MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines Football League (PFL) announced on Monday, December 11, that the finals knockout match between Global Cebu FC and Ceres-Negros FC will be held at the Pana-ad Stadium in Bacolod on Saturday, December 16. 

Prior to the announcement, Global Cebu FC sent an appeal to the PFL that stated they were “exercising their right to host the PFL final” based on the argument that they were included in the fixture whose winner had the right to host the final.

(READ: Global Cebu FC wants to host PFL finals in Cebu City Sports Complex)

According to the statement released by the PFL, the league arrived at a decision after the second finals series meeting with the clubs. In their first meeting held on Wednesday, November 29, 2017, the top 4 clubs were “invited to signify their intention to host the Finals,” but are still subjected to the PFL “making the final decision in accordance with Article 2.11 of the PFL Tournament Regulations.” 

Only FC Meralco Manila and Ceres signified their intent to host the final match, where the Manila team would have hosted it in Rizal Memorial Stadium. Cebu City Sports Complex was not available due to the “pitch and lighting” conditions, while University of the Makati “would not be able to host back-to-back matches.” 

The PFL also cited that they arrived at the decision to host it at Pana-ad due to “a variety of factors including, but not limited to, venue availability, commercial, marketing, and financial considerations.”  

The finals match will kick off at 6 pm on Saturday, while the 3rd and 4th place match between Meralco and Kaya FC will take place on Friday, December 15 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium but the time is yet to be finalized. – Rappler.com