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Showing posts with the label interview

Grooming The Safe Hands is Now Rizal's Role ...

Rizal is now part of Tanjong Pagar United's coaching panel Rizal Rahman is the reason why I decided to take up football photography. I still remember that day we met for the first time face to face at a fast food outlet near the National Stadium when he asked if I have pictures from his playing days. Which, unfortunately, I had none as I had yet to start taking match photos back then and I could sense the disappointment which I thought was probably a good time to venture into something that was alien to me. The following repurposed content is the feature on the former Balestier Khalsa goalkeeper which was first published on 23rd April 2009 in a Q&A format. Additional details were added to this blog post recently to give an update on the ex-national youth goalkeeper. FROM THE VOID DECKS Like many Singapore boys, Rizal started playing football in void decks of HDB (Housing Development Board) residential blocks. As the primary school where he studied did not have a football team, ...

The "Russian Tank" of Singapore Football - Borhan Abu Samah

Borhan Abu Samah 1964-1999  (P.S1) The demise of Borhan Abu Samah at the young age of 34 back in 1999 was a shocker to many in the scene, as he only just quit competitive football barely two years before. One of the vivid memories I had on the day (29 October 1999) he passed away was, I was at Toa Payoh Stadium after a match where a TV crew gathered some of his former teammates to talk about the man who passed away because of liver cancer One after another, these former squadmates of Borhan took turns to share their individual memories of the late former defender on video that were shown on television later. LIONS DEBUT IN 1987 Born on 30 November 1964, Borhan began his football career with Mountbatten CSC, Tiong Bahru CSC before joining Geylang International in 1990. He made his debut for the Singapore National Team on the 4th of March 1987 when he was featured in the victory over Indonesia in the Olympics Qualifiers at the old National Stadium. That 2-0 triumph over the Garudas, ...

BENOIT CROISSANT – THE BUSINESSMAN

Benoit Croissant holding the S.League Championship trophy THE DECISION “I had decided that after we won the championship!” said French defender Benoit Croissant as he would like to put the record straight on his decision to retire from the game after helping Tampines Rovers to retain their league title back in last November (pictured above). Following the nail-biting finishing towards the end of last season's Great Eastern Yeo's S.League title race, the Stags set their target for something more ambitious with their aim to improve their performance on the continental front after a dismal outing in their AFC Cup campaign last year. As the result, Tampines Rovers wielded their axe and saw them offloaded a number of notables from their payroll alongside Croissant at the end of the campaign as reported in the media recently . However, the former Sheffield United player actually had other plans drawn up after the end of last season with his mind is set for the next chapter o...

Lionel Lewis :“Time to Move On...”

Lionel in action for Home Utd in AFC Cup Apparently, the stone has been cast for Home United goalkeeper Lionel Lewis to call it a day from professional football, despite earlier media reports suggesting that he might carry on if the ankle surgery he is undergoing soon would be a success. THE REASONS BEHIND THE DECISION In an email interview with this blog, the 30-year-old explained this latest development that caught a few off-guard, especially since many perceive a goalkeeper's lifespan on the field would stretch beyond 35 like one of his Lions predecessors, David Lee, who retired in 1997 at the age of 39. “Many people tell me goalkeepers peak from 30 onwards. For me, the minute you are a professional player, you have to always be at your peak.” opined Lionel. “I actually plan to start playing part-time a few years back. I always believe having a stable job is very important. A footballer’s career is a short one. I wanted to start building my career after football years a...

Gearing for the BIG ONE- Hariss Harun

(The entry is formulated from the transcript obtained via Integrated Marketing Solutions Group -IMSG , the PR agency of Nike Singapore ) (P.S: The copyrights of the images and video depicted in this blog entry belong to Nike, unless stated on the images itself.) With its "DRI-FIT" apparel and Tiempo Legend by Nike, Hariss is always at the top of his game His performance on the last Saturday night captivated those who were at the Jalan Besar Stadium and also the millions of those who watched the crucial World Cup Qualifier match between Singapore and Malaysia at home. Such an eye-catching display against the Harimaus by the 20 year-old Hariss Harun who stamped his authority in the midfield had prompted a single-out by various local coaches for renowned football agent Jorge Mendes, alongside with four others, who is presently scouting for players having potential playing in top European leagues . Just less than 24 hours before the two fierce rivals of South East Asia...

