Ilonggo football players ‘break’ world record for longest game

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines may soon hold the distinction of having the world's longest soccer game, following a 35-plus-hour game in Iloilo province last weekend. Online news site The News Today reported Monday that players from Barotac Nuevo town broke the world record with the marathon game Saturday. "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," said Duffie Botavara, secretary general of the Iloilo Football Association. Organizers and officials of the World Football Marathon met Monday to finalize the documentation of the match, including the continuous video coverage of all the games. The video clip will be submitted to Guinness World Records for certification, according to Botavara. "We are preparing the documentation and the records of the game for our efforts to be recognized," he said. Until then, he said the record will be unofficial. Organizer Elmer Bedia, a former RP national player and Philippine's Mr. Football in 1986, said the certification is needed to "officially" break the 32-hour record held by Australia. At Saturday's marathon match, soccer teams of Barotac Nuevo Comprehensive National High School and the Iloilo State College of Fisheries played 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 began at about 8:40 a.m. Friday. Some 19 45-minute games were played during the match. ISCOF prevailed over BNCNHS, 136-133, in what Botavara called "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. Botavara said the players would have played another game but the coaches decided to end the match after more than 35 hours. He said the last game was so physical that one player shoved his opponent at one point. After the last game, Rep. Ferjenel Biron awarded the players from the two teams with cash and medals. - GMANews.TV