Negros football club sorry over Steuble statement

Filipino football club Ceres Negros has apologized to the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) and the Philippine Football League (PFL) following a statement from Martin Steuble on Wednesday night. (Photo: Ceres-Negros FC/Facebook)

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — Filipino football club Ceres Negros has apologized to the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) and the Philippine Football League (PFL) following a statement from Martin Steuble on Wednesday night.

Following Negros’ AFC Cup ASEAN Zone semifinal series win against Yangon in the Burmese capital, Steuble, in a television interview, hit out at both institutions for “not supporting us at all.”

PFL CEO Lazarus Xavier later said that the league is looking to sanction Steuble for the detrimental statement.

“The club regrets that the player’s comments aired at the conclusion of the live broadcast of the match and amplified on social media have not only put the PFF, but the PFL in a negative light,” Negros, the defending champ, said in a statement on Sunday. “Mr. Steuble’s statements do not reflect that of the club, which is actually appreciative of the tireless work of the PFF and the PFL to ensure that club football is alive and vibrant in the country.”

Negros later said, “The club is grateful to the PFF and the PFL for setting up a structure that allows Filipino clubs to represent the country in continental competitions like the AFC Cup and the AFC Champions League. If not for the PFF and PFL, Ceres-Negros would not have reached its goal of making the country proud by winning the AFC Cup Asean zonal title last year.”

Negros added that it “has already taken the initiative of dealing with the matter internally.”