BoLASEPaKO.com - A Blog on Singapore Football

Without much fanfare, at least in Singapore, Central Coast Mariners became the first Australian club to win the AFC Cup after defeating Al-Ahed of Lebanon. The crowning of the Gosford-based A-League side as the winners of the continent's second-tier club competition marked the end of the tournament since its inception twenty years ago in 2004. As far as the Lion City is concerned, this competition enabled teams from the island republic to compete against teams from the region. It was quite common during the tournament to see teams like SAFFC, Home United, Tampines Rovers, etc., traveling to places like the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, Hong Kong, Indonesia, etc., to face their regional opponents. Duric (left) has seen the highs and lows of Singapore's AFC Cup journey Unfortunately, many, in my humble opinion, seem to fail to appreciate what the AFC Cup has done for local clubs given the lack of fan interest and the scant coverage from the local media. Besides gaining much-need

Speechless when see those comparing I am not sure if you have noticed this trend, which I personally consider unhealthy. Often, in nostalgic-themed social groups or forums, people share various forms of media to reminisce about the good old days. Unfortunately, some use this opportunity to compare the past with the present. We often hear remarks like "the present cannot be compared with the past" or "past generations were much better." I must be blunt here and say that comparing is not only unhealthy but also, to a certain extent, TOXIC. While past generations had their achievements, we should not discredit those who came after them just because of the challenges we face now. Let us remember this: Nazri Nasir lifted Singapore's first international major honour - the Tiger Cup in 1998. His predecessor, Samad Allapitchay, lifted the Malaysia Cup in 1980. Do you see the difference? - 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒇