UFL: Global withdraws from Preseason final as Loyola wins by default

The drama and controversy in the United Football League continued to snowball, Thursday, as Global FC defaulted their game against the Loyola Meralco Sparks, to hand the latter team the 2013 UFL Preseason Cup title.

UFL Pre-Season Cup update: Loyola Fc wins over Global Fc by default.

— UFLphilippines (@UFLphilippines) October 10, 2013

Global announced before the game that they would be defaulting, as they simply don’t have enough players to field a full team. In a statement released via their website, they confirmed that “Global Football Club once again places national interest over club glory as it releases eleven players called up to the Philippine National Football Team.”

Stating that ten of their players will suit up for the Azkals in the Peace Cup, while Amani Aguinaldo is on U19 duty for the AFC U19 Qualifiers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Global then confirmed, “As injuries and sanctions to other players left the club with only seven eligible to suit up [in the Preseason Final], Global has requested the United Football League to postpone and reschedule the match.  With the club’s motion denied, Global regrets that due to the aforementioned circumstances, we will be unable to field a team tonight.”

It’s the second time that Global’s game against Loyola in the preseason was defaulted. The first was when the game was actually played and Global won 3-1, only for the result to be overturned due to the Rufo Sanchez contract dispute.

Certainly, Loyola themselves will not have wanted to win their first UFL competition in this manner. With the Sparks and Global heavily favored for the UFL Cup and 2014 league title, after both picked up key players in the transfer window, this was an opportunity to show some of the best players and squads the UFL has to offer. And with a rivalry building up between the two sides, fans will be disappointed that it ended this way.

Some fans are pointing fingers at the UFL hierarchy for the problems throughout the Preseason Cup. Both causes of the two defaulted games between Global and Loyola were known well beforehand. The Sanchez contract dispute started before the competition began and the scheduling problem with the national team was also known since the Peace Cup dates were announced over two months ago.

For the UFL management then, it appears they have chosen to take another hit in the Preseason Cup in order to safeguard the UFL Cup schedule. The non-action with this issue allows the UFL Cup to begin without any outstanding scheduling problems. The league aims to complete the Group Stage by November 12, when the knockout stages are scheduled for TV coverage.

The UFL Cup begins this coming Saturday, October 12, at the Emperador Stadium, as Pachanga Diliman take on Laos FC, before Manila Jeepney faces reigning PFF Smart Club Champions Ceres FC.

Those clubs with players on national duty in the Peace Cup will be given another two days before their games, with Global facing General Trias on the 17th, before Kaya takes on Manila All Japan, while the Sparks will first be in action on the 19th, up against Dolphins. - RAF/AMD GMA News