BoLASEPaKO.COM - A Blog on Singapore Football

How can a few tiny markings on the reverse of a silver medallion reveal whether it is an authentic piece of Singapore's football history? In this collage (below) is the front and reverse of a rare medallion from the Singapore Football Association (SFA)—one of the former names of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS). The 1913 SFA medallion (as credited) This medallion was manufactured by Vaughton & Sons of Birmingham, England, and is believed to have been assayed in 1913, based on the distinctive Birmingham date letter hallmark. The term "assay" refers to the testing carried out on precious metals to verify their purity, content, and authenticity. DECODING THE BIRMINGHAM HALLMARKS: FROM SFA TO SAFA According to available sources, the 1913 hallmark features an anchor, a lion passant, and the date letter "O" (a hallmark cycle also used in 1938). Since the SFA was renamed the Singapore Amateur Football Association (SAFA) on 14 May 1929, it confirms tha...

The name card of Mr Lim Kia Tong Just only days ago before his demise in 2022 , I received this from him at a book launch at JBS. And he said these words to me:"I heard you been writing a lot on Singapore football." before he handed me his name card, as shown. That was only the second time I had met Mr Lim Kia Tong face-to-face, despite snapping him from a distance ever since his rise to prominence in local football. He took over the presidency of the Football Association of Singapore in 2017 when his team won the election after FAS held its first election in decades. I will not touch on what he did for the game of football in Singapore, as plenty of articles out there have already documented that . Mr Lim addressing the media in 2017 However, before I conclude this short post, I thought it would be a good idea to share how and when I first met Mr Lim. It was in a boardroom at the old National Stadium during the early 2000s, if I remember correctly — where we both sat on a ...

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: ...

2025/6 Singapore Cup Final - Lion City Sailors 2-0 BG Tampines Rovers (aet) 100126 Aleksandar Duric (left) and Adam Swandi (right) carrying the Singapore Cup For this match to go into extra time was really unnecessary if both sides had shown a bit more aggressiveness in the final third during their offences. This was the Sailors' third consecutive Cup victory that was overshadowed by Tampines' admin blunder on the field during the match. Scorers: Hami Syahin 115', Anderson Lopes 120+2' CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES ➤  2025/6 Singapore Cup Final - Lion City Sailors 2-0 BG Tampines Rovers (aet) 100126 SGPL - Balestier Khalsa 3-1 Young Lions 130226 Contrasting emotions after this fixture at Bishan Stadium The main takeaways from this Singapore Premier League (SPL) match at Bishan on a "Friday-The-thirteenth". - Balestier Khalsa scored their first win in 2026 - The Young Lions still have not won a single SPL match in season 2025/6 up to this match. Scorers: Bogdan Ma...

The Jaguars Team Coach stationed at Bishan Frankly speaking, the news of the recent change of management at the once-mighty Tanjong Pagar United doesn't excite me at all. Having observed how things were run over the last few years from a bystander's perspective, I would rather reserve judgement until the time is right. Nonetheless, it is crucial that the new management keeps all stakeholders informed of their plans, without making any grandstanding statements. After all, with the new season merely weeks away, we should have received some tangible updates from the club by now regarding whatever plans they have in mind. Spare a thought for those long-suffering Jags supporters who had enough after all these years. - 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒓  𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎'𝒔 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒍  -

The blogger with Ian Wright at Tiong Bahru Market in 2015 I am no longer looking forward to the World Cup — a feeling that began after 2002. Gone are the days when the competition was broadcast on free-to-air channels, serving as a focal point around the globe that everyone looked forward to every four years. FROM SBC TO SBS Back then, our local broadcasters would host the coverage from their own studio setup at Caldecott Hill during those SBC days before the role was taken over by Australia's SBS in 1994, which introduced Singaporean households to the legendary duo of Les Murray and Johnny Warren for the very first time. Since then, watching the World Cup has become a costly affair. Football fans have to dig deep into their pockets to pay for the subscriptions just to witness the mesmerising moments of icons such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. I still remember paying the subscription for the first (and last) time so that my late father could watch the games during 2002 ...

I can still vividly remember the day I read the shattering headline printed in the 3rd January 1993 edition of The Sunday Times (the Sunday edition of The Straits Times (ST)). I literally choked on my drink when I read this headline (as credited) Despite noting the ace winger did not have a good season in the previous year that saw Singapore relegated to the second tier of the Malaysian League, the broadsheet assessed : "If 26-year-old Hasnim (Haron) does move across the Causeway, it would be a severe blow to Singapore's hopes of a successful campaign when Division Two of the Semi-Pro League (Liga Semi-Pro Divisyen 2) kicks off in July." NOT A "PIN DROP" AT ALL The development caught the whole local football fraternity by surprise, as there had been literally no sign—not even a pin drop—to hint to anyone that the midfielder was on his way to Stadium Larkin (the home ground of Johor FA ). This was especially shocking, given that things were looking up for a reju...

Keisuke Honda training at Jurong East   The stunning recruitment of former Japanese international Keisuke Honda by the soon-to-be-renamed FC Jurong (currently Albirex Niigata (Singapore) ) has sent shockwaves through the local football fraternity since the announcement made this morning (10/4) . While marquee signings are nothing new since professionalisation began in 1996, what matters most is the impact the former AC Milan star will make come August. The league’s history is littered with so-called "impact" players who failed to leave a mark—such as 1990 Cameroon World Cup veteran Émile Mbouh, who turned out for Tiong Bahru United in 1997. Which other "marquees" can you recall who truly left a lasting impression during their time in Singapore? (👀: Shingo Nakano, at the background of the snap, would relish the opportunity to partner with the legend) - 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎'𝒔 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎 ...

