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[Feature] The Braveheart Siva (PART THREE)

(CONTINUED FROM PART TWO ) "I realized that he (Withaya) understands me the most and he could guide me to be a good player. "I’m not just saying this but because he did turn me to a player everyone looked up to when I was 16 during which everyone had given up hope on me but "coach" was the only one who saw something in me. "Withaya Laohakul is not only the best coach I have known and trained with but he is also GOD. He also taught me how to be a better person in life. He is a perfect example for anyone." showing his appreciation to the man who had nurtured him since 15 year-old. Being a fluent Thai speaker, Siva is having no difficulties in adapting into the new environment, since he already knows some of the Sharks players like former SAFFC star Therdsak Chaiman and Thailand national team goalkeeper Sinthaweechai Hathairattanakool for a while Siva is currently on loan to Amnat FC by Chonburi FC At the present moment, the player, who doubled u

A Fitting end to the 23rd Canon Lion City Cup

JUVENTUS FC 0-4 NFA U15 The juniors from the Italian "Grand Ol' Lady" - Juventus were simply outclassed by the NFA U15 in the 3rd/4th placing match of the 23rd Canon Lion City Cup. NFA U15's skipper Adam Swandi's somersault celebration wowed the JBS crowd. Back the partisan crowds at the Jalan Besar Stadium, the Baby Cubs (as I nicknamed them as) wowed their fans with a much calm and composed display as compared to their opener against Newcastle United. In short, it was an almost flawless display by the Baby Cubs who slammed four goals past their peers just days after they were outwitted by CR Flamengo. Juventus' players disputing the decision by referee Muhd Yazeen Although, the Italians were unlucky to have a penalty go against them following the sending off of one of their players that allowed the NFA U15 to have full control of the game. CLICK HERE FOR THE MATCH PHOTOS NFA U16 0-0 CR FLAMENGO (Flamengo won on penalties) Various online

Nothing much has done...

Coincidently, my fellow blogger Andy Brouwer blogged on the dismay pitch surface that staged a Cambodian league clash featuring Phnom Penh Crown, one of the guest teams invited for the Singapore Cup. To expect professional players to play on this surface and to perform at a sufficiently high level is simply not on. It's impossible to play a passing game along the ground unless you spend all your time on the flanks. The federation should not allow any more C-League matches on this pitch unless it is fully grassed. It's a basic requirement that if you are playing your country's main league competition, then it should be on a suitable playing surface. said Andy in his latest blog post . Take note of the portion of the field at the top of the box and flank area at Bishan!  I'm not sure what was Andy's overall impression of Singapore football after his short stay in Singapore, but he was to be at Bishan Stadium last night for the Home United-Tampines "table

[Media Information] Statement from CEO S.League pertaining to Hougang United FC’s letter to FAS

(Media Information from the Football Association of Singapore ) The home ground of Hougang United - Hougang Stadium SINGAPORE, 24 June 2011: Mr Winston Lee, Chief Executive Officer of S.League said: “FAS has noted the contents of the complaint letter which we received earlier this morning and we believe that it is identical to the version sent out to the press yesterday. “FAS takes a serious view of the contents of the letter and will conduct a thorough investigation into the remarks and allegations that have been brought up by Mr. Bill Ng Chairman of Hougang United FC. “As of today, FAS has not received an official appeal against the decision and punishment that was imposed by the Disciplinary Committee on Tuesday, 21 June 2011. “The media will be kept abreast of any further development.” CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE 24 JUN 2011

[Media Information] FAS President, Mr Zainudin Nordin acknowledges Mr Johan Gouttefangeas’ contribution

(Media Information from the Football Association of Singapore ) Johan Gouttefangeas - the founding chairman of Etoile (file picture) SINGAPORE, 24 June 2011: Mr Zainudin Nordin, President of Football Association of Singapore said: “We would like to express our appreciation to Mr Johan Gouttefangeas for his contributions to Singapore football. Johan brought an exciting team to Singapore which thrilled fans with their style and flair last year. I am glad to note that Johan will continue to be active in the local football scene. “At the same time, we would like to extend a warm welcome to Mr Hicham Moudden. We look forward to working with him and other club chairmen in bringing S.League to the next level. In this regard, we believe the additional funding for S.League clubs, as announced earlier, will help Etoile FC and other clubs improve their management capabilities and capacities, and attract better quality players.” CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

