Singapore urged to reassess football’s priority
Former sports commentator Edwin Yeo, in a column for Channel NewsAsia, urged Singapore to determine how important a national priority football is. In his view, the national team’s performance under head coach Gavin Lee restored fans’ faith in the team.
The Singapore Lions finished the ASEAN Championship at the semi-final stage, repeating the result of the previous edition. On August 18, the team defeated Thailand away 2-1. It was Singapore’s first win over Thailand since 2012 and its first victory on Thai soil since 2009. In the group stage, Singapore also drew with reigning champion Vietnam and Indonesia.
Upcoming tournaments
In September, Singapore’s national team is due to compete in the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup, which will be held during the FIFA international window. As Yeo noted, this will allow regional teams to call up their strongest players. In Group A, Singapore will face Indonesia and Malaysia.
In January next year, the Lions will play Asian Cup group-stage matches against Australia, Iraq and Tajikistan. The columnist believes that to improve its competitiveness, the national team needs both the development of young local players and the naturalisation of footballers with experience of playing at a high level.
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As an example, Yeo cited 30-year-old Cardiff City defender Perry Ng, who was born in Liverpool, has a grandfather from Singapore and obtained permanent resident status in the country in March 2025. According to the author, Ng applied for citizenship through a programme to attract foreign sporting talent.
Home venue
Yeo also raised the issue of a stadium for the national team. All of Singapore’s home matches at this ASEAN Championship were held at Jalan Besar Stadium, which holds nearly 6,000 spectators. The 55,000-seat National Stadium was unavailable because of the National Day Parade.
Tickets for the semi-final match against Thailand sold out quickly. In the author’s opinion, Singapore could give the National Stadium priority for national team matches during tournaments and FIFA international windows. After the match, Lee thanked supporters for their backing and noted the team’s unity.
