Rilek1Corner

Tag: soccer

  • WANTED: New Chief To Shake Up Singapore Football

    WANTED: New Chief To Shake Up Singapore Football

    IS THERE such a man? If there is, will he step forward?

    Singapore football is sick. It has been for far too long. It has come to a point that with the elections for a new Football Association of Singapore president and council looming, there is a numbing fear nothing much will change. Meaning, it will be status quo.

    Not to sully the standing of the serving president and council members, but they’ve done what they could and it’s time to bid them on their way. Stay away from the elections.

    And this goodbye must be extended to advisers who have overstayed their welcome that memory forgets from when.

    When a new president and his team are picked, their first job must be to overhaul the management of Singapore football from top down. They need to clean house and those associated with it. He … or perhaps, she … must not be easily swayed.

    But who can this person be?

    A veteran football administrator I met recently was foreboding with his answer: We lack talent. By a long shot we have one person, but it is wishful thinking.

    And this is the sorry state of Singapore football. It has been run like a Soviet KGB secret service outfit for so long that only few know what is going on within its inner sanctum and are afraid to speak up.

    Those who can shake things up at Jalan Besar are sick to their stomachs with the sport that they want to stay away from it as far as they can.

    A few well-meaning people are putting teams together in a bid to stand for elections. They are passionate, and want Singapore football to succeed and bring fans back. But they are potentially a disaster in the making.

    You can’t run Singapore football on passion alone. That’s like trying to drive a car only on petrol fumes. It grounds to a halt immediately.

    Every passionate Singapore football fan has an idea on how to go about fixing the local game. Ideas are dime a dozen.

    Passion must come with an acute technical knowledge of the game. What drives it. What fuels it. What funds it. What motivates players. And at the end of it all, what excites fans to want to back it.

    And you must have the dare to act on them.

    The sitting football management has done some good things for Singapore football. Let’s not deny this. Bringing in Michel Sablon to chart a new course to return it to health was one of them.

    But overall, the current FAS lot has lost the plot. The empty stands say so.

    Is there a man, or woman, who dare turn Singapore football on its head and shake it up? You need some arrogance to get this done. The game really needs it.

    If you tick the boxes, stand up for the FAS presidential elections.

     

    Source: http://iandecotta.com

  • Regrettably I Don’t Give A Damn What Happened Across The Bridge With Lions XII

    Regrettably I Don’t Give A Damn What Happened Across The Bridge With Lions XII

    Well, to be honest here. It took a while before I settled down to drop a line here to share what are my thoughts that took place in the scene for the past few days.

    Nope, I did not tune to the channel to watch that match that day when most of those I met were talking about either online or during those breaks at work. Frankly speaking, I can’t be bother either (although appreciation must be shown and due credit should be given to those who deserved).

    What I knew what would happen next would be something I been expecting all along – the further diversion that caused the split in the local football fraternity that would take a lengthy period to patch it up.

    Someone familiar?

    Ever since the decision was made to send Lions XII to take part in the Malaysian League back in 2012, the reactions have been mixed.

    One side claimed the move was essential to revitalize the local game out of the doldrums with another criticized the plan a step backward and do no favour to help the struggling S.League to be back on its feet.

    Years down the road, we seen the Lions XII did decently well since making their foray into the competition across the Causeway with a MSL title win in 2013 and the Malaysia FA Cup last weekend.

    But has the “spill over effect” which they hoping for all these years shown up in the S.League?

    Only when I have those around me casually chat over the topics like why Warriors fared so badly in the AFC Cup, if Sundram can work his magic to bring Tampines Rovers back to the top or whether Geylang International are able recapture their glory days like they did in the semi-pro Premier League days then I can be assured the “spill over” has taken place, but it is never the case at all.

    MP Zainudin is serving out his term as FAS president

    Rather it has been a butt of joke with many ridiculous occurrences that took place in recent months that were well documented.

    With the outgoing FAS (Football Association of Singapore) president Zainudin Nordin pushing his Asean Super League (ASL) aggressively in the name to uplift the game’s standard in this region, many skeptics fear that could spell doomsday of Singapore’s only professional sporting league.

    Furthermore, the elected Member of Parliament’s antics at Bukit Jalil after the Lions XII’s 3-1 win over Kelantan to claim the trophy, that is third in the pecking order in Malaysian football, may not be gone down too well with those who still pin a fast fading hope to see the league that once drawn 30,000 to Kallang for a showdown between Fandi Ahmad and V Sundramoorthy in 1996.

