futbolista · @futbolista777
1st Nov 2013 from TwitLonger
Rufo's most difficult game in the Philippines
Some months ago, as we posted on Elgoldemadriz.com, Rufino Sánchez ‘Rufo’ was living the very best of football. In his very first season in the Philippines, he won all the trophies he possibly could as a player. After leaving Inter de Madrid, he won te UFL Cup and the UFL League with Stallion FC. Both tournaments are organized by the United Football League of the Philippines (counterpart of the Spanish LFP). In addition, he was proclaimed top scorer of the league with 18 goals and he also got the prize for most valuable player. All in all a great victory for a first-timer in the Philippine league.
The repercussions were so great that he has become an icon in this Asian country. He even became the image of some of the (country's) best brands. In Manila it is not strange to get on a bus or see a giant billboard on the highway with the photo of the football player from Madrid.
Since the beginning of September, however, he has been living one of the worst nightmares, one he could not have imagined. Rufino cannot play with his club Global FC. His great season with Stallion FC resulted in several offers from the best Philippine teams this summer. In the end, the madrileño decided on the team of Dan Palami, who is also the head of the Azkals (Philippine National Team). "I am in a very complicated situation. After a year that was like a dream to me, I never thought that I would be unable to play," Rufo confessed to Elgoldemadriz.com.
The fight for Rufo between Global FC and Stallion FC
After the announcement of his signing with Global FC, his previous club Stallion FC reported to the UFL that the player had one year left in his contract with them. However, the reality is, as Elgoldemadriz.com has been able to confirm, that contractual relations between Rufino Sanchez and Stallion FC ended on the 15th of August. The player's previous team could have retained him with a negotiation which did not happen.
The controversy exploded onto the media one day after Rufo played in the first semifinal of the Singapore Cup, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the south Asian region. The tournament's organizing committee demanded all the pertinent documentation from the Philippine Football Federation. This verified the legitimate signing of Rufinho with Global, something that UFL does not agree with. So the (first semifinal) game result of 2-2 was upheld but the Filipino team was eliminated after losing 2-1 in the second semifinal against the local team of Tanjong Pagar. Rufino says that that was a very difficult week for him and that may have affected the team's performance. "It is complicated, seeing your face on a two-page spread in a Singapore newspaper. They were about to eliminate us without reason, but Global had all the documents in order. I did not know if I could play until half an hour before the second semifinal. You can imagine what my mental state was like just before such an important match. We played a good game but we were eliminated in the end. However, we are still very happy because on November 8 we will play for third and fourth place. Our objective now is to better the best Filipino result in this tournament."
Banned from playing for one year with no apparent reason
When he returned to the Philippines, the UFL imposed a one year ban for playing with Global while they were still deciding what to do about his contract situation, even if it (the Singapore Cup) was not a tournament organized by them. The UFL erroneously argues that the player had one more year under contract (with Stallion FC) and that his former team had sent an email to the football player effectively extending his contract, as Stallion trainer Ernie Nierras has announced publicly. Global, on the other hand, maintains that the signing of the player was done legally and has criticized the position of the UFL of "staying silent about the contractual situation of Mr. Sanchez", a situation that keeps him from playing.
"The UFL does not have any power to determine who can or cannot play for Global FC in the Singapore Cup. In addition, it does not have the legislative power to decide which players can participate in a tournament organized by the Football Association of Singapore", says a statement on the webpage of the team headed by Dan Palami, a few days after the decision of the UFL was announced.
The Philippine Football Federation endorses the transfer of the Spanish forward. In spite of this, the UFL is determined to maintain Rufino's sanction . Elgoldemadriz.com attempted to contact the General Manager of the UFL, Cesar de Larrazabal, on several occasions without success.
The light at the end of the tunnel for Rufino
The conflict continues to worsen and the UFL decision has not convinced anyone, except Stallion FC, who asked for around 2.5 million Philippine pesos (45,000 euros) for Rufino. Popular opinion and the legal department of Global have forced the UFL to hire legal counsel to resolve the problem. Although we have no official information, the news portal Sports Interactive Network Philippines has said that the legal opinion obtained by the UFL indicates that Stallion's contact with Sanchez through email --- which was a previously accpted practice by the UFL --- was not valid because ther is no proof that Sanchez received the communication. Legal counsel also stressed that "Stallion FC did not exercise its option to renew during the validity period of the contract".
Everything now points toward Rufino winning the most complicated match he has played since arriving in the Philippines. The UFL's lack of transparency in the "Sanchez case", as has been confirmed by Elgoldemadriz.com in the past few weeks, makes it appear as if this can happen. For his part, Rufo is clear that he wants to play but he does not rule out a transfer should the sanction stay in effect: "It is clear that I signed with Global because I want to win here. My first option is to play here but I do not want to pass an entire year without playing. That is why I am studying different options in different leagues. There has been interest from other teams. There also exists an option to return to Spain. But as I have said, my first option is to continue with Global. Dan has shown me his support and he is trusting me during this time. I know they are doing all they possibly can to fix the situation so that I can play with them this season."
Rufino now continues to train with his team and he hopes that in the next few weeks the ban will be lifted and he will be able to don the Global jersey in an official match. His next assgnment will be to play on the 8th for third and fourth place in the Singapore Cup against Balestier Khalsa of Singapore.