ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Embassies at Work devider Copa A&B 2025: Argentina and Brazil unite communities through football

Copa A&B 2025: Argentina and Brazil unite communities through football

Published Jun 9, 2025 01:24 pm
Engineer Roque Adarna III, head of Facilities Management of UMAK, Ambassador Gilberto Fonseca Guimarães de Moura of the Embassy of Brazil, Ambassador Ricardo Luis Bocalandro of the Embassy of Argentina, Makati Councilor Jerome Tristan Pangilinan SK Fed president and chairperson of City Council for Youth & Sports Development, and Philippine Football Federation and Match commissioner of Asian Football Confederation Richard T. Gannaban
Engineer Roque Adarna III, head of Facilities Management of UMAK, Ambassador Gilberto Fonseca Guimarães de Moura of the Embassy of Brazil, Ambassador Ricardo Luis Bocalandro of the Embassy of Argentina, Makati Councilor Jerome Tristan Pangilinan SK Fed president and chairperson of City Council for Youth & Sports Development, and Philippine Football Federation and Match commissioner of Asian Football Confederation Richard T. Gannaban
On May 31, the University of Makati hosted a vibrant celebration of football, diplomacy, and community spirit with the Copa A&B 2025, a friendly tournament jointly organized by the embassies of Brazil and Argentina. As a public event, Copa A&B brought together children and youth teams, adult players, diplomats, local government officials, and the Argentinean and Brazilian communities for a day that highlighted the unifying power of sports.
The event kicked off with the national anthems of the Philippines, Argentina, and Brazil, followed by welcome remarks from the ambassadors of both countries. Also addressing the crowd were representatives from the city government of Makati, the University of Makati, and the Philippine Football Federation (PFF). Their messages emphasized the power of sports diplomacy to foster understanding, promote shared values like teamwork, discipline, and mutual respect, and build bridges across cultures.
Fabricio Sordoni and Gabriel Rivera from the Embassy of Argentina, Maria Concepcion “Ichi” Yabut from the City of Makati, Gerson Gimenes, and Hope Zhang from the Embassy of Brazil
Fabricio Sordoni and Gabriel Rivera from the Embassy of Argentina, Maria Concepcion “Ichi” Yabut from the City of Makati, Gerson Gimenes, and Hope Zhang from the Embassy of Brazil
Throughout the day, three simultaneous friendly matches were held across categories: U9, U12, U15. Youth matches featured children and teenagers from Makati S.T.A.R.S. (Skills Training for Arts, Recreation, and Sports)—a free sports and arts program offered by the city government of Makati for youth aged 7 to 17—and from G8 Academy, a well-established football training institution in the Philippines. The Philippine Football Federation provided referees, assistant referees, and sporting equipment, while coaches from both G8 and Makati Stars guided the young players on the field.
More than a sporting event, Copa A&B 2025 served as a dynamic platform to celebrate friendship between nations, enhance diplomatic relationships through sports, promote sportsmanship, fair play and engage the local Argentinean, Brazilian and Filipino communities in a shared cultural experience. With the enthusiastic turnout of families, fans, government officials, representatives from sports institutions and diplomats, the event reaffirmed how football continues to be a powerful force for connection and unity, both on and off the pitch.
The tournament was made possible thanks to the support of the government of Makati and the University of Makati, and sponsors including Jollibee, Happy Hotels, Omberry Açaí, Blue Water Day Spa, and La Jolla Hotel & Beach Resort.
Members of the Brazilian and Argentine communities in the Philippines after the friendly match and award ceremony
Members of the Brazilian and Argentine communities in the Philippines after the friendly match and award ceremony
Player from G8 Academy and Makati STARS, together with their coaches
Player from G8 Academy and Makati STARS, together with their coaches
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.