Hasnim Haron in action for Singapore (as credited) With the ball at his feet near the corner flag, the conventional move would have been for Hasnim Haron to pass it to a teammate in a better position to deliver a cross into the box. Nonetheless, the nippy Singapore winger had other ideas. He slightly rolled the ball backwards with the sole of his boot before flicking it up and whacking it into the penalty area during a Liga Semi-Pro (the Malaysian League) match at the old National Stadium. Such unorthodox trickery sent the thousands at Kallang into a state of frenzy. I will never forget the moment I saw that play on a delayed telecast back in 1990. The start of the last decade of the 20th century marked the rise to prominence of a man touted to fill the void vacated by both Fandi Ahmad and V. Sundram moorthy. (L-R) Hasnim and V Sundram moorthy in 1987 ( source ) With the exodus of the aforementioned duo overseas in the 1980s, the island republic was in desperate need of a new football...

"While Tampines Rovers have admitted their mistake, the Fourth Official and the MC (Match Commissioner) must share the blame. This oversight was entirely preventable had they intervened in time," shared a former Match Commissioner during a recent exchange, days after the 2025/26 Singapore Cup final between Lion City Sailors (LCS) and BG Tampines Rovers . "Fourth Official" making substitution during a match ( as credited ) The aforementioned match was won 2-0 by LCS after extra time, with goals from Hami Syahin and Anderson Lopes. However, the result was subsequently overturned after it was confirmed the Stags had committed the following breaches : A COSTLY SUBSTITUTION • Breach of Article 19.2 (Minimum Local Player Requirement): The club failed to maintain the mandatory minimum of four Singaporean players on the pitch at all times. This occurred in the 81st minute of the match when Joel Chew (a Singaporean player) was substituted for Yuki Kobayashi (a Japanese nati...

It was a damp squib of an affair as both Lion City Sailors (LCS) and BG Tampines Rovers failed to deliver a match worthy of that of a Singapore Cup Final. The overcautious approach by two of the biggest clubs in local football resulted in an ordeal that the fans simply had to endure. I still cannot believe this was the kind of football we saw at the Jalan Besar Stadium earlier (10/1). LCS' Kyoga Nakamura in front of the Tampines' fans who used to adore him  Everything was in place for the match everyone had been looking forward to (i.e.: the recruitment of former Stags' cult figure Kyoga Nakamura to LCS was enough to hype up the match), yet the quality shown was poor. The lack of dynamism in the final third at both ends made it a pain to watch. Dragging the match into extra time felt unnecessary; it could have been avoided if both the Sailors and the Stags had been more aggressive in attack. If this is the standard for our local 'Heavyweight' clashes, what needs t...

 Community Shield - Lion City Sailors 1-4 BG Tampines Rovers 160825 BG Tampines Rovers claimed the first trophy of 2025/6 season BG Tampines Rovers secured a 4-1 victory over Lion City Sailors at the Jurong East Stadium to lift the Community Shield - the traditional curtain-raiser to the Singapore Premier League. Coach Akbar Nawas made a triumphant return to local football by guiding the Stags to their sixth Community Shield. CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES ➤  Community Shield - Lion City Sailors 1-4 BG Tampines Rovers #ACLTwo - Lion City Sailors 4-2 Selangor FC 011025 The Selangor players having a word with the referee. The match was kicked off at 6pm, before the activation of the LWS halted the play. The game resumed following the deactivation of the LWS. CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES ➤  #ACLTwo - Lion City Sailors 4-2 Selangor FC #ACLTwo - BG Tampines Rovers 2-1 BG Pathum United 021025 BG Tampines Rovers caused an upset by beating BG Pathum United in this ACL2 fixture The Stag...

Following the recent announcement by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) on 9th December, Jalan Besar Stadium (JBS) will become the home ground for both Lion City Sailors (LCS) and Young Lions , featuring a newly-installed natural grass turf. Bishan Stadium (file picture) It is also confirmed that Bishan Stadium (above) will serve as the home venue for the other Singapore Premier League (SPL) clubs, namely Balestier Khalsa and Hougang United, for the remainder of the ongoing 2025/2026 SPL season. "BISHAN - HOME OF TIGERS AND CHEETAHS TILL END OF SEASON": FAS In an email reply to this platform, the FAS spokesperson said: "Bishan Stadium will host the home matches of Hougang United and Balestier Khalsa for the remainder of the 2025/2026 season from January 2026." FUTURE OF HOUGANG STADIUM AND PRSC When asked whether future SPL matches would be held at Hougang Stadium (slated to reopen in mid 2026) or the upcoming 5,000-seater stadium at the Punggol Regional S...

I will not comment on whether Gavin Lee (pictured right) should be given the permanent role as Singapore national team head coach after he successfully guided the Lions to their first AFC Asian Cup qualification on merit on an interim basis. Gavin Lee (Pictured right) Although many cite the argument that he is "a local and knows the system well" as the main reason he should be appointed, I hope this consensus is not merely a result of the ongoing state of euphoria following that historical feat. The irony is, wasn't that a similar argument cited in 2016 when former Singapore striker V. Sundram moorthy took over from German Bernd Stange as the tactician of the four-time ASEAN champions? Despite rising through the coaching ranks since his retirement as a player with Jurong FC in the early 2000s - having acquired enough pedigree by taking charge of S.League clubs like Young Lions and Tampines Rovers before landing in the hot seat - what happened in the end ? At the same tim...