[Feature] The Braveheart Siva (PART TWO)

(CONTINUED FROM PART ONE ) It is a form of gratitude that he want to repay those who believe in him in the first place that center-back felt Thailand is the place to be. “It was while training with Chonburi FC that I told them I wanted to play there and with their help I was able to play for Ban Bueng FC, whose owner is also the brother of the Chonburi FC's owner. "I'm grateful for the fact that they always have high hopes and never lost faith in me that they believe I can be a valuable asset to the organisation.” he explains the reasons behind the second move up north. Siva with his mentor - Coach Withaya (right, picture provided by Siva) Just as Siva thought his career as a footballer was taking off with Ban Bueng, things back home saw he returned to Singapore to be at the side of his ailing grandmother in 2009 during recess period of the Thai season. "I wanted to go back to Thailand (after the end of close season), but my grandma was falling very sick

Little Cubs didn't win to progress, but they did

Everton (in blue) took the lead first in the game through Calum Dyson's header. The fact remain is playing this kind of three-team group round-robin sort of group fixture is NEVER TO LOSE and you are guarantee to be SAFE to the next stage. With that in mind, the NFA U16 did just that by ensuring two draw results against Flamengo and Everton to progress to the next phrase of 23rd Canon Lion City Cup in the expense of the Merseysiders. NFA U16 was equalized by Hazim Hassan (pictured above) in 22" but also guilty of missed two in the second half But frankly speaking the team that formed by the core of last year's YOG team was up against a team younger than them with one of them aged only 13 year-old! Which is precisely why a member of this blog's FB page suggested that at this age is more about gaining exposure and honing their skills, rather than being too result-oriented that might be a hindrance to their development. (Pictured above) 15 year-old Everton '

Meet up with another fellow blogger (Mr Andy Brouwer)

With Andy Brouwer of " Kingdom of Football " (many thanks to " LigaSingapura " for the shot taken) It's always nice to meet up with regional football bloggers and especially if they are happen to be here in Singapore like Mr Andy Brouwer, the man behind the blog " Kingdom of Football ". I have follow Andy's blog on Cambodian football for a while and glad to gather some insights on the Khmer football scene via his blog postings. He was here in Singapore in the capacity as the media officer of Cambodian club Phnom Penh Crown, one of the foreign clubs invited to play in the RHB Singapore Cup tournament. Here are some of the Crown's Singapore Cup related postings by Andy PPCFC in Singapore Light exercises  Hands up  On reflection

Epic Opening to the 23rd Lion City Cup till the half of it...

NFA U15 4-3 NEWCASTLE UNITED Epic finish till the end of the 23rd Canon Lion City Cup opener that saw the match drawn by yours truly had the NFA U15 came from the jaws of defeat to see them beat the replacement side Newcastle United 4-3. The epic finishing by Faridzuan Faud rocked the JBS But the Baby Cubs got to watch their backline that was caught flat to allow baby Magpies to score in the first place, while the pressing game by the local boys eventually caused the collapse of the Geordies. Much quieter affairs off the field after the first match, as the ambience resembled of that of a normal S.League match after the LATW crew made their exit. CLICK HERE FOR THE MATCH PHOTOS CR FLAMENGO 1-0 EVERTON FC Was expecting some samba-inspired chanting from the local Flamengo supporters, but it wasn't the case at all so were the local Toffees supporters. While the Merseysiders did a decent job in suppressing the Brazilians with their tightly knitted defence that much cred

[Feature] The Braveheart Siva (PART ONE)

