BoLASEPaKO•COM - A Blog on Singapore Football

HAD KANE PLAY HIS LAST GAME FOR SPURS? THFC 5-1 LCS (26/7) Supposedly to bill as "Jose Mourinho Derby" - a match that never materialised which resulted in having local side Lion City Sailors (LCS) as a late replacement for AS Roma following the decision by the Italians to scrap their Far East tour . Should it have taken place, it would be quite a spectacle to see the Portuguese tactician, who is now in charge of Roma, facing his former employers who sacked him in April 2021 . England captain Harry Kane (second from right) played his last game for Spurs? But the gloss was definitely on England captain Harry Kane when he could have possibly led Tottenham Hotspur out of the tunnel for the last time as Spurs skipper when they took on LCS at the National Stadium. Spurs coach Ange Postecoglou gave no comment when asked about his talisman's status during the media conference prior to his side's open training session a day before the match, according to various sources. ...

Jose Mourinho (credit:  Playmaker SG ) It was disappointing not being able to see Jose Mourinho in person when it was announced he and his AS Roma will not be coming to Singapore for the Tiger Cup showdown against one of his former clubs, Tottenham Hotspur in the upcoming Singapore Festival of Football Driven by CDG Zig (SFOF23) . CHAIN EFFECT LED TO NO SHOW Originally scheduled on 26th July as part of the Italian club's pre-season tour to this part of the world, the three-time "Scudetto" winners scrapped the plan following the cancellation of their two friendlies in South Korea . In the place of the "I Giallorossi" the organisers announced through a press statement issued on 12th July stated Singapore Premier League (SPL) side Lion City Sailors (LCS) will face the north Londoners instead . LCS' PREP FOR ACL  In the words of LCS chairman Forrest Li, the upcoming fixture at Kallang is an opportunity to allow his team to prepare for their AFC Champions ...

It definitely falls short of what I expected in the first place when I turned up at the much-anticipated townhall session organised by Unleash The Roar! (UTR!). As the name already suggested, I would expect a "townhall" setting at Suntec City where a Q&A session between a group of selected panelists and the floor would take place after being updated on the progress of the various UTR! initiatives. Some of the UTR! Townhall participants  After all, it was labelled as "football conversation" which I thought many questions were ready to throw up in this "townhall" session following the recent SEA Games debacle that had everyone talking all day long on social media. ATTENDEES IN SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS However, this was not the case when each attendee was allocated to a table where he/she was encouraged to share his/her opinions with the other attendees at the same table which resembled a small group discussion. A note taker from the organisers was ass...

Invitation to UTR! Townhall at Suntec (credit: UTR! FB ) To begin with, we have to admit that "Singapore football is in a state of stagnation" as a way to acknowledge and have a consensus on the problem that will allow us to start from a common ground. I believe one of the keys lies in making those in attendance for t he upcoming Unleash The Roar! Townhall session to feel at ease at the venue, enabling them to contribute constructively to the cause, as some individuals may feel nervous and hesitant to speak up openly, unlike when they are typing on a keyboard. MODERATING - A KEY FACTOR IN TOWNHALL This is why I think both the moderator in the townhall, if any, and the agenda of the day play a crucial role during the whole event. Some fans suggested the scheduling of the townhall session on a Thursday (25/5) night at Suntec City can be a challenging one, as compared to having it on a weekend.  Additionally, part of the proceedings included updating the floor on the progress ...

(This entry is formulated by the media release issued by  Full Circle PR , the PR agency for the event with image depicted in this entry belonging to  " Singapore Festival of Football Driven by CDG Zig" ) The club legends** at the press conference of the event Riding on the success of their last year's visit, which saw them beat Crystal Palace in front of 50,217 fans at the National Stadium , nineteen-time English league champions Liverpool FC will be in Singapore again to play not one but two matches at Kallang. REDS TO TAKE ON FOXES AND "DIE BAYERN" In a press conference held earlier today at the Pan Pacific, it was announced the Reds will be scheduled to play follow English side Leicester City on the 30th of July before taking on German giants Bayern Munich on the 2nd of August at the National Stadium. Liverpool will defend their Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy , presented by Standard Chartered, when they take on The Foxes on the last Sunday of July bef...

 SGPL - Lion City Sailors 3-1 Tanjong Pagar United 240223 Both Sailors and Jags anticipating a ball into the box Lion City Sailors opened their Singapore Premier League campaign with a sweet victory over Tanjong Pagar United in their homecoming at the Bishan Stadium. Japanese ace striker Kodai Tanaka marked his Sailors' debut with a brace from close range in second half. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE OF THE MATCH PICTURES SGPL - Balestier Khalsa 2-3 Hougang United 260223 Balestier Khalsa's Ryoya Taniguchi (red shirt) surrounded by Hougang United players Hougang United claimed all three points at Bishan Stadium by beating Balestier Khalsa 3-2 in a scrappy encounter which is otherwise known as the "pinball" derby. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REST OF THE MATCH PICTURES SGPL - Geylang International 2-1 Hougang United 050323 Hougang United's players look on as Geylang International celebrate With Vincent Bezecourt's double in the second half, Geylang Internation...

