BoLASEPaKO.COM - A Blog on Singapore Football

My colleague was humming this tune (clip above, credit:  insorlow ) to another colleague before I replied, "Road to Wembley, lah!" "It was a time when we were able to watch football (on TV) without paying extra (money)." I continued with that bit of reminiscing feel after listening to that humming of the tune that was played at the start of the iconic program that showcased the highlights of the FA Cup matches back in the 1980s to 1990s on the long-gone Channel 12 – the terrestrial channel that broadcasted most of the sporting programs in those days. WHEN ENGLISH FOOTBALL FIRST CAPTIVATED US It was also during that period when many of my peers first got to know about English football and started to pick a team to follow (with me no exception until I decided to localise wholeheartedly in the early 1990s). How we watched football in the past   Not surprisingly, what we saw in the highlights from the program and those of the weekend's live matches on Channel 12 bec...

1950 Malaya Cup Winners - Singapore Without slight exaggeration, my eyeballs were literally popped out when I saw a black-and-white picture that came after a text message from a friend. "Bro, you might be keen on this iconic picture from 1950" texted my friend, who attached a post-match shot of the Singapore team who just won the Malaya Cup that year. I replied: "Goodness me, it was the first Malaya Cup win for us after the War." , after taking note of the handwritten description on the reverse side of the picture. "1950 Malaya Cup Final ... Singapore beat Penang 2-0" were part of the description hand written on the reverse side of the picture, which I believe was detached from an old photo album based on the visible black mark on the top right corner of it. The first XI of the 1950 Malaya Cup winning team As mentioned, the 1950 victory was the first triumph for the then British crown colony following the resuming of this popular competition after the Wo...

Moore - A fatherly figure to the 1994 Lions (as credited) When he assumed the role of Technical Director of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) in January 1994, little did Douglas Moore know things would take a different turn in weeks to come. Arrived in the island republic on the recommendation of the late Peter Velappan, the then secretary of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) , the former New Zealand FA's Director of Coaching was told he would assist Ken Worden , the then newly-appointed Singapore national team coach, when necessary, on top of his scope which included overseeing various national age-group squads, conducting coaching clinics, etc. However, merely days before Singapore were set to start their Malaysian Premier League (Liga Perdana) campaign against Kelantan, Worden dropped a bombshell by tendering his resignation, citing 'personal reasons' . Shortly after, the Preston-born Australian was named head coach of the 'auld enemy,' Selangor...

"I alighted somewhere near Gay World, then made my way towards Nicoll Highway and crossed the bridge outside the PA HQ (the former People's Association headquarters that was located at the old Kallang Airport premises) before reaching the stadium," said Abang Nasir, a co-worker who reminisced the ride on bus number 41 that dropped him off outside the now demolished amusement park along Mountbatten Road. "On the bridge, hawkers were selling 'karipap' (curry puffs) and drinks to fans going to the stadium on match days." as he went on to describe the scene on the elevated walkway that bridged across Nicoll Highway which was usually packed whenever Singapore played their home games at Kallang. Those were the days - this was how we went to the games  Abang Nasir was one of the many thousands who religiously made their way to the old National Stadium during the "Kallang Roar" era of the mid-1970s to 1980s. Unlike the wider range of transportation opt...

It was probably one of my earliest vivid memories when as a child watching a player in a light blue jersey dribbling a ball on television at my maternal grandfather's home. As I grew up, it was made clear to me that it could be one of the Singapore national team's matches held at the old National Stadium that had all the eyeballs of many households around the island glued to the screen to cheer the Lions on. The Admiral Blue jersey worn by Samad Allapitchay (left) is one of my earliest memories (Asian Soccer)   Based on my intuition, the moment could be somewhere in 1977 - the year which is still fondly remembered by many as the heyday of Singapore football. Interestingly, this blog posted a few posts related to occurrences that happened during that year which witnessed some of the highs and lows of the local game. So here is a recap of some notable incidents in that year. FANS CALLING FOR UNCLE CHOO TO BE REPLACED  In the weeks leading up to the new calendar year, a petition ...

I met up with a reader who emailed me shortly after I posted the piece on the Metro 20th Anniversary Tournament back in March. In his email, he mentioned he has a copy of a magazine that included some write-ups and pictures from those matches played in the 1977 quadrangular. I visited his abode after accepting his invitation to take a look at the said magazine. The magazine turned out to be "Asian Soccer" with the late Mohd Noh , in action wearing the legendary Admiral blue outfit, fronting the August 1977 cover. The feature on the Metro 20th Anniversary Tournament (Asian Soccer) The features of the Metro Tournament were incorporated in that above-mentioned magazine which consisted of a picture of the trophy of the competition on the same page that included a team photo of Yugoslavian titans Red Star Belgrade , one of the four participants of the quadrangular. "UNJUSTIFIED" AND "NOT IMPRESSED" The first page of the aforementioned included the starting par...

Many motorists would be forgiven if that unassuming small stadium located next to the huge SAFRA clubhouse failed to grab their attention when they drove past it after entering Toa Payoh from the westbound Pan Island Expressway (PIE). OFTEN FORGOTTEN OBSCURITY After all, the awkward positioning of that above-mentioned brutalist arena along the busy Lorong 6 stretch does no favour to help any random visitor to have a clear visible sight of it when there is a car park in front of it. The brutalist facade of Toa Payoh Stadium Nonetheless, the 3,800-capacity Toa Payoh Stadium has a special place in local sporting folklore for being part of the then newly erected Toa Payoh Sports Complex which served as a venue for competition and training of the 1973 SEAP Games - the first major sporting event hosted by the then newly-independent Republic of Singapore. PELE VISITED TOA PAYOH STADIUM IN 1974 It was also this stadium that etched its presence in Singapore football when the legendary Pele c...