THE country's hosting of the inaugural FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup was hailed as a huge success, with teams from 15 countries coming over to vie for the championship which was being contested for the first time.
The visitors apparently enjoyed their stay and in the process, earned for the Philippines praises for a job well done.
When it ended, with Brazil winning the championship over Portugal, FIFA, the world football federation, gave the country high marks for the professional manner it conducted and prepared for the event.
READ Brazil is inaugural FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup champion
But behind the seeming smooth operation, there were ramblings about how local officials had ignored the needs and requirements of its own team, known as the Filipina5, the five signifying the number of players on the field.
The Philippines, as host, was in the main draw, but instead of celebrating its World Cup debut, some of the national players laid out a harrowing tale of negligence, poor management, and indifference by officials of the Philippine Football Federation.
According to sources familiar with the situation, the players were billeted in substandard quarters while they trained for the tournament, with no potable water and inadequate food. Though they were soon able to join the other teams in plush hotels when the tournament started, the situation did not improve in other areas.
Players complained that when there was a need to seek medical attention, a player nearly fainted from hunger, having fasted for many hours as she waited for a blood test. In another instance, one player had to walk in the rain to reach the hospital. There were days when no shuttle service was available for the team.
The complaints were in stark contrast to the federation’s public assessment of the event, which was funded heavily by FIFA, (the international football federation) and backed by a multimillion-funding from the Philippine Sports Commission, which also covered the renovation that turned PhilSports Arena in Pasig City into a futsal field.
Futsal, by the way, is five-a-side football and mostly played indoors.
FIFA, in a bid to push women's futsal to a new level, shouldered the plane fare, food and accommodation of all the players and officials as well as all federation officials who were in Manila for the November 21 to December 7 showcase, sources said.
To illustrate just how badly the world body wanted this thing to grow, FIFA big boss Gianni Infantino blew into town to attend the opening and during his stay, conferred with local sports officials including Phililippine Olympic Committee president Bambol Tolentino and Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick Gregorio.
'Unfurnished living quarters'
But while Infantino and other visitors were impressed, some members of the national team felt they were getting short shrift from its own officials.
Sources told SPIN.ph, that the players were initially housed in quarters with "unfurnished living spaces lacking in basic necessities such as sufficient drinking water and kitchen equipment."
The untidy quarters, one source added, may have caused some players to get sick.
“The accomodation didn’t have pots and pans or sufficient drinking water for the athletes," a source added. When the players complained, they were told to get assistance from the condo management. "Nobody from the federation was supervising the players’ stay.”
When some players raised concerns about the housing, one source claimed some players had to pay for the alternative accommodations.
The Filipina5 team, the source said, also did not have a strength and conditioning coach until a month before the tournament. They also had no team nutritionist. Because of this, there were many occasions when the players had to buy food themselves through delivery apps, which, to say the least, were unhealthy.
Those interviewed for this article said these experiences pointed to organizational shortcomings which they felt conflicted with the federation’s public stance on supporting women in sport.
SPIN.ph has reached out to Filipina5 team manager Vince Santos for comment but has yet to receive a response.
A PFF representative, however, reached out to SPIN.ph to speak on Santos’ behalf and claimed that no such issues were relayed to the association - contrary to the claims of the players who insisted their grievances were made known to Santos and other top PFF officials.
PFF responds
The PFF representative added they are open to further discussion.
“Based on our internal reviews and direct feedback, the players did express positive appreciation and experiences, most especially during the training for the World Cup," Ingrid Mendoza, PFF media officer, told SPIN.ph on Tuesday.
"To give context as well, the team did multiple training camps within the year, and we have provided support throughout the program, including medical care, accomodations, and allowances, in line with federation standards,” she added.
In the FIFA Women's Futsal World Cup, the team lost all its three matches: 6-0 against Poland, 3-2 against Morocco and 5-1 to Argentina.
In the just-concluded SEA Games in Thailand where the women's football team Filipinas won the gold medal for the first time by beating Vietnam on penalties, the futsal team bravely fought for the bronze, but lost to Thailand, 5-0.
Sources also said some players who spoke out about the 'shabby treatment' were left out of the women's futsal team to the SEA Games.
“Some players [already] saw their names on SEA Games equipment boxes and knew a list had been submitted months prior, suggesting a last-minute change,” a source bared.
At least two players from the World Cup squad were left out of the team that competed in Bangkok, the sources added.
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