BoLASEPaKO.COM - A Blog on Singapore Football

(P.S: If you access this site via "come.to/matchpix", please click the "Facebook" icon after you click "HERE" when you want to view the album as that will redirect you to the album, thank you) Causeway Challenge 2012 - Singapore 2-2 Malaysia 8/6/12 The Lions were saved from the skin of defeat with a Qiu Li's stunner in the dying minutes of the match with plenty of questions to be answered by Coach Raddy over his selection policy. But the Serbian tactician was quick quashed any room for imagination by saying the "best players will play and doesn't matter he is from Lions XII or S.League". While Malaysian coach Datuk K Rajagobal is looking forward to the return leg in Shah Alam and opined it was a game they deserved the victory. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REST OF THE MATCH PICTURES. Causeway Challenge 2012 (Part 2) - Malaysia 2-0 Singapore 12/6/2012 We lost the eight year undefeated streak to the Malaysians in Shah ...

Earth-Shattering News..... (courtesy of axrosstheline.com ) No one would expect this to happen so sudden! Shocked, stunned and my jaws almost dislocated upon receiving this shattering news that "Ah Long" Noh Alam Shah could make a sensation return to his former club, Tampines Rovers (as depicted). If this is to turn into reality, it would set to jolt the S.League, which is desperate in need of a shot in arm to boast its already fading fortunes. Known for his fiery temperament on the field, the return of Alam Shah could be one of those catalysts to spur the passion that has seldom be seen at the "grounds downstairs". Never mind what were happened in the past, shouldn't "Ah Long" be given a chance to work his magic to chant the crowds back? Just hope those bureaucracy procedures would not hinder the process with the transfer windows set to close tomorrow - 29th June.

(P.S: I have nothing against any sort of initiatives proposed by the league authority, but feel that it can do a better job in gaining the public acceptance) Picture courtesy of CPBL's 心棒球俱樂部 It all begun when I saw this promotional poster online featuring the upcoming Taiwanese' CPBL All-Star Game (top) and instantly it drawn my comparison with the photo featuring the "SuperGals" (as issued by the league authority weeks ago). The "SuperGals" (credit: FAS) A random gauge around and I asked if these two posters are being placed side-by-side which of it is likely to gain that "instant attention". Not surprisingly, the words "ALL STAR" stood in between the sluggers immediately caught the attention of those who responded . Natural instinct would make one to take a closer look at what was the CPBL poster is talking about, rather than those ladies. Using similar concept, I made use of "Halftone" , one of the many a...

(This entry is based on the media release issued by the Football Association of Singapore with images depicted provided by the said organisation .) Singapore, 19 June 2012 - Over the years the H-TWO-O Ultimate Champions League has grown from its early days, based on the theme that ‘football is for everyone’ to what it is today - where players from Secondary Schools, Polytechnics and Institutes of Technical Education are bestowed the opportunity to showcase their talents in this free tournament and bid for one of three chancesto see Manchester United play in the English Premier League. The objective of the event includes fostering youth development and unearthing raw talent that are unnoticed, while also encouraging racial harmony by mandating teams to comprise players of diverse ethnicities. In addition, the players can also earn a chance to join the H-TWO-O Ultimate Dream Team, with emphasis on the performances of the best three players, based on their character, discipline a...

I am not very sure how many of you out there would go "ga-ga" whenever it was quoted in the papers that a particular "who and who" is "keen to play" on our shores and "hope to lift the profile of the league (not just the club he speculate to join)" because of his participation. I wouldn't be such of those "ga-ga" or "blink-blink" keen to see those "who and who" come over to play in the S.League. Put aside factors that these "who and who" are not longer who they were in their prime, it's more because we are not yet ready to welcome them onboard (we all should know if we can, need not to ask more). While some may argue the presence of these "who and who" may be just the "push" we need to lift ourselves up from the doldrums, but it could be risky move that would see the heavy investment gone down to drains if things goes wrong (especially the fact that these "who and who...

Malaysia coach Datuk K Rajagobal (back facing) thanks the fans after the game. The record has finally tarnished after the Malaysians beat Singapore 2-0 at Shah Alam with goals from Shakir Ali and Safiq Rahim (who scored another free-kick against the Lions, yet again). The writings were already on the walls in the recent times that undefeated streak since 2004 was hanging by a thread. As what Harimau coach Datuk K Rajagobal maintained since the 2-2 draw at JBS that the Malaysians deserved to win that game and finally proven it was the case when the second leg of the Causeway Challenge saw the Malaysian side triumphed over their auld enemy. Despite the recall of the talismatic evergreen Aleksandar Duric back to the fold, the Lions were outclassed by their hosts in front of their adoring fans. Not surprise if the same old excuses are given for this assessment which I should stop short in blogging what is next, since it's pointless ... PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REST O...