    And put it bluntly, NOBODY CAN IMPOSE ON OTHERS BY ENFORCING THAT IDEOLOGY – THIS IS OUR TEAM, JUST BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT THEY ARE.

     

    Source: www.bolasepako.com

  • Irfan Fandi To Work Even Harder After Top 40 Achievement

    Irfan Fandi To Work Even Harder After Top 40 Achievement

    SINGAPORE: Irfan Fandi, son of Singapore’s football icon, Fandi Ahmad, was recently named in a list of top 40 best young talents in world football. The 17-year-old was the only Singaporean among six Asian youngsters on the list that was posted on British news site, The Guardian.

    In an interview with Channel NewsAsia on Tuesday (Nov 11), the teenager, currently training in Chile, said he first got wind of it on social media.

    “My teacher from my old school, the Singapore Sports School, told me about this through Instagram,” said Irfan. “At first, I thought she was joking, then she sent me more links to it and then I realised that it was all real.

    “Then after a few hours, I got tweets from people and Instagram pictures, and I felt really happy because I have been working really hard for the past few years. This doesn’t mean that I stop working hard, it only means that I have to work even harder for the next upcoming years.”

    At 1.86 metres tall, Irfan has a significant height advantage over other Asian footballers. He is hoping to gain valuable experience from his training stint in Chile.

    “The biggest change for me is adapting to the weather and also adapting to the playing style here,” he said. “The style of play in Chile compared to Singapore is totally different. Here, it’s really fast, really technical. So I have to work really hard to be at their standard, and then be better than them to play in a higher level than them.”

    His father, Fandi, was the first Singaporean footballer to play in Europe, and said going west is the aim.

    “Definitely, their main target is to play professionally in Europe, anywhere in Europe,” said Fandi. “But because they love football too much, so much, that’s why they are on this path, and they want to carry the name of Fandi Ahmad.

    “Right now, I think focus is on Irfan, as he is already 17 years old. I know it’s not easy for a 17-year-old to sign a contract. It’s against the rules. But slowly, surely, I am sure he will get there.”

    CIMB has offered a 6-figure sponsorship deal to both Irfan and his 15-year-old brother, Ikhsan.

    “I am sure all soccer-loving Singaporeans must feel very proud that one of our home-grown young football talents has been voted one of the Top 40 best footballers,” said CIMB Bank Singapore CEO Mak Lye Mun. “I also read that Irfan’s stint in Chile has made him a better footballer and that was one of the reasons why he was voted, so CIMB is happy that we played a part in that sponsorship.”

    With football scouts sniffing around, there could be a chance that Irfan will eventually follow in his father’s footsteps and play for a European club.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Government Stop Public From Playing Soccer at Commonwealth Close

    Government Stop Public From Playing Soccer at Commonwealth Close

    No soccer No soccer No soccer No soccer No soccer

    Salams to one and all,

    I would just like to share something disturbing to everyone…

    I arrived at my job site earlier today at Commonwealth Close. It was a bright, sunny and breezy day. There it was, in between 2 HDB blocks, lay a nice patch of green grass. Perfect size for an afternoon of 5 to 7 a side soccer with slippers as goal posts. 

    I felt a little nostalgic, when I was reminded of my bitter but otherwise colourful childhood days when kids in the neighbourhood would gather after school to rough it out in the evening sun, mostly barefoot.

    I was smiling gleefully from ear to ear until I saw the very prominent  “No Soccer” signboard… But as if that was kill joy enough, I noticed 20cm diameter circular concrete balls embedded onto the grass patch… Everywhere on the grass patch! 

    Imagine your kids accidentally kicking one of these concrete balls!

    Now, its plain to see why the garmen, or town council, or NParks, or HDB (many stat boards mentioned coz we all know how garmen likes to TOLAK blame).. Has installed these weapons of mass destruction in place. Simply so that a good piece of grass patch would NOT be used as a soccer field, but to what expense?? Kids not having a childhood?

    Kids breaking their feet?? The lack of encouragement for the number one sport in the world?? Why concrete balls? Why so Mid-evil? Why not just lay metal spikes? Or lets go one up, why NOT lay mines??

    What da fark were u guys thinking lah men in white?! 

    Just coz ur kids are sheltered like diamonds and hidden away from the world doesn’t mean u should steal our children’s childhood too!! 2016 lah marder phukers!!

    Authored by: Bhai Angullia