BoLASEPaKO.COM - A Blog on Singapore Football

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...

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...