FRESH off its impressive qualifying run in AFC Champions League, Philippines Football League champion Ceres-Negros FC reclaimed its position as the No. 1 football club in Southeast Asia in the latest AFC club rankings.
The Busmen are seeing action in the second-tier AFC Cup starting Feb. 11, after reaching the final playoff round of the Champions League where it lost to FC Tokyo, 0-2, last Tuesday.
Still, the club owned by Bacolod-based businessman Leo Rey Yanson picked up enough points from their first two qualifying matches to overtake Thai giants Buriram United, which also fell short in its playoff match against Shanghai Shenhua last Tuesday.
Coach Risto Vidakovic’s charges slipped past Shan United of Myanmar, 3-2, in the first phase, before pulling off a 1-0 win over Thai powerhouse Port FC in the only upset of the second phase of qualifying.
The twin victories gave Ceres 5.5 ranking points, which pushed its tally to 40.75, edging past Buriram that has 40.67 after picking up only three points so far this year.
The advantage is expected to get bigger for Ceres with its AFC Cup stint, while Buriram, with no continental competition for the remainder of the year, will retain its output.
“The (top) ranking is really a reward for the hard work and sacrifices of the players and coaching staff,” said Mr. Yanson, whose club has ruled the PFL the last three years.
“Our last three matches — even against FC Tokyo — showed that the level of the Philippines is improving. But Ceres would not have reached this position if not for the clubs in the PFL, the Philippine Football Federation and the people who have made sure that the league continues to run so we share this honor with all of them. It’s also a call for everyone to support the league and Philippine football.”
Mr. Yanson said the Busmen will reinforce their ranking with a strong performance in the AFC Cup.
Ceres has been bunched with Indonesian champions Bali United, Than Quang Ninh of Vietnam and Cambodia’s Svey Rieng in Group G of the ASEAN zone. Ceres hosts Svey Rieng in their AFC Cup opener on Feb. 11 at Rizal Memorial Stadium.
“The club has gone through so much in the past year, but the coaches and the players have shown a lot of character to keep going,” said Mr. Yanson. “We are hoping for another successful campaign in the AFC Cup this year.”