(The content and images depicted in this entry were made available by the media release issued by the organizers) Fandi Ahmad with Minister Edwin Tong in action The 7th SGX Cares Bull Charge Charity Futsal tournament made its return after it last took place in 2019 and raised S$111,000 which will be channelled via Community Chest to the beneficiaries namely AWWA Ltd., Autism Association (Singapore), Fei Yue Community Services, HCSA Community Services and Shared Services for Charities. Held this morning at the Kovan Sports Centre, the charity event was organised under the SGX Cares - the CSR program by the Singapore Exchange ( SGX Group ). SGX Cares , the collective name of SGX Group’s CSR pillars of Bull Charge, Outreach and Financial Literacy, aims to create positive impact by activating the power of community. Bull Charge, the flagship fundraising initiative, has raised over S$44 million since 2004 for more than 50 charities and a variety of causes, through the support of corporate s...

Mr Lim Teng Sai in his younger days (as credited) The story was shared by former Singapore national defender Mr Lim Teng Sai during the launch of the book "ROAR: Football Legends of Singapore" at the Jalan Besar Stadium (JBS) days ago. The former center-half approached a group of us during the friendly match between Singapore ex-internationals, which featured some of his former teammates, and their Malaysian counterparts, as he would like to peruse the book that documented the football history of Singapore. The friendly match, which was won 2-0 by the hosts, was part of the launch of the book authored and edited by long-time Singapore football supporter Mr A Thiyaga Raju and sports writer Mr Gary Koh respectively. The blogger with Mr Lim at the JBS Elated to see his name being featured in the list of the players in the book, he went on to oblige a fan's request to sign on a few pictures of his taken during his playing days in the 1970s. Pointing towards the direction wh...

SGX's Mr Chua I-Min conducts the workshop with LCS players As many said the career lifespan of a professional football player is a short one, therefore it is very important to have sound financial planning just in case any uncertainty could derail anything that is smooth sailing. With that thought in mind, the first-team players from the Lion City Sailors (LCS) attended a financial planning workshop jointly organized by the club and SGX Group. THE WORKSHOP PART OF SGX CARES INITIATIVE The aim of "SGX Cares Financial Literacy Workshop" is to equip professional footballers with fundamental knowledge in managing their personal finances and investments during their football careers and beyond. Mr Chan Kum Kong, Head of Research, SGX Group "Our players are our most important assets – and we want to create the best possible environment for them to fully focus on their work on the pitch while also equipping them for life beyond football," said LCS Sporting Director Mr ...

(The content and  images depicted in this entry were made available by the media release issued by the organizers) As part of the action plan to cement the commitments that were spelt out months ago in the ambitious blueprint to lift Singapore football out of the doldrums, the audience at the Jurongville Secondary School witnessed the launch of the School Football Academy (SFA) programme under the Unleash The Roar! (UTR!) project last Saturday (23rd July). Mr Edwin Tong (extreme right) and Mr Eric Chua (extreme left) Graced by the presence of Mr Edwin Tong, the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, the event also saw the unveiling of the logos of both SFA and UTR!. Being one of the key pillars of the UTR! project, the SFA initiative was first announced last November following a partnership with the Spanish top-tier league LaLiga. TRAINING FREQUENCIES TO INCREASE Among the key features of the programme are increased training frequencies – up to four times a week from the averag...

Nineteenth-time English league champions Liverpool concluded their South East Asian tour with a 2-0 win over fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace to clinch the Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy last evening at the National Stadium. The result meant the Reds fly out of the region with a record of a win and a defeat (4-0 loss to Manchester United in Bangkok). Liverpool fans at the match (credit: Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy 2022) In front of 50,217 fans, the fixture was the first that featured the two European top-flight clubs played in Singapore since 2019. Other than a small number of Palace fans that congregated behind one of the goals, it was almost a partisan Liverpool crowd that recreated the Anfield atmosphere at Kallang, such as the rendition of the club's iconic anthem - "You'll Never Walk Alone" during the night. Liverpool took an early in the 13th minute when skipper Jordan Henderson fired past Eagles' keeper Vicente Guaita in the box after...

The VIPs at the announcement of the match  Nineteenth-time English league champions Liverpool will take on fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace in the Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy 2022. A press conference was held this morning at Gardens by the Bay to announce the match will be played on 15th July at the National Stadium. FIRST MATCH FEATURING EUROPEAN CLUB SIDES SINCE 2019 Organized by TEG Sport in partnership with Standard Chartered, Singapore Tourism Board (STB), and CARRO, the confirmation of this fixture will see the Reds and the Eagles being the first two European top-flight clubs to play in Singapore since 2019. Brendon Bainbridge, Managing Director of TEG Asia “TEG is proud to bring live sporting action to Singapore once again. As the organisers of the Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy 2022, our priority is to provide an exceptional sporting event in an atmosphere with all the elements that make watching live sport an incredible experience for all fans in att...