the Club championships.
Villacin admitted he has not yet submitted a formal letter of withdrawal to CFA but has verbally informed some members of the board of their intention to withdraw.
Aboitiz Men’s open runner up Crazy Horse should be next time in line but they drop that option since the team has disbanded.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on August 13, 2012.