2022–23 Philippines Football League
Season | 2022 |
---|---|
Dates | February – TBA |
← 2020 2022 → |
The 2022 Philippines Football League, also known as The Philippines Football League brought to you by Qatar Airways due to the league's title sponsorship, will be the fifth season of Philippines Football League (PFL), professional football league of the Philippines.
Cancellation of the 2021 season
The last PFL season held was in 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 season was cancelled with the 2022 season slated to start in February 2022.[1]
The league's 2021 season was scheduled to kick off on August 21, 2021, but was postponed due to the implementation of enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.[2][3] It was postponed again for several times.[4][5][6]
The season was planned to be held under a bubble format, like the previous one, due to the pandemic.[7] Like previously, all games of 2022 season are planned to be held at the PFF National Training Center in Carmona, Cavite, under a close-circuit format due to prevailing COVID-19 pandemic. Biñan Football Stadium in Biñan, Laguna is being considered as a potential second venue.[8]
The 2021 season was cancelled on October 22, 2021 and it was announced that the league cup tournament, 2021 Copa Paulino Alcantara, would be held in its place.[1] It will start on November 7, 2021.[9] The organization of the Copa Paulino Alcantara was previously uncertain, having not been held during the previous season.[10][11]
Teams
Cebu F.C. was given a provisional club license, which would have allow the club to debut in the 2021 season, while potential new entries are Laos and Rapids F.C. from Cagayan de Oro.[12][13][14]
Personnel and kits
Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Sponsors |
---|---|---|---|---|
Azkals Development Team | Scott Cooper | Marvin Angeles | LGR | Alphaland Corporation Stream Mobile |
Dynamic Herb Cebu | Oliver Colina | Evren Tasci | RAD Apparel | Dynamic Herb Sports The Green Table Tigertek Sports Pocari Sweat |
Kaya–Iloilo | TBD | Jovin Bedic | LGR | LBC Fitness First |
Maharlika Manila | Arvin Soliman | Joaco Cañas | Gameville Sportswear | Philam Life Reparil Ice-Spray Arepa Nootropics |
Mendiola 1991 | Dan Padernal | Ashley Flores | FAT | Penson and Company Focus Athletics |
Stallion Laguna | Ernest Nierras | Ruben Doctora | Cutz Apparel | Giligan's Restaurant Pi Tracer Airlock389 TANIS South Coast Industrial Door Inc. |
United City | Jason Withe[15] | Stephan Schröck | Chronos Athletics | Manila Regenerative Center Midas Magnesium Gatorade BCDA Allianz[16] |
Coaching changes
Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United City | Trevor Morgan | End of Contract | December 31, 2020 | Pre-season | Jason Withe | March 31, 2021 |
Kaya–Iloilo | Yu Hoshide | Demoted to assistant manager | December 31, 2020 | Pre-season | Graham Harvey | June 10, 2021 |
Kaya–Iloilo | Graham Harvey | End of Contract | July 17, 2021 | Pre-season | TBD | TBD |
Maharlika Manila | Roxy Dorlas | End of Contract | December 31, 2020 | Pre-season | Arvin Soliman[17] | July 30, 2021 |
Foreign players
A maximum of five foreigners are allowed per club, with four players of any nationality and a fifth coming from an AFC member nation. This is a change from the previous four seasons which followed the AFC's "3+1" rule. This resulted from an earlier press conference dubbed We Are PFL 2021, where managers of the clubs expressed a desire to increase the foreign quota from four to five.[citation needed]
Club | Players | Former Players | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Azkals Development Team | TBA | |||||
Dynamic Herb Cebu | Gamal Al Mesbahi | Marius Kore | Mohamed Soumah | Ekundayo Andrew | Ren Okuda | |
Kaya–Iloilo | Carlyle Mitchell[18] | Daizo Horikoshi[18] | Masanari Omura[18] | Ryo Fujii | Patrick Asare | Emmanuel Osei |
Maharlika Manila | Joaco Cañas | Henri Bandeken | TBA | |||
Mendiola 1991 | Hamed Hajimehdi | Kim Minsu | Hosni Dosso | TBA | Dini Ouattara Souleyman Ndepe Stephen Appiah | |
Stallion Laguna | TBA | |||||
United City | Bienvenido Marañón1 | Jonny Campbell | Jung Da-hwon | Jai Ingham | Takashi Odawara Robert Lopez Mendy |
Notes
- 1.^ Now a naturalized citizen of the Philippines. Sporting nationality change is still subject to be confirmed by FIFA.
References
- ^ a b "Copa Paulino Alcantara to usher in 2022 season". The Philippines Football League. October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ Pedralvez, Manolo (July 10, 2021). "Football: Gov't clearance needed for foreign players tapped by PFL clubs". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
- ^ Carmen, Lorenzo (August 5, 2021). "PFF reschedules PFL opener due to ECQ". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ Suyu, Ian (August 11, 2021). "PFL eyes September opening". Daily Tribune. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
- ^ "PFL Season 2021 kickoff postponed to September". Philippines Football League. August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
- ^ Rosale, Glendale (October 21, 2021). "Dynamic Herb players demoralized by postponements of season opening". Cebu Daily News. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
- ^ Leyba, Olmin (January 2, 2021). "Expanded cast expected in next PFL tourney". The Philippine Star. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ del Carmen, Lorenzo (July 16, 2021). "PFL pencils August 21 for closed-circuit season". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
- ^ Rosal, Glendale (October 22, 2021). "PFL to hold Copa Paulino Alcantara on Nov. 7 in Cavite". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
- ^ Terrado, Reuben (March 27, 2021). "Copa Paulino Alcantara canceled as PFL looks to open new season in July". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "PFL eyes 2021 opening in April with Copa Paulino Alcantara". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
- ^ del Carmen, Lorenzo (July 30, 2021). "PFF gives Cebu provisionary license; Laos given deadline to fulfill requirements". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- ^ Suyu, Ian (February 11, 2021). "2 teams to join PFL". Daily Tribune. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ Suyu, Ian (March 14, 2021). "PFL welcomes new team". Daily Tribune. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
- ^ del Carmen, Lorenzo (March 31, 2021). "United City taps English coach Jason Withe". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
- ^ "United Clark, Allianz team up for PFL, ACL season". Dugout Philippines. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
- ^ "Arvin Soliman named new Maharlika Manila FC head coach". Philippines Football League. July 30, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Kaya FC-Iloilo's 2021 Squad is Taking Shape – Kaya FC–Iloilo". Kaya F.C. March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.