When the collegiate football divisions of UAAP Season 88 kick off their matches this weekend at the Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub in Cavite, some student-athletes will have to sit out their teams’ opening games as they serve suspensions incurred at the tail end of Season 87.
The University of the Philippines will begin its redemption tour with two Maroons and its head coach unavailable for its opener against the University of the East this Sunday at the same Imus venue.
Coach Popoy Clarino, along with players Charles Lobitaña and Eric Mink Cachuella, will miss the action as they serve suspensions stemming from an altercation with the FEU Tamaraws during the Final Four clash between the two squads in Season 87.
To recall, the Fighting Maroons and the Tamaraws engaged in a melee after Clarino charged toward FEU’s bench following an individual duel over a loose ball between UP’s Florenz Tacardon and FEU’s RJ Pescadera.
Cachuella will serve a two-game suspension, while Clarino and Lobitaña will each sit out one match.
Meanwhile, Jaymark Hernan of UE and Ivan Clyde Francisco of Adamson University will also miss their schools’ opening matches due to carry-over double yellow card suspensions. Hernan will be absent against UP, while Francisco will not be in contention against Season 87 finalist Ateneo de Manila University.
In the women’s division, three players will sit out opening-day action to serve one-game suspensions.
Ateneo’s Rae Mikella Tolentino and University of Santo Tomas’ Jannah Marie Santerva will miss their matches against De La Salle University and UP, respectively, due to a second yellow card received last season.
Meanwhile, UP’s Patricia Ann Espinosa will be out against UST, also serving a double yellow card suspension.
Far Eastern University, the women’s holders, drew an opening-day bye.
All suspended student-athletes will still be eligible for post-season awards as the incidents happened last year.
