HINDI naging maganda ang kampanya ng Philippine national women’s football team o Malditas sa nakaraang Southeast Asian Games sa Myanmar. Ilang araw bago pa magsimula ang SEAG, napabalita na anim sa mga Malditas ang biglang umatras sa pagsali. Nabigong manalo ang koponan sa dalawa nitong laro kontra Thailand at Vietnam. Matapos ang SEAG, kumalat naman sa social media na ilang miyembro ng koponan ang di makaalis dahil sa tickets na binili gamit ang ‘nakaw’ na credit card. Sa lahat ng nangyari, isa ang head coach na si Ernie Nierras sa mga sinisisi. Sa isang ekslusibong panayam ni BANDERA correspondent Eric Dimzon, isa-isang sinagot ni Coach Ernie ang mga isyung ibinabato sa kanya. Narito ang kanyang pahayag.
Disappointed ka ba sa kampanya ng Malditas sa nakaraang SEA Games?
Yes, definitely. Our aim was to make it to the finals. We were basing it on our performance in the AFC. We knew that if we performed the way we did in AFC, we could get into the finals.
Once you get into the finals, anything can happen. So, we were totally disappointed. Bakit mo naisipang humingi ng paumanhin sa mga Pilipino sa pagkatalo ng team?
As head coach, the buck stops with me. At the end of the day, whatever happens, it was my system, it was my plan and everything that failed.
Ano ang masasabi mo sa iyong mga kritiko na hinihingi ang iyong pagbibitiw as head coach ng Malditas?
That’s nothing new. They like to criticize but offer no solution. If you as them for their solution, nothing. They have the right to criticize and personally attack me but it is only the PFF president who can remove me from my position as head coach.
I only ask my critics and detractors to look at what we have achieved the entire year and not only one tournament.
Bago pa nagsimula ang SEAG, napabalita na anim sa Malditas ang umayaw na maglaro sa Myanmar.Totoo ba ito?
There were no players who backed out. It was because of injuries. We had three players who got injured. One of them was (Inna) Palacios who injured her ankle.
Then one player, her mother passed away. There were no players who backed out because our selection is based on our pool. If you look at the lineup we had in AFC, it was the same in the SEAG. ‘Yung pool natin sa AFC, 23.
‘Yung sa SEAG, 20. So we had to take out 3 players. Tapos ‘yung dalawa injured and one whose mother died. That makes a total of 6 players.
Sinasabi rin ng iyong detractors na bago ang SEAG, panay PR work at endorsements ang inatupag ng Malditas. Totoo ba ito?
It does not interfere with our training. We train 6-8 in the morning. I don’t think any of our sponsors are open at six o’clock in the morning. And we have another practice at 5 p.m.
So anything in between, we meet with our sponsors and other people. It is funny because one group says that ang dami kong training. ‘Yung isang grupo naman kulang ang training. Either way, may sinasabi sila.
Parati namang ganyan. Sanay na ako.
Pagkatapos naman SEAG, kumalat sa social media that there were Fil-Am players who got stuck at various airports. Totoo ba ito?
No, it is not true. There was only one who got stuck at the airport. That’s Monica Lee. Two were stuck here in Manila because PAL cancelled their flight. So PAL had to put them up in a hotel.
As for Monica Lee, it was her US domestic flight, for whatever reason, that got messed up. The travel agent is still looking at what really happened.
Ang itinuturong dahilan ng pagkaantala sa airport ng ilang Malditas ay ang paggamit mo raw ng ‘fraudulent’ credit card sa pagbili ng tickets nila. Totoo ba ito?
Monica was more specific in saying that I bought her ticket using a stolen credit card. I don’t use stolen credit cards. And in the first place, I was not the one who booked her flight. I’m the head coach not the travel agent.
We haven’t even received the billing from the travel agent yet.
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