Perry Ng is still waiting for the green light You can sense the optimism when Cardiff City defender Perry Ng (above, file picture: September 2024) revealed to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that he is travelling to Singapore this month. "I think we're getting closer," said Ng to the British public broadcaster in the article titled "Ng a step closer to securing Singapore citizenship" . For those unbeknownst, the 30-year-old has been one of many foreign-born footballers singled out by various sources on the possibility of playing for the Singapore national team due to heritage lineage. However, what distinguished the Liverpool-born defender from the rest is his consistency in showing his desire to play for the Lions throughout the years since his declaration years ago. That desire was affirmed when he accepted the invitation from the FAS (Football Association of Singapore), alongside Kyoga Nakamura, in the familiarisation stint in September 2024 . Sin...
The AFF Championship badly need a recalibration The AFF Championship has definitely lost its gloss as the region's premier marquee tournament. Unlike in the early days, the build-up to this supposedly flagship competition has failed to reach a fever pitch. Is it due to fan fatigue after 39 days of intense World Cup action, or the awkward timing to stage a regional tournament during a "pre-season" period? Seeing players recalled by their clubs midway during the last tournament was comical. Yet, these clubs were within their rights to do so, given that the competition fell outside the official FIFA calendar. With the new FIFA ASEAN Cup coming into the picture soon, the role of the AFF Championship urgently needs a recalibration if it wishes to stay relevant. The organisers must look in the mirror and reflect as these structural shortcomings become increasingly obvious. It would be a great shame to see a tournament with such rich history gradually fade into obscurity. (ℹ️: ...