CEBU CITY, Philippines—Another Cebuano is making Cebu proud after football coach Oliver “Bingbing” Colina has been tapped to helm Kaya FC in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup.
Colina, a native of Mandaue City, Cebu, is the first Cebuano in recent history to be coaching in the AFC Cup, which is an annual continental club football competition started by the AFC in 2004.
For the 37-year-old Colina, this is a dream come true, and one that he had hoped for but never expected.
“Excited to have been given this opportunity, at the same time nervous because this time I’m handling a pro club. I didn’t dream of this one but I am grateful that I have been given an opportunity like this, especially that Kaya is one of the top clubs in our country,” Colina told CDN Digital.
Colina is one of the two Cebuano football coaches who has an A license. The first is Bro. Mari Aberasturi, who coached the Don Bosco Boys Home (DBBH) for the longest time.
Colina took up his Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ‘A’ Coaching Certificate Course handled by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) in 2017 and 2018. He got his A license in July 2019.
Here in Cebu, among Colina’s notable achievements was helming one of Cebu’s top football teams, Leylam FC, to three Aboitiz Football Cup Men’s Open titles.
He also steered the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles to the football secondary titles of the Cesafi, Mandaue City Meet and the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA).
Colina said he is not abandoning Leylam FC and the Magis Eagles as both have allowed him to take a leave of absence while he serve as head coach of Kaya FC in the AFC Cup.
This is not Colina’s first international coaching job.
He has previously coached the Philippine National Under 13 and 14 dubbed as the Little Azkals Born 98-99 to a third place finish in the Japan-East Asean Football Exchange Programme U-14 Youth Football Festival, which was held in Osaka back in 2012. /bmjo