Wisma FAM at Kelena Jaya No one would expect a country's football association to be located within a residential district, but it is where the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) housed their headquarters at in Kelana Jaya , a suburb of Petaling Jaya (commonly known as PJ to the local) which located next to the capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Due to its obscure locality, it would be a mammoth task for any newcomer who would want to pay a visit to this complex which comprises of a four-storey building with other training facilities which play an instrumental part in the Malaysian football development. I was at this complex for the pre-match press conference for the following day's "Causeway Challenge"between Malaysia and Singapore, which ended in a 2-2 draw at the Jalan Besar Stadium. The venue of the press conference was held at the mini-auditorium in the main building. Malaysia coach Datuk K Rajagobal maintains his POV At the presser, Malaysian coach ...

Various schools of thoughts were gathered from last night's Causeway Challenge that saw the Lions drawn 2-2 against Malaysia at Jalan Besar. "Where is my support?" Agu (11) as depicted "With no disrespect to the Malaysians who we are playing them week in and out, shouldn't we go for some stronger opponents?" said a friend who opined that facing a tougher opponents would only see the Lions improve their game (as first half saw the entire lineup filled up with Lions XII players). The come about of the Causeway Challenge was part of the MOU agreed upon by both FAS and FAM last year, hence resulted the home-and-away series featuring two of the fiercest football rivalries in this region. Even "kena hamtam", must know why "kena hamtam Added on to the above-mentioned, I went on and shared with this friend of what I read from sources. "On top of that, scheduling such friendlies also one issue to look into, just like one country FA,...

Agu (left) was isolated upfront The decision to field the entire national team with the Lions XII may not go down too well with some quarters of the fans who many felt players in the S .League are being overlooked by coach Raddy in this friendly fixture against Malaysia. It was thought to be game over when Malaysians scored their second With a depleted strikeforce that saw Agu Casmir upfront as the solo man, the Lions were literally struggled to break down the resilient Harimau's defence for large part of the first half, except for a few sporadic chances that were well defused at the nick of time and only to concede the lead to the visitors when Azamuddin Akil scored before the interval. Shahdan Sulaiman's 86th minute goal changed the game. Just as the game was thought to go Malaysia way after Safiq Rahim netted home the second goal in the second period of play, Shahdan Sulaiman reduced the deficit in the dying minutes under controversial circumstanc...

(The entry is formulated based on the materials and information from Ministry of Football - MOF , images depicted in this entry belong to MOF )  From the people who are the prime movers of Freestyle Football in Singapore, the Ministry of Football (MOF) will initiate two tournaments in coming weeks, as the footballing world is getting ready for the Euro 2012 craze. "We, at MOF, felt obliged to organize tournaments for the community in a way for us to give back to the football community." said Mr Darryl Wang, MOF's Executive Manager, Training & Development, on the organizing of these two tournaments "With Euro2012 just days away, we hope these two tournaments can help to ease the ‘itch’ in these football lovers’ feet during this period." he added. These two tournaments are namely: "MOF U18 June Madness Tournament" U18 June Madness is meant for Under 18 players Played on a hard futsal court, this competition is one of it’s kind as it ...

(The entry is formulated from the transcript obtained via Integrated Marketing Solutions Group - IMSG , the PR agency of Nike Singapore ) (P.S: The copyrights of the images depicted in this blog entry belong to Nike unless stated on the images themselves.) Since the launch of “The Chance” (Singapore) - the global footballing talent search by Nike back in March by Lions XII coach V Sundramoorthy at Meridian Junior College, more than a few hundred hopefuls had staked their claim to be among the top five players to represent the Republic in the regional final to be held in Jakarta later this month. Former Man Utd defender Denis Irwin (holding cup) was one of the guest scouts involved Involvement from a Legend Throughout the tedious selection process that saw the involvement of former Manchester United defender Denis Irwin in one of the open trials held in late April, the search had finally narrowed down to a mere figure of 20 players after a “boot camp” session held in Dempsey Fiel...

This year's venue is at Clarke Quay  The brilliance of the Brazilian futsal team ADC Florianopolis at the Tiger Street Football 2012 should once again throw us the question how football should be played. Never mind the fact that the Brazilian side was up against a makeshift squad in a friendly match amid the intensity of the ongoing regional tournament that will see the winning side represent the Republic in the Grand Finals in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam in late September. ADC Florianopolis' players are in white top It's more about how the players from the Samba land had once again shown us how the game should be played - simple, easy manner without placing much emphasis on physicality, something what local football seems to prioritize more. The Tiger Cage Girls wowed the crowds with their routine Just like last year's event at Ngee Ann City, the caged court is once again the focus of attention that saw the total of qualified 32 local sides slo...