Kaya FC-Iloilo stars Arnel Amita and Eric Giganto share an unshakeable bond strengthened by many years of going to battle together and winning trophies.
Now strutting their wares in the country’s professional league, Amita and Giganto aim to redisover their lethal form as they brace for the return of the Philippines Football League brought to you by Qatar Airways.
The Amita-Giganto duo showed glimpses of brilliance in the AFC Cup just before the pandemic shuttered the continental competition last March. Giganto scored twice – all from Amita’s assists – as Kaya went unbeaten in three matches in the competition.
The pandemic may have stopped Kaya’s momentum, but with clubs back in training under strict health protocols at the PFF National Training Center and the Blue Pitch, Amita and Giganto are eager to help the club reach great heights in the league.
“Sobrang saya, sobrang excited na kami makabalik sa training, lalo na at may pag-asang makalaro muli (We’re very excited to train again because there is hope thay we can play again),” said Amita in the first episode of Kaya’s Back of the Net. “Hindi ako sumusuko sa trainings at nag e-extra work pa (We’re not giving up in training and we’re trying to do more extra work.)”
Amita and Giganto go way back from their days in Davao de Oro, before playing at one of the country’s top collegiate programs at Far Eastern University. The two players powered the Tamaraws to back to back UAAP titles in 2014 and 2015.
“Advantage lang noon is alam namin ang galaw ng isa’t isa kasi since high school, talagang naglalaro na kami (Our advantage has been our familiarity with each other since we’ve been playing together since high school),” said Giganto. “Siguro malaking factor na kaming dalawa ang nagkasundo inside the field (That’s a huge factor because we know what each one of us can do inside the field).”
Amita is aware of the attention brought by the AFC Cup as he was hoping that it could also lead to more opportunities. Still, he’s determined to help Kaya achieve its goals this season – with Giganto.
Giganto admitted the long break left him frustrated. But the prospect of the season finally starting has also given him renewed hope.
“Hindi mawawala ang frustrations, kasi for how many months walang football (The frustration was there because there was no football for many months),” said Giganto. “Nandoon na ang peak, wala tayong magagawa nangyayari talaga yung mga ganon kaya iaccept ko nalang at kung bumalik, hihigitan ko ang performance ko (We were already at our peak, but we have no choice but to accept the situation and just improve on our performance).”
There may be protocols in place for safety reasons, but the return to training have brought a sense of normalcy to the lives of Giganto and Amita
“Kahit pagod sa training at least masaya na kami dahil may football na ulit (We may be tired in training, but we’re happy because football is back),” said Giganto.
Photos from Kaya FC-Iloilo