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| The "adamant" Victorias City Coliseum is a potential venue for the FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup. VRITimes (file photo) |
MANILA--Two more Visayas cities are in the running to host the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup next year.
Philippine Football Federation president John Gutierrez said on Tuesday that the cities of Iloilo and Victorias expressed their intent to host some matches of the World Cup.
"Iloilo and Victorias have thrown their hats to the mix. They want to host this prestigious event," Gutierrez said during the press conference ahead of the ASEAN Women's Futsal Championship at the Amici Restaurant's San Juan City branch, where the Philippine team to the said regional meet was introduced to the media.
He added that Victorias, 37 kilometers away from Negros Occidental's capital city of Bacolod, is "adamant" about hosting the World Cup.
A potential venue for the Iloilo City leg of the FIFA futsal WWC is the University of San Agustin Gym, the home of the MPBL's Iloilo United Royals which had also hosted PVL and PBA matches in recent years.
Meanwhile, the 8,000-seater Victorias City Coliseum is the likely venue for some FIFA futsal WWC matches as well.
According to Gutierrez, the PhilSports Arena in Pasig is currently being eyed as the main battleground of the FIFA futsal WWC, that is, the venue where the playoffs will take place aside from the group stage matches that would be placed there.
The said arena will host the ASEAN Women's Futsal Championship from Nov. 16-21.
Gutierrez reiterated that despite questions as to when the SM Seaside City Arena would be formally opened, Cebu City remains in the running to host some FIFA futsal WWC matches.
While the final arenas of the FIFA futsal WWC are still to be determined, Gutierrez hopes that the chosen venues will be remembered for hosting the event in the years to come considering that the Philippines will be hosting a FIFA World Cup of any kind for the first time ever.
"The Araneta Coliseum, for many of us, is still known as the venue for Thrilla in Manila. Ladies and gentlemen, we are hosting the first-ever FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup. Any city or any venue that hosts any of those games will be known for such until the end of time," Gutierrez further said.
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