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[Event] Blockbuster Cast for ICCSG 2019

(All images depicted in this entry were made available by the media release issued by the organizers) The coming July will see a blockbuster cast of teams and stars descend on the shores of Singapore when it is confirmed by the organizers of the International Champions Cup (ICC) Singapore tournament that English giants Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur will be featured in the third Singapore edition of this summer tournament with Italians powerhouses FC Internazionale (Inter) and Juventus. (L-R): Dwight Yorke, Franceso Toldo, Fabrizio Ravanelli and Teddy Sheringham "We are very pleased to bring the International Champions Cup to Singapore again. The event is the only platform for fans in the region to get up close to their favourite teams," said Charlie Stillitano, Executive Chairman of Relevent Sports Group - the owner and operator of ICC, in a media release issued shortly after the official launch of the tournament at The Incubator, Esplanade Park. Echoed th

Those Being Underutilized 'Portable Seats' ...

Back in March 1996, after a few pre-season friendly matches saw huge crowds turned up in thousands at stadiums like Bedok, Woodlands and Tampines to catch S.League teams like Geylang United and Woodlands Wellington in action, safety and security concerns were raised and highlighted in the newspapers. According to The New Paper (TNP), approximately 7,500 fans packed the Bedok Stadium to witness a star-studded Geylang United skippered by Fandi Ahmad taking on Johor SEDC on the 12th of March. When was the last time we had sights like this? (credit: NLB archive) Headlined "Safety, security action" on one of the back pages of its 14th of March edition, the tabloid included a picture of a scene that had never since reoccurred at games in recent years - a sardine-packed crowd congested the main stand of the Bedok Stadium to see the aforementioned match. SAFETY CONCERN  Geylang star defender Kadir Yahaya was quoted in the same article saying: "Although the turnout was

Are The Lions Ready For Bukit Jalil At End Of March?

Shroud in secrecy that at the eleventh hour, many are still unsure if the Singapore national team is ready for their first tournament of the year with no clear indication from the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) on their participation in the AIRMARINE Cup 2019. "The FAS will be making an announcement on this shortly." was the reply received by this platform after inquiries were put forward to ask several matters pertaining to the quadrangular organized by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) who announced the tournament will feature Oman, Afghanistan (as a  replacement for the Solomon Islands ) beside Singapore and host nation Malaysia in a press release issued on 25th of February. FIGHTING FOR FIFA POINTS With the statement like this that read "The AIRMARINE Cup 2019 aims to be a tournament that delivers a competitive platform for national squads during the international break to gain the necessary exposure and ranking points to advance in the Inter

Not Even Started, Already Feel Like Giving Up ...

The building up to the new season hardly inspired and everything just looks like damp squib that no one seems to be looking forward to the 2019 campaign. JUST SOME LAME EXCUSES BY SOME  Is it because of the continuing domination by a mainly youth-based Albirex Niigata (Singapore) in recent years which is being used as an excuse by some to extend their boycott by not coming to games with a number of them are making hell lot of noise on the lack of glamour in the league? But when these people choose to stay away and let the terraces become a white elephant, how are we going to convince players of certain quality to come and play in our league? It is just that some out there chosen to be blinded by what they heard and read based on "first impression last"? Our clubs were overwhelmed by the clubs across the bridge in preseason Or is it nothing newsworthy of late to generate awareness to fire people's imagination? Somehow or rather, the recent domination of the Wh

NOT WANTED ...

I don't feel sorry or have kind words to say about the recent ground sharing move that will see only four (local) venues being used for the upcoming Singapore Premier League (SGPL) season. Why should I or rather we feel sorry to see clubs uprooted from their "roots" to find themselves sharing grounds with their contemporaries in a struggling league system plagued with so many woes that don't seems to have any remedy formula to cure them all? Toa Payoh Stadium will not be used in the 2019 SGPL season When our own professional football league was launched in 1996, one of the key emphasizes is community outreach by having clubs based strategically around the island in order to see themselves fused into the vicinities they were based. But two decades down the road since it started, it seems to me that most clubs are still aliens to where they are based and we hardly see the bonding between the clubs and residents (not fans) like how I asked a co-worker of mine i