BoLASEPaKO.com - A Blog on Singapore Football

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

International Friendly - Singapore 3-1 Chinese Taipei 120923 Lionel Tan (9) scored again for Singapore  Singapore ended their winless streak by beating Chinese Taipei 3-1 at the Bishan Stadium. The victory was even sweeter for the Lions, as this was their first victory over the Blue Wings after losing back-to-back in their previous meetings. Scorers: Ange Samuel Kouame 29' | Song Uiyoung 42' (P), Lionel Tan 65', Shawal Anuar 82' PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REST OF THE PICTURES SGPL - Albirex Niigata (Singapore) 5-0 Hougang United 160923 Albirex Niigata (Singapore) - SPL champions 2023  It wasn't an ideal result for Hougang United Football Club who must quickly regroup themselves from this crushing defeat by Albirex Niigata FC Singapore before they begin their AFC Cup campaign in days to come. The reigning champions were presented the Singapore Premier League trophy shortly after a show of appreciation to both Tadanari Lee and Hyrulnizam Juma'at whom both will

It did not take me long to hit the button when I came across the autobiography of Derek Currie - "When ‘Jesus’ Came to Hong Kong: The remarkable story of the first European football star in Asia" on Amazon after I read about the publishing of it months before. LURE TO HONG KONG BECAUSE OF PELE In 1970, Currie signed for Ian Petrie 's Hong Kong Rangers alongside fellow Scots Jackie Trainer and Walter Gerrard with the promise of facing the great Pele in months to come when Santos going to visit the then British crown colony. Derek Currie (left) with the legendary Pele  The signing of the Scottish trio on professional basis by a Hong Kong club, let alone an Asian club, was unheard of in this part of the world during that era and it was no wonder their arrival at the old Kai Tak Airport caused a bit of media frenzy. In spite of Hong Kong's diminutive size, it has always fascinated me how Hong Kong football was the first to have a professional football league in Asia (

SGPL - Balestier Khalsa 4-2 Young Lions 120723 Emmeric Ong (striped jersey) of Balestier Khalsa shared a light moment It was a "mere formality" to see this outcome day in and day out, and we wouldn't know when this would end. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REST OF THE MATCH PICTURES Tiger Cup match between THFC and LCS of SFOF23 (25-260723) England skipper Harry Kane at National Stadium Here are the snaps taken during the "Tiger Cup" match of the Singapore Festival of Football Driven by CDG Zig (SFOF23) between Tottenham Hotspur and Lion City Sailors on 26/7 at National Stadium and the day before when Spurs held their open training session at National Stadium. Nope, Harry Kane did not play his match for Spurs in Singapore. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REST OF THE MATCH PICTURES SFOF23/SCST2023 - Liverpool 4-0 Leicester City 300723 Liverpool skipper Virgil Van Dijk plotting his next move Liverpool got down to work straight away with a 4-0 win over former EPL side

Two events in recent days prompted me to jot this note - the Singapore Cup and Tampines Rovers failed to qualify for the AFC Cup . The premier knockout tournament will see the nine teams from the Singapore Premier League (SPL) split into two groups with 5 teams in Group A and the rest in Group B. STAGS FAILED TO QUALIFY FOR A SPOT IN THE AFC CUP  In the meantime, Tampines Rovers found themselves being denied a spot in the continental tournament which they would easily qualify to the knock-out stages in the past when they were beaten 3-2 by Phnom Penh Crown of Cambodia in the qualifying play-off. Stags' coach Gavin Lee faced criticism after failing to qualify for the AFC Cup Ironically, Phnom Penh Crown was one of the many regional invitees in the past to play in the Singapore Cup competition. The above-mentioned tournament, at one point, was dubbed the "Asean Friendship Invitational" because of the participation of club sides from the neighbouring countries. OTHER PRO