(This is part one of the three-parter series that featured a story of Singaporean footballer who overcome the odds in bid improve his game in a foreign land.) A lot of people would think that to be able to play professional football overseas, one would have to be a national player in order to "qualify for that feat". After all, since goalkeeper Edmund Wee who begun the trend in early 1980s when he signed for Hong Kong powerhouse South China AA in 1981, those who followed his footsteps were all capped players like David Lee, Fandi Ahmad (both joined Indonesian club Niac Mitra in 1982), V Sundramoorthy (FC Basel in 1987) In the more recent cases of Singaporean players plying the their trade overseas, such as Noh Alam Shah, Muhammad Ridhuan (of ISL club Arema Malang), Persija Jakarta's Precious Emuejeraye, Agu Casmir had more less amassed more than a hundred caps among themselves. Amid most of these headlines grabbing transfers that saw these capped players earning a

Thank You, Coach Vorawan

Tweet courtesy of "@LigaSingapura" Undoubtedly, the most successful coach in Tampines Rovers Football Club since the inception of the S.League in 1996 - Vorawan Chitavanich had stepped down as the club's Technical Director and decided to head home to Thailand. The timing of his departure could not have come to a rather bumpy timing when the Stags are facing sticky patches of late after ACL injuries to star players such as 'keeper Hassan Sunny and defender Park Yo Seb that effectively rule them out of the rest of the campaign. Former Thai international Vorawan Chitavich joined Tampines from Sembawang Rangers in 2004 Despite making progress to the next round of the RHB Singapore Cup  and returning of Fahrudin Mustafić to the club lately, the exit of the man who guided the perennial underachievers to two S.League titles (2004, 2005), two Singapore Cup (2004, 2006) and the Asean Club Championship honours in 2005 will be sorely missed. While the imminent p

Albirex's patient play shredded South apart

I guess South Melbourne (in white) must be absolutely frustrated by the passing-holding game deployed by Albirex Niigata (Singapore) in their RHB Singapore Cup encounter at the Jalan Besar Stadium. For a moment, the way the White Swans played was almost identical the way Super Reds made SAFFC looked jaded years ago on the same ground. It was remarked by Warriors coach Richard Bok then that it was tough game despite the how slow the pace of the game was! And not surprisingly with the ball almost exclusively belong to the Japanese, it was only a matter of time before they took the lead in the first half through Shotaro Ihata in the 23rd minute. And it was the way of this strategy that seems to have pushed the Victorians to a dead end with no answer to reply. Which Albirex's coach Koichi Sugiyama said: "It was because we control the midfield of the game that eventually forced South Melbourne to play long ball." "But I must say they (South) are physical toug

Al-Fateha... Nasir Jalil

"Here's the 'Crazy Horse'!!" said former Singapore captain Fandi Ahmad  prior to the kick-off of the veteran match of the 2009 Sultan of Selangor Cup at the Jalan Besar Stadium, as stood beside him (pictured below) was none other than Nasir Jalil (pictured below left in dark-coloured attire) popularly known by that nickname. That was the first and last time I saw this great player, who was also known as the "Supersub" in that legendary 1977 team that won the Malaysia Cup under the late "Uncle" Choo Seng Quee. Known for his boundless energy on the field, it was his equalizer in that epic final that eventually led to Quah Kim Song (pictured below on the left) to score the extra-time winner to beat Penang at the Merdeka Stadium and saw the Republic won the Cup for the first time in 12 years. "He was a great individual and a wonderful footballer who earned the nickname ‘Crazy Horse’ for his great passion shown on the football pitch. &q

[Media Information] Singapore beat Maldives 4-0 in an International friendly held at Jalan Besar Stadium‏

(Media Information from the Football Association of Singapore ) SINGAPORE, 07 JUNE 2011: The new-look Singapore team cruised to a 4-0 victory over the visiting Maldives team in the international friendly held on June 7 2011 at Jalan Besar Stadium. The match started off with a new captain for our national team and it was none other than 20-year-old Hariss Harun, who was also playing in his new role as a centre back. A penalty in the 13th minute allowed the Lions to draw first blood and it was brilliantly converted by Qiu Li ( pictured above on extreme left). He got himself on the score sheet again six minutes later before Shi Jiayi thrilled the 2,166 strong crowd in the 30th minute with the third goal of the match. Aleksander Duric proved everyone why he is the S.League’s top scorer with the final goal of the match in the 49th minute. The Maldives team tried their best but were unable to break through the Singapore defensive wall and the match was played out before the home team

