By Ivan Stewart Saldajeno/PNA
MANILA — Bernie Sumayao has been made aware of the decision of Davao Aguilas to back out of the newly renamed Philippine Premier League.
“I have been informed about the withdrawal of the Davao Aguilas, and have received it with a heavy heart,” Sumayao, the newly appointed commissioner of the league formerly known as the Philippines Football League, said in a statement on Sunday, seeing the squad as “important” and its departure as “a cause of concern.”
Davao, one of the two expansion squads that joined the six holdovers of the old United Football League to form the PPL last year, became a championship contender this year in both the league and the Copa Paulino Alcantara following a hectic rebuild that saw the club signing national team mainstays Patrick Deyto, Daniel Gadia, and the Younghusband Brothers, among other high-profile footballers locally.
However, the club’s shock departure, which was first reported on Thursday night, seemed like what many football fans, including Sumayo, see as a sign that the league is currently facing struggles.
“When I first approached the PFF about taking over the reins of the Philippine Football League, I knew about the difficult challenges that it was facing. I felt, like most football fans, that the league was at a crossroads. There was no revenue being generated, no national sponsorship, no TV media, limited attendance at the stadiums, numerous restrictions being enforced on fan activity inside the stadiums, and many more factors that would have challenged the very existence of the league,” he added. “I knew there was no ‘quick fix’, and that the road to recovery will take some time.”
Davao became the third team to leave the PPL after fellow expansion side Ilocos United and former UFL stronghold Meralco Manila withdrew prior to this season.
However, Sumayao added that he has been approached by other teams about potentially joining next season.
“We are currently evaluating the merits of each applicant,” he said.
The new PPL season is set to begin in March.
