Ilonggo players break record for longest soccer game
Players from Barotac Nuevo town broke the world record by playing marathon soccer for over 35 hours, and they were not even exhausted that the last game was so physical a fight nearly broke out.
Organizers and officials of the World Football Marathon will meet today to finalize the match’s documentation, including the continuous video coverage of all the games, in order for the event to be certified by the Guinness World Records, Duffie Botavara, secretary general of the Iloilo Football Association, told The News Today.
“We are preparing the documentation and the records of the game for our efforts to be recognized,” he said, adding that for now, the record is unofficial.
Organizer Elmer Bedia, a former RP national player and Philippine’s Mr. Football in 1986, explained that to break the record set in Australia, GWR’s certification in favor of the WFM is required.
The soccer teams of Barotac Nuevo Comprehensive National High School and the Iloilo State College of Fisheries have been playing against each other for 35 hours and 20 minutes at the town’s public plaza when they stopped at around 7:30 pm Saturday. The match begun around 8:40 am Friday. A total of 19 games have been played, each lasting for 45 minutes.
ISCOF prevailed over BNCNHS, 136-133, in what Botavara calls ‘a tight match.’
“It wasn’t a giveaway match. Both teams played tight defense, the reason for the low score unlike that in Australia,” he said, comparing their match to that in Armidale, Australia, where Joeys Football Club won with about a hundred point-advantage over its opponent in a game that lasted for 32 hours and 50 minutes.
Of the 19 games played, ISCOF and BNCNHS each won eight matches, and tied in three.
Although the players were already tired, they could have played one more game, had it not been for the coaches who decided to end the game, Botavara said.
In fact, he added, the last game was very physical, with one player shoving his opponent at one point.
“Their intensity was so great they were still putting up a tight defense up to the last match. It was so intense that the teams nearly got into a fight when one player shoved his opponent during the last game,” Botavara stressed, adding that “I expected that the players can only last until 8 am Saturday because at around 2 am that day, they were no longer running.”
“Now,” he said, “I believe in the passion and commitment of our players.”
After the last game, 4th District Representative Ferjenel Biron awarded the players from the two teams with cash and medal.