Philippine Football Federation John Gutierrez seeks to improve the quality of the country’s football program to make it at par with the giants of Asia.
In his first official press conference since being elected as president of one of the biggest and most prestigious sports federations in the country, Gutierrez expressed his belief in the ability of Filipino players.
But they could not do it alone as coaches and match officials also have to step up by getting exposed to quality technical training from football powerhouse countries.
“When we talk about development, it doesn’t just fall on the players themselves. The blind cannot lead the blind so we will have to get these coaches, referees, match commissioners and all of these officials up to speed on the new way of playing the game,” Gutierrez said.
“In the beginning, we will rely on foreign help with regards to the training and programs set up but in the end, we will have our Filipino coaches at the same level so that they can guide our players to what we are trying to achieve.
The 46-year-old Pachanga Diliman FC team owner officially replaced Mariano “Nonong” Araneta in an election last Saturday.
He said he will hit the ground running as he is determined to further uplift the state of football in the country, not just in the elite, but also in the grassroots level as well.
“What I can bring to the main office are the challenges that we had encountered down there in the regional football associations. We are going to incorporate challenges, those things we learn and suggestions so we can better positively address them,” Gutierrez, the secretary general of the Bukidnon Football Association, said.
Also in attendance in the news briefing were PFF secretary general Mikhail “Coco” Torre, Luzon executive committee member Lovely Tababa, former national team player Freddy Gonzales and Far Eastern University head coach Vincent Santos, who are all part of Gutierrez’s transition team.
Gutirrez will be overseeing the progress of the men’s national team as the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers resume next year.
He said he wants to emulate and continue the good governance that Araneta showed in his term that allowed the federation to be one of the most successful sports associations in the country.
Guttierez also encourages the private sector to collaborate and support the country’s football programs.
“That will be one of my advocacies. About the budget, I would like the members of the PFF to have access to these at any given time. I think there should be a website to show how FIFA funding is allocated and, taking it from Sir Nonong, this will be implemented in my administration. Transparency is also one of our priorities to dispel all notions of any wrongdoing,” Gutierrez said.
“PFF is open for business and we want partners to help us reach the challenges we could not before. To be able to further do what Sir Nonong has done for us and take the PFF to bigger things.”