BoLASEPaKO.com on Rediffusion

Got an email from Friz, who is a DJ of Rediffusion Radio that he would like to feature me on their morning show on SYNC - Your Lifestyle Radio . With DJ Friz  (pictured right) who is the host of  "SYNC - Your Lifestyle Radio" Rediffusion has been in Singapore since 1949, during its heyday from 1950s to late 1970s it was a common sight everywhere in Singapore to have its trademark "box" receiver strategically located at places like kopitiams, shophouses to allow listeners to tune to their programs with Chinese Dialect Operas and Story-Telling segments by the legandary Lee Dai Shau being the mainstay of the station from decades. As times evolved, so did Rediffusion as well with the station broadcast its programs using Digital Audio Broadcasting (DBA) System that provides crystal clear sound quality. Here I was in the recording studio doing the recording Just like the "Razor TV" segment I was on earlier, this program was pre-recorded as well ...

Versatility is his key as Utility man Butler seeks to prove himself.

Utility man Jake Butler is out to prove himself During last November's centralised foreign player trial conducted by the FAS, they helped to rope in the likes of Kiwi Jeremy Christie , who eventually went to play for New Zealand in the World Cup in June. In bid to position itself as the source to provide quality import players to the S.League, Trebol Sports International left no stones unturned as they introduced another New Zealander, Jake Butler to the local football scene. Butler, who presently plays for Waitakere United, came to Singapore with a big reputation back home in the Kiwis' football fraternity for skippering his team to the domestic league championship – the New Zealand Football Championship (NZFC), last season. Initially, the thought of playing abroad never came to the 26 year-old's mind until Christie, his former team-mate at the club, encouraged him to do so. “It never crossed my mind to play overseas, until Jeremy (Christie) told me I should give a shot at...

[Feature] More on Nike (Red) Campaign

(The content of this entry obtained via the transcript provided by Integrated Marketing Solutions Group [IMSG] - the PR agency for Nike Singapore ) (P.S: The copyright of all the images depicted in this blog entry belong to Nike, unless stated) Nike (RED) Ambassador: National Team Midfielder John Wilkinson INTRODUCTION Following in the footsteps of Indra Sahdan and Hariss Harun , the next National Team football player to lace up the Nike (RED) ambassador boots is midfielder John Wilkinson. His last three seasons with Singapore Armed Forces FC have been hugely successful, with league title wins in all of them. We recently did an interview with John where he shares his thoughts on the (RED) campaign, settling down in Singapore with a family and his love for the game. Nike (RED) Campaign Hi John, thanks for being here with us today. To start off, how do you feel about being a Nike (RED) campaign ambassador? "I feel honoured to be part of the Nike (RED) campaign, and hope to bring a ...

Hariss Harun - Ambassador for the Nike (RED) campaign.

(This entry is the second part of Hariss's interview obtained via the transcript provided by Integrated Marketing Solutions Group [IMSG] - the PR agency for Nike Singapore ) (P.S: The copyright of the images depicted in this blog entry belong to Nike.) Nike (RED) Campaign We understand you’re also an ambassador for the Nike (RED) campaign. How can football help in spreading the message? "It’s a great idea using football, as it’s a sport that is very popular around the world. Personally, I’m glad to be involved in this campaign as it lets me give something back to the community. It also makes me realise that growing up in Singapore, I’m very fortunate compared to some of the suffering the children are going through in Africa with HIV/AIDS." Are you already wearing the Nike (RED) laces (pictured above)? " The Iran game on January 6 will be the first AFC game where I’ll be wearing them, and who knows, the red laces might even give us some luck! " (for the record, ...