BoLASEPaKO.COM - A Blog on Singapore Football

(This entry is formulated based on the transcript of the media information issued by the Football Association of Singapore ) File Picture from "SCREWED UP!!" SINGAPORE, 17 JANUARY 2012 – The selection committee identified and interviewed a handful of candidates for the position of S.League CEO in the past few months. After all the interviews were done, Mr Johan Gouttefangeas was deemed to be the best man for the role of Deputy CEO. We did our due diligence and ran checks which found nothing amiss. As far as the FAS management is concerned, we were not aware of his personal issues back in France. FAS takes a serious view of the allegations directed towards Mr Johan Gouttefangeas. We will be conducting an immediate review before deciding on the next course of action. CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE 17 JAN 2012 The following statement was issued by the Football Association of Singapore the following day (18th January 2012) SI...

"Etoile Ultras" with their distinctive banner on matchdays "Etoile's sit-out is not a surprise for me." That was the first comment by Mr Pierre Foucaud, the group leader of "Etoile Ultras" - the independent Etoile FC's fan club on the 2010 S.League Champions' decision to sit out of the upcoming 2012 season. A meteorologist by trade, the local-based Frenchman together with two other compatriots formed the "Ultras" back in 2010 to back the French side when they debut in the S.League and claimed the title in their inaugural season. Something that never materializes (Picture credit: from sources) Despite that feat, things did not appear to be rosy on the surface with allegations of reports on various unpleasant issues that surfaced along the way and eventually saw their former chairman Johan Gouttefangeas (pictured above left with French star Laurent Robert)  left in the club in last June  (Gouttefangeas was recently named ...

(L-R): Lim Chin, Zainudin Nordin and Johan Gouttefangeas It's not fair to tag him now with either one of the two colonial characters whom I opined the new S.League CEO would be and define the direction the league is heading to under his leadership. The announcement of former ex-SAFFC chairman Lim Chin (pictured above left) came as no surprise with talks of the former Chief of Artillery being named as the man on the hot seat following several news reports of him suggested he would. SMOOTH TRANSITION FAS president Zainudin Nordin (pictured above center) assured the media that a smooth transition will be ahead for both Lim and his deputy, Johan Gouttefangeas (pictured above right) with him as the "hands-on" person to serve as guiding hand to the duo. In the eagerly anticipated press conference at the league headquarters at the Jalan Besar Stadium, Mr Zainudin said his vision for the S.League Version 2.0 is simple that is to see the league be commercially viable with th...

The beauty of the Cup competition lives on in the RHB Singapore Cup as the "Final Four" - Etoile FC, Home United, Albirex Niigata (Singapore), and Hougang United fought till the very end to see the emerging of the Protectors and the White Swans for the 19th November date at JBS. Fred Mendy (pictured above right) scored against his old team to send HUFC to the final Both first-leg fixtures of the "Final Four" saw both the Stars and White Swans agonizingly forgo their lead in the dying moments of those matches to see their respective opponents - Home United and Hougang United crawl back to level terms to square off the encounter. At one point, such a fightback was thought impossible, until the dying moments of the match highlighted the differences between a knockout cup tie and a round-robin fixture. Mendy propelled HU at expense of old bosses Yet, it wasn't really a nail-bitter when both Etoile and Home Utd met for their recurring fixture at Queenstown Stad...

(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...

Not that long ago, I came across one post from an online forum. The posting on the online forum detailed a fan's frustration over the state of the game in this country, with one of her grouses targetted the presence of the feeder squads of both Albirex Niigata and Beijing Guoan, which she felt had deprived some local talents of playing at the top level. Beijing Guoan Talents - one of many "one-season wonders" She argued that players from both teams are merely using S.League as a "training ground" and added if "If FAS thinks Beijing Guoan (pictured above) can attract a packed house every week, they must be dreaming." following the major reshuffling of players in the Chinese-based squad during the transfer window. Albirex Niigata (Singapore) players "Feeder teams are bad news, as demonstrated by Albirex (pictured below). When a player performs well, he will be recalled to the parent team and they will send a lousy player to replace (him...

The moment after Mendy's (left) header that turned into the first goal of the night The much-anticipated "Test" match against the traditional powerhouses for on-form Etoile got underway at the Clementi Stadium. The French got off to a dream start as early as in the first minute when the towering Frederic Mendy finished off from close-range.   Etoile doubled their tally in the 37th minute when Protectors' keeper Lionel Lewis tripped an on-surging Mendy (pictured above) in the box to allow Matthias Verschave to score on the rebound after Lewis denied the spot-kick on the first attempt.   Karim Boudjema (middle) overpowered his markers  Relief for the home team they managed to cut the deficit in the 43rd minute with a Choi Chul Woo's effort, but it wasn't before the French restored their two-goal advantage in the 45th minute by Karim Boudjema.   A dejected Etoile's custodian Brice Morandini sat on the ground If it was to say Etoile dominated the first ...

The League Cup trophy on parade before the kick-off Nothing on the final itself, as I actually blogged this entry before I headed down to the ground. Universally, it is always agreed that the "League Cup" in whatsoever format or name around the footballing world has always been the "poor cousin" of the more prestigious League Championship and the "main" Cup competition. Not belittle or demeaning the stature of this Cup tournament, it's not uncommon for people to ridicule this competition as a "minnows' Cup". Etoile star Flavien Michelini is extremely dangerous with his passing and moving with the ball. After all, this is a tournament that witnessed some "giants-killing" acts by some of the minnows over the under-par big teams. Don't get me wrong, as there were some really commendable performances that fuelled some interesting discussions after those matches (someone mentioned to me if the Lions could play li...

Referee Abdul Malik officiated this historical match INTRODUCTION It was a historical day at the Jalan Besar Stadium, as the season 2010 welcome both Etoile FC and Beijing Guoan into the foray of the S.League.  For the record, the French-based Etoile is the first European-based club, while the feeder club from the Chinese capital is the fourth Chinese-based club to be featured in our league.   I was at the pitchside to snap some shots during the first half, before heading to an elevated angle to catch this "live" game of the season after the break.  In the first half, what I saw was a stout Beijing defence that did a job in holding the French side at the bay, as in what their coach said the post-match press conference "they played according to my instruction", with Etoile striker Frederic Mendy was certainly a lone figure up front with unwanted attention from those green-shirted men. We hope it's just "first match jittery" for Frederic Mendy (pictured...