By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Negros Occidental’s Victorias City is the second Western Visayas-based city that is bidding to host the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup scheduled for next year.

Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president John Gutierrez said Victorias City and Iloilo City have recently expressed their intent to host some matches of the World Cup.

“Iloilo and Victorias have thrown their hats into the mix. They want to host this prestigious event,” Gutierrez said in a press conference on Tuesday, November 5.

Gutierrez added that Victorias, 37 kilometers away from Negros Occidental’s capital city of Bacolod, is “adamant” about hosting the World Cup.

The potential venue for Victorias City’s hosting is the 8,000-seater Victorias City Coliseum, according to the PFF official.

On the other hand, University of San Agustin Gymnasium will be the possible venue if Iloilo City is chosen to host the sporting event.

Other venues that are in the running for the World Cup are the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City and SM Seaside City Arena in Cebu City.

Gutierrez hopes that the chosen venues will be remembered for hosting the event in the years to come, considering that the Philippines will be hosting a FIFA World Cup of any kind for the first time ever.

“We are hosting the first-ever FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup. Any city or any venue that hosts any of those games will be known for such until the end of time,” Gutierrez said./ASC, WDJ