BoLASEPaKO.com - A Blog on Singapore Football

AFC Swansong for Duric? As he strolled off the pitch following the end of the AFC Cup Group H match that saw his side Tampines Rovers lost 3-2 to Selangor FA of Malaysia, it could also mean the end of continental involvement as a player for 42-year-old Aleksandar Duric since his appearance with Geylang United in 2004 followed by his stint with SAFFC that included an appearance in the prestigious Asian Champions League in 2009. Definitely not the kind of curtain down that anyone would want for , as it was deemed a "dead-rubber" encounter following Stags' last week loss to Saigon Xuan Thanh to quash any hope of advancement for the defending S . League champions. It concluded that the Stags will be for the second consecutive time not making past the group stages in their last six appearances with their best showing in 2005 to 2007 that saw make them made it to the elimination phrase. The exit from the second-tier Asian club tournament by both Tampines Rovers and

The second goal of the game was scored in the 61st minute Coupled Tampines Rover's loss a day earlier in Vietnam, the 2-0 defeat suffered in the hands of Sumatran club Semen Padang by defending Singapore Cup holders Warriors in the AFC Cup Group E fixture had confirmed the exit of both Singapore clubs from the continental second-tier club tournament. With those results confirmed, it means for the second time in tournament history (Geylang United in 2010) will not see any participating club from the Republic qualified to the second phase of this tournament with Geylang United and Home United being the semi-finalists in the founding year back in 2004. When asked if the result meant Singapore clubs and the rest of the regional clubs are way apart, Warriors coach V Selvaraj felt otherwise. Sufian Anuar mistimed his header for this chance in the first half During the post-match media briefing, the former Singapore striker said: “I felt that our local clubs are good enough

(This entry is formulated based on the media release issued by Muse PR Pte Ltd , the PR agency of the mentioned event with images depicted in this entry provided via the same release) (L-R): R Sasikumar, FAS President Zainudin Nordin, Lim Kok Hin of Canon Credited to be the first of its kind when it first started in 1977, the Canon Lion City Cup (as it is now known as because of its title sponsorship agreement with the Japanese imaging giants since 2011) has been seen as the talent churning machine for local football ever since. The likes of local luminaries such as Fandi Ahmad, V Sundramoorthy to Baihakki Khaizan and Shahdan Sulaiman were just a few to name who played in the tournament and went on to don the national team jersey in their later stages of their career. Since 2011, the organisers had invited youth teams from renowned clubs from Europe and South America that counted the likes of Juventus, AFC Ajax, CR Flamengo and Manchester City competed in the previous edition

(This entry is formulated based on the media release issued by 3x Pte Ltd, the organizers of the mentioned event with images depicted in this entry provided via the event's official Facebook Page, unless credited) Falcao is expected to be in town next month (credit: event's FB page) It is an initiative by the Singapore Olympic Foundation (SOF) to raise fund to help financially challenged kids with good sporting potentials to fulfill their dreams that will see La Liga powerhouses Atlético Madrid in town next month to showcase some of those Spanish flairs that captivated football fans around the world, ever since the fever pitch hit a high worldwide when Spain won the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. FULL SUPPORT BY ATLETICO FOR THE MATCH To show their full support behind this charitable cause, the Los Rojiblancos has confirmed that they will be bringing all their first-team players to Singapore for Singapore Olympic Foundation - Peter Lim Charity Cup . All ticke

(This entry is formulated based on the press release issued by the S.League SBU, FAS with pictures depicted in it came along with the said release, unless credited) The Draw was held at the FLOAT Seems like the past few editions of the Cup draw had clashed with my work commitments that I couldn't make it to this year's ceremony that was held at the iconic Float @ Marina Bay (pictured left). Nonetheless, this year's RHB Singapore Cup still retains its regional flavours with the continuing inclusion of invitational sides from various neighouring countries with the returning of the Philippines club Loyola Meralco Sparks, who will be joined by fellow UFL side Global FC (debuting this season) together with Indo-Chinese presence in the form of Lao Police FC (from Laos) and Cambodian League champions Boeung Ket Rubber Field. As the result of the revealing of the four mentioned guests participants by Fox Sports Asia before the draw , it means the tournament will not see t

Having listened to what Warriors coach V Selvaraj said after his side's 1-0 win over the under-strength Churchill Brothers of India in this do-or-die AFC Cup decider, I was wondering if I was at the same game as he was at Jalan Besar. Yes, the fact was that I tweeted before the game that the ball was at the eighth-time S.League champions' court to see if they are able to salvage their tattered continental campaign, but for those 363 at the ground watching this dead-pan fixture, I wonder if they felt the same I did after the game. Someone said this statement "No matter how good you played, how bad you played, the important thing is you win the game.", and for that I think that theory was well applied to the hosts' victory this evening. And for the first time ever, I appreciated the activation of the Lightning Warning System (LWS) at halftime to allow the cushioning of the impact of that dreadful first-half display from both sides. The Warriors got off to

The match in progress at Hougang Stadium For the past week, I was not able to attend any games due to my shift work and thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to go down to Hougang Stadium for a match after my work in Bishan area. After all, it would be an interesting outing to see the two teams that were in action this evening would able to bounce back from a series of setbacks facing them the past few days with the hosting Hougang United taking on the visiting Balestier Khalsa on a relatively pleasant Tuesday night (so long the Lightning Warning System is not being called into action). The hosting Cheetahs did some reshuffling in their coaching setup that saw their Prime League coach Johana Johari care-taking the head coaching position from Alex Weaver just days ago after the expectations fallen short from the 2011 League Cup runners-up since the start of the season. While the Tigers suffered from a 4-0 mauling last week in the hands of their neighbours from across Braddell

Stuck in South East Asia? "...However, there remains much hard work ahead and we will continue to strive towards our goals, work on other areas in which we are lacking, and bring Singapore football to the next level." said FAS President Mr Zainudin Nordin in a media statement , that lauded the achievements by the team and various individuals from victorious Suzuki Cup winning side in the inaugural AFF Awards 2013. In the ceremony held yesterday in Kuantan, the capital of the Malaysian state of Pahang that saw former Lions' coach Raddy Avramovic and Shahril Ishak clinched the "Coach of the Year (Men's Team)" and "Player of the Year (Men)" awards respectively with the likes of Fahrudin Mustafic and Baihakki Khaizan named alongside with Shahril in the "AFF's First XI". While the crowning glory was to appreciate the efforts shown by the national team in the biennial regional tournament with the bragging rights to be called the “

(This entry is formulated based on the media release issued by CROWD Pte Ltd , the PR agency for Nike Singapore ) (P.S: The copyrights of the images depicted in this blog entry belong to Nike, unless stated on the images itself.) Wayne Rooney wearing Bomba Finale II Without any doubt, the five-a-side game has long been consider the perfect training ground for some of the world's top footballers. In the latest media release that showcases FC247 a new range of football performance and street footwear by Nike, Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney attributed how smaller version game helps in his performance on the field. "Playing five-a-side as a kid was a massive part of my development. It improved my control, speed, awareness and vision so much. We still play versions of it in training." said the Red Devils frontman. Echoed the same sentiment, Barcelona midfield maestro Andres Iniesta added:"If I had more free time, I would like to train more with my