Defending champs United City FC withdraws for the remainder of the season

Photo credits: Philippines Football League

In an unexpected turn of events, defending Philippines Football League and Copa Paulino Alcantara champions United City Football Club withdraws for the remainder of the 2022/23 PFL season and their title defense in the Copa Paulino Alcantara due to its financial issues.

In a statement released by the club, they said they have requested from the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) to grant the Club “non-participation” for the remaining 2022/23 Philippines Football League (PFL) while the Clubs awaits the outcome of legal proceedings in Singapore against its investor Riau Capital Live (RCL).

Riau Capital Live is a Singapore-based sports, media, and entertainment investment company who also have involvements with Malaysian Super League side Polis Diraja Malaysia FC (PDRM Football Club).

In the said statement as well, UCFC confirmed that they had signed a major agreement with RCL in mid-2021 but the said company also defaulted in October 2022. With RCL failing to honor their agreement with UCFC, it has forced the defending champions to temporarily discontinue its professional football team operations and withdraw its team from the remainder of the season.

UCFC also stated that all players and staff were already released from their contracts immediately after the first half of the 2022/23 PFL season and that all but one have signed new agreements with other clubs in the Philippines and abroad.

With the club's withdrawal from the remainder of the season, UCFC has committed to the PFF that legal actions are being pursued to retrieve the investment and to settle the Clubs current liabilities while UCFC intends to return to PFF competitions for the 2023/24 season.

The club also sends its tremendous gratitude to the players, staff and its management for its professional handling of this very stressful period of time during which the team still managed to win the Copa Alcantara and to finish the first half of the 2022/23 PFL season in second place and to wish everyone the very best in their respective new career.

Meanwhile, the PFF president Mr. Nonong Araneta said, through a joint statement with the PFL, "We understand the situation affecting United City FC that forced them to withdraw from the league. We hope that the club and its management are able to bounce back from this predicament."

PFF Secretary General Edwin Gastanes also said "While the club has reiterated its desire to compete in future seasons, it must sort out its situation first before making their return to league action.”

PFL commissioner Coco Torre said in his statement that "The case of UCFC is part of the realities on the ground, which must be addressed. We commend UCFC for the high standards they have set earlier on, but we must also consider the economics surrounding football as a business.”

As of press time, UCFC's CEO Eric Gottschalk have yet to answer questions given to him by this publication and its writer. The only statement this publication got from Mr. Gottschalk was "I am the CEO managing the daily business and I am a shareholder. I receive instructions from a board of directors, i do not decide alone. We are a properly registered business entity so i have to follow clear protocol and instructions from a board."

More updates to come as soon as questions have been answered by the people this publication has reached out to regarding this developing news.