Compilation of "Media Information" pertaining the incident involving Hougang United and Etoile FC on 23rd may 2011

(Media Information from the Football Association of Singapore ) FAS Disciplinary Committee to convene on Thursday, 16 June 2011 SINGAPORE, 06 JUNE 2011: The FAS Disciplinary Committee will adjourn to Thursday, 16 June 2011 at 7.00pm (Jalan Besar Stadium conference room) with regards to the incident at the Great Eastern – YEO’S S.League match between Hougang United and Etoile FC at the Hougang Stadium on 23 May 2011. Further information will be given out tomorrow, Tuesday 7th June 2011. CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE 06 JUN 2011 DC Hearing to convene on 16 June 2011, RHB matches to go ahead SINGAPORE, 07 JUNE 2011: The FAS Disciplinary Committee will adjourn to Thursday, 16 June 2011 at 7.00pm (Jalan Besar Stadium conference room) with regards to the incident at the Great Eastern – YEO’S S.League match between Hougang United and Etoile FC at the Hougang Stadium on 23 May 2011. Please also be informed that following the Disciplinary

Stop being a NATO...

I must admit something here that it just make me flare up whenever there is always such suggestions from some quarters of the fans pleading the league authority to bring back the likes of Tanjong Pagar United (which happened this year), Sembawang Rangers and Jurong FC back to the S.League. Not because I don't support the idea of having these "sit-out" clubs back to the foray, nor I'm whole-heartedly for the idea of having foreigner-based sides in our league (unless they have really something positive to contribute). But what really riled me is the fact that these pleadings were merely pleading with no concrete or tangible effort from whosoever to follow up on these appeals all over the years whenever it's almost due for that"customary musical chair" sequence that took place almost annually in recent years to name "that 12th club" of the league. Let's not discuss about what went wrong in the perceived "stringent" selection system

The Official Anthem for the 23rd Canon Lion City Cup - "Still Steady"

(This entry is formulated partly with additional details provided by the media release issued by Muse PR of The Red Card Group, the co-organizers of the 23rd Canon Lion City Cup) The much anticipated official music video of the 23rd Canon Lion City Cup was officially launched. In a joint collaboration between Canon and Soul Theory Studios with local renowned hip hop artiste Sheikh Haikel, this one minute clip also featured local football luminaries such as Fandi Ahmad, Malek Awab, Aide Iskandar, S Subramani and Lionel Lewis. Beside listening to the catch tune of the "Still Steady" performed by Haikel from his most recent album "10.10.10", fans are able to witness the mentioned former and present national players showcasing their skills not in the usual football gears, but in those fashionable streetwear outfit (Cool!). According to the funnyman himself, the inspiration for the song came upon his realization that the phrase ‘steady bom pi pi’ was a uniquely Singapor

[Feature] If there’s a will, there’s a way.

(The content and images of this entry are obtained via former Balestier Khalsa's Head of youth development, Mr Mohamed Zainudeen with the objective of spreading the words about the development of disability football in Singapore) Khairul has scored 9 goals in one tournament If there’s a will, there’s a way. Perhaps that is the philosophy held by both Khairul Anwar Kasmani, 25, and his friend Harun Rahamad, 22 years old. Even though they belong among the disabled, but that did not break their spirits directly to participate in vigorous activities, such as other young people. Khairul Anwar and Harun have a problem with cerebral palsy. Unlike Harun, who experienced such problem since birth, Khairul Anwar also began to experience at the age of one year due to falls from ladders flat corridor. Despite being disabled, they still participate in sports such as soccer, badminton, bowling and long distance running. In fact, both of them represent futsal team for the Singapore Disability Spor