THE Manila Polo Club (MPC) marks its centennial this year?when, ironically, all is not well in polo, and when it could be facing what some call its most-talked-about embarrassment in history.

The raison d?etre of its existence, polo, is now the center of controversy involving polo players and the club.

Originally set for Sunday, the Pahang Cup, sponsored by the Pahang Royal Family of Malaysia and arguably the most lavish sponsored cup of the season, has been canceled. Nonetheless, Crown Prince Abdullah and his coterie of 30 arrived last Friday to honor social commitments this weekend. There are plans to hold a practice game with the Crown Prince today at the club.

According to former international polo player Gregorio ?Greggy? Araneta III, who represents Malaysia?s royal family, Pahang withdrew the sponsorship because its players? lineup wasn?t upheld. Traditionally, the sponsors? lineup is followed.

Team lineups

As we wrote last Sunday, the dispute concerns what some say are frequent, last-minute changes in team lineups by the polo committee led by Paolo Gabriel ?Dondi? Syjuco Santos and polo patron Albert ?Bobby? Aguirre.

Polo stalwarts have also questioned the polo committee?s competence since, they say, majority, except for Santi Elizalde, lack experience in the game.

They also decry the lack of communication between the polo committee and the players.

It has been the custom for sponsors to make the lineup of players. A game sponsorship easily costs half a million pesos.

Tension started to mount last year when the polo committee would change the lineup. Aguirre, other players noted, would urge the inclusion of his sons Cole and Gus. These players argued that more senior players had to be given priority.

Last December the polo committee said it would form the lineup of opposing team, while the sponsor formed the other team. This decision did not sit well with the players. Araneta added that the committee never brought in sponsors or foreign players to help improve the game.

Just before the Enrique Zobel Cup, polo patron Iñigo Zobel struck an agreement with Aguirre that as a sponsor, Zobel would make the lineup. However, the committee interfered with Zobel?s list at the last minute. ?They don?t keep their word,? said Zobel.

Mediate

He asked Araneta to mediate with the MPC board. Araneta explained to MPC president Ramon Dimacali that if sponsors were not given the authority to make the lineup, they would back out. Hence, Dimacali agreed that sponsors could?for as long as the game included five MPC players.

Last Monday Dimacali apparently changed his mind and said he was siding with the polo committee, which decided that the sponsor would make the lineup of one team, and MPC, the other.

Meanwhile, the royal Pahang Family had given its lineup?the first team of the Crown Prince, two Malaysian polo players and Zobel. The other team would have Brunei?s Prince Jefri Bahar, Alfonso Araneta and Anthony Filamor.

With the MPC president?s decision favoring the polo committee instead of the sponsors, Araneta decided to back out. He didn?t want to cause further embarrassment for the Pahang royal family. They had already sent invitations to the Cup and now had to inform their guests of the cancelation. In the past, the royal family would fly in as many as 100 guests.

Holding simultaneous games has also been another cause of friction. Last January, Iñigo told the MPC that the polo field was already ripped up and needed respite. He suggested moving some games to the Calatagan polo field. However, the MPC did not heed his suggestion.

But last Sunday, Iñigo nonetheless held the Jacobo Zobel Cup at Alabang Country Club simultaneously with the Aguirre Gold Cup in the nearby Los Tamaraos field in BF Parañaque. The Jacobo Zobel Cup had top player Mark Field and two top-ranking guests, Prince Jefri Bahar and Harold Link, owner of Pattaya Polo Field in Thailand. Ricky Yabut, the highest-ranking Filipino polo player of this generation, was also seen in Alabang.

There were plans of dialogue between Zobel and Aguirre?s camps with the help of retired players, but none pushed through. In the meantime, the polo match continues to be fought?off the field.