Mert Altinoz. | Photo from Cebu Football Club
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu Football Club (CFC) is heading to a major overhaul of its current roster after it announced the release of eight of its current players.
CFC Gentle Giants announced on Thursday, July 20, that it will already part ways with eight of its trusted players less than a month before they begin their campaign in the Philippines Football League’s (PFL) Copa Paulino Alcantara.
One of the most prominent players that CFC will be releasing is its top scorer Mert Altinoz of Turkey.
The announcement came a week after they also made public that they will already release their Turkish coaching staff comprised of Mehmet Kahkil and assistant coach Levent Ozturk.
Aside from Altinoz, CFC will also be releasing Leaford Allen, Ibrahim Moro, and Mohamed Soumah, whom they signed up in the recent PFL season, together with Nicolas Ferrer Jr., Steven Patalinghug, Jason Cordova, and Ruffy Llorente.
In an earlier interview, CFC owner Ugur Tasci said that they are hiring a new coach, preferably a Filipino, to lead the club.
However, he didn’t mention that they’re releasing eight of their players, especially Altinoz, who was one of the club’s top scorers.
The Gentle Giants had a promising campaign in their second year in the PFL after finishing second overall behind Kaya FC Iloilo in the team standings.
They finished with 51 points from their 15 wins, six draws, and one defeat. They were able to host several matches, including crucial matches at their home turf, the Dynamic Herb Borromeo Sports Complex, throughout their campaign.
Aside from the PFL Copa Paulino Alcantara, CFC will also represent the Philippines in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League later this year.
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