Mean Machine

Here comes the Puzakals

The French Football Club (FFC) is gearing up to take on the Puzakals, a football team composed entirely of inmates from the New Bilibid Prisons, in what is expected to be an electrifying match on Sunday (March 13) at 9 a.m. inside the Camp Sampaguita Medium Security Camp, New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City.

Most of the Bilibid Puzakals were former players in various schools, provincial, regional and national football matches prior to their imprisonment. Their love for the game spurred them to keep training and playing even after they had been convicted and sentenced to serve their prison terms.

The Bilibid team was therefore elated when the FFC, through game organizer Bruno Verges, accepted their invitation to play football inside Camp Sampaguita.

The FFC, which was created in 1991, play in the Mini Soccer World Cup (MSWC) at Nomad Sports Club, Merville, Blue Guard 6-a-side Tournament, and Nomads 7-a-side Veteran Tournament at Nomad Sports Club, Merville, as well as various friendship matches.

The FCC says it is honored to share in this experience with inmates who have opted to make the effort of changing for the better, to rebuild themselves, face future challenges ahead of them.

The match is not the Puzakals’ first friendship game. The Puzakals have played the Ateneo Alumni Team led by Atty. Eric Ingles in the past. The Bilibid Puzakals hope that more football teams will come to play them in the future. In fact, the Puzakals have invited the Azkals to play in Bilibid this coming April.

As of press time, Dan Palami of the Azkals said that the team is looking for a suitable schedule for the match with the Puzakals as the Azkals are in intensive training for the Challenge Cup and the World Cup qualifiers.

As part of their rehabilitation, the Bilibid Puzakals also attend college and high school classes while serving their term inside Bilibid’s Medium Security Camp. The prison terms of inmates in the Medium Security Camp range from 3 years to 20 years.

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