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San Miguel during the EASL. Photo by Tristan Tamayo / INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines – For the past two years, the PBA has been well represented in the East Asian Super League sending several teams to the continental match to compete with the best clubs in the region.
With the EASL looking to host an eight-team competition in 2021, CEO Matt Beyer is once again looking to get PBA teams to join the event, but league commissioner Willie Marcial said his clubs will join once the situation of COVID-19 gradually improve. .
Marcial said he and the PBA Board of Governors are still putting off the decision to join the EASL, which last year won the endorsement of the world governing body in a 10-year agreement, and will depend on vaccinating teams. .
“About the EASL, I met with the governors and we talked about it and we decided to wait for the vaccine to arrive,” Marcial said in Filipino on Thursday during a virtual press conference. “I talked to Matt and told him what the governors and I are talking about.”
“For now we stand by our decision to join the EASL until the players and teams are vaccinated. We are not going to close our doors to the EASL, once the players are vaccinated, we will speak to the EASL again ”.
In a statement, EASL said it respects the PBA’s decision to pause its participation.
EASL supports the Philippines’ battle against the virus.#easl #terrifictogether pic.twitter.com/0GZVYY6Krf
– East Asian Super League (@EASLofficial) January 28, 2021
“The EASL supports the Philippines’ battles against the virus and looks forward to continuing discussions in good faith with the PBA.”
ACQUISITION OF VACCINES
The PBA has partnered with the Philippine Red Cross in which for every dose of vaccine the league purchases, they must donate one to charity.
Marcial said the Philippine Red Cross has the Moderna and AstraZeneca brands.
“I will write to the Red Cross that we will buy an ‘x’ quantity of vaccines,” said Marcial.
NLEX and Blackwater were the first two teams to join the EASL during the Summer Super 8 in Macau.
In Terrific 12 of 2019, league heavyweights San Miguel and TNT joined the Elite in the tournament which was also held in the special administrative region of China.
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