A dispute over a coach’s wages has turned EJ Obiena’s world the other way up.—FRANCIS T. J. OCHOA
MANILA, Philippines — An informal comment. That’s all it took for controversy to gentle up Philippine athletics.
Throughout a telephone dialog a month after the Olympics ended, Philippine Athletics Monitor and Area Affiliation (Patafa) president Philip Juico spoke to World Athletics official Sergey Bubka, a legend within the sport, who casually advised Juico a couple of want to assist with EJ Obiena’s cash issues.
That comment led to a burning situation that has left Obiena considering retirement.
The Inquirer, speaking to a number of educated sources and cobbling info from paperwork, memos and statements from events concerned, has put collectively the story of how Patafa and Obiena arrived at a breaking level which may result in a probably irreparable rift — one which began when the Patafa wrote to Obiena and reprimanded him for not paying his coach, Vitaly Petrov, regardless of being prolonged monetary help for the famend mentor’s wage.
The Inquirer reached out to Juico for readability on the difficulty, however he hasn’t replied at press time. Obiena, in the meantime, has aired his facet in a press convention and in a press release launched to the media.
Nevertheless, sources, talking on the situation of anonymity as a result of the Patafa and Obiena have but to debate the issue formally because the controversy erupted, advised the Inquirer that Juico, Bubka, and Petrov held an audio convention on Sept. 9.
“Popoy (Juico) needed clarification about EJ’s cash issues that Bubka intimated to him of their first one-on-one Whatsapp audio convention on Sept. 8 about EJ’s cash issues,” the supply, who was aware about the decision, stated.
Essential affidavit
EJ Obiena (proper) and Vitaly Petrov talk about technique throughout a break in competitors within the qualifying spherical of the Tokyo Olympics pole vault competitors. —FRANCIS T. J. OCHOA
It was at that decision that Petrov remarked about not being paid his charges, amounting to about 2,000 euros month-to-month, since 2018, the yr he took Obiena beneath his wing and remodeled the College of Santo Tomas star right into a world-class pole vaulter. After that assembly, Bubka signed an affidavit that might set off an investigation.
“…throughout dialog between me, Philip and Vitaliy (sic), it was realized that Patafa paid Vitaliy (sic) (circuitously), the month-to-month wage via EJ, however however, EJ claimed to Vitaliy (sic) that he didn’t obtain that cash and subsequently didn’t give any cash to Vitaliy (sic),” Bubka’s affidavit partly learn.
“Within the dialog, Philip described the state of affairs that Patafa has paid Vitaliy (sic) the month-to-month price via EJ within the quantity of two,000.00 EUR each month because the starting of 2018,” Bubka additional attested.
A number of sources have advised the Inquirer that Juico convened the Patafa board on Nov. 10, after the federation’s elections, and mentioned the difficulty. The board stated Obiena had filed paperwork liquidating the cash despatched to him at instances by the federation and on different events by the Philippine Sports activities Fee (PSC), giving the impression that Petrov had been paid.
In Bubka’s affidavit, the previous world file holder stated Petrov obtained 4,000 euros from Obiena in 2020.
On Nov. 15, Juico, approved by the Patafa board, wrote Obiena a letter, a duplicate of which the Inquirer managed to acquire, saying: “…it seems that authorities funds requested to assist your coaching since 2018, of which you had stewardship, weren’t used for the needs wherein it was supposed…”
The letter additionally instructed Obiena to return the quantity of 85,000 euros (about P4.8 million) inside 10 days of receiving the letter.
On the identical date, a Patafa committee tasked to look into the difficulty wrote Obiena a confidential memo, which a supply supplied to the Inquirer, that partly learn: “primarily based on the written statements of Mr. Sergey Bubka and Mr. Vitaly Petrov, together with the paperwork you could have submitted to the Patafa, it seems that you falsified the liquidations submitted to the Patafa and didn’t pay the teaching charges of Mr. Vitaly Petrov within the complete quantity of Eighty-5 Thousand Euros (€85,000).”
A extremely positioned supply advised the Inquirer that Obiena had already replied to the memos, furnishing the PSC with a duplicate, and exhibiting paperwork that proved he had paid Petrov.
The supply stated it was the identical one he introduced throughout his on-line press convention to refute what he stated have been costs of “embezzlement” and “theft” leveled towards him by the Patafa, accusations that weren’t on the paperwork obtained by the Inquirer.
Obiena did pay Petrov
EJ Obiena, heart, with Philippine Athletics Monitor and Area Affiliation president Philip Ella Juico and Patafa official Edward Kho. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
In the identical press convention, Petrov categorically stated he had obtained fee from Obiena.
Sources revealed that Obiena had certainly paid Petrov in three tranches, on Nov. 4, 5 and 9—a number of days earlier than the Patafa fired off two memos in search of the return of what it alleged have been unpaid teaching charges.
Obiena, in a press release, admitted he fell behind in paying Petrov as a result of he was coaching laborious alone in Italy, and accounting was a job he wasn’t precisely expert at.
Why Obiena is tasked with operating his group’s payroll is a sticky situation that has gained totally different responses from all events.
Bubka, in his affidavit, stated the state of affairs was brought on by Obiena and stated the athlete “manipulated” each the Patafa and Petrov into not dealing instantly with one another.
“PATAFA agreed to this process as EJ knowledgeable PATAFA that it’s inconceivable to signal any contracts with Vitaliy (sic) as a result of Vitaliy (sic) didn’t know English and already had contracts with different Federations, which prevents him from making different agreements. After all, all this was not true,” Bubka stated in his affidavit. “[A]s Vitaliy (sic) advised me and as I translated to Philip into English, EJ constructed a wall between them—Philip and PATAFA with Vitaliy (sic).”
However Obiena, who maintains a really shut relationship with Petrov, stated the setup is Patafa’s doing.
“The actual query is, why doesn’t PATAFA do their job and pay the coaches instantly, permitting me to deal with coaching somewhat than accounting?” Obiena stated in a press release. “They put all of the burden on me to carry out all administration which I actually consider is just not my job.”
Obiena has even requested that for his Paris Olympics preparations, Patafa instantly pay his group “to keep away from pointless banking charges and streamline fee process and liquidation.”
In the meantime, Patafa insiders stated it couldn’t pay Obiena’s coaches instantly as a result of because it was making ready to take over the payroll of Group Obiena, the pandemic struck. Information present that the PSC thus continued paying Petrov via Obiena. A examine for P1.7 million was ready within the identify of Obiena.
PSC chair Butch Ramirez couldn’t be reached for remark. A PSC assertion launched on Wednesday as a substitute ordered each events to chorus from issuing additional statements till after issues are resolved. The Philippine Olympic Committee has additionally stated it would look into the difficulty, alarmed over Obiena’s feeling that he’s not “needed” by his federation.
Obiena has hinted that he needs peace however vowed to battle to clear his status. The concurrent probes may assist as they search to clear up whether or not or not there was certainly any mishandling or misreporting of presidency funds.
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