We must take pride in the truth that much has happened for Singapore football in the past year, but the sports page writers have been missing the point.
by editor Wong Yang
We must take pride in the truth that much has happened for Singapore football in the past year. From jeering our National Team, to cheering from them, the solid transformation has been a dream come true. Our team are the AFF Suzuki Cup Champions, and our LionsXII are the title-holders of the Malaysian Super League. But I don't think that's the important thing. The sports page writers have been missing the point.
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| The LionsXII will be featured in tonight's National Day Parade |
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| The Lions thanking the fans at the Jalan Besar Stadium (Photo: FAS) |
So the point is - the tables have been turned, and in a way, it's thanks to fans. The Jalan Besar stadium can hit full attendance, and there has never been such a large TV audience tuning in to a Lions or a LionsXII game. To be honest, I've never been quite so excited to cover a Lions match either. Perhaps it's because seeing Singaporeans pumped up, I'm pumped up myself. Waves of red and white frenzy, wild pom-poms and Singapore flags ever so magnificent brought life to our home ground. Status updates from our leaders, and netizens sending words of encouragement to the team, online Singapore was just as fanatic. We've got fans behind the team.
However, the irony is that it could be these very fans that came down hard on the Lions' failures before their recent success, and only a few loyal supporters that stood with the team through the rough days. If the Lions suddenly trip and fall, who knows? The crowds at the Jalan Besar may vanish, the critics will reappear and we may be back to the pre-AFF Suzuki Cup glory days.
In order to prevent such a nightmare from reoccurring, we've got to do more. What to do is up to the team and the Football Association of Singapore. But what we as fans can do is to remind one another that we have to continue to stand behind the team, even when they suffer from a sudden fall. As former national coach Raddy Avramovic said in his farewell letter to Singaporeans, "Cheer them on now that they are champions, but also be there for them when they are down because that will be when they need you the most."
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| National Day Parade Preview show |
Many Stories, One Singapore. Whether those stories are of jubilation or devastation, something that is constant in these stories is our unity as a nation, and that the pre-game Majulah Singapura will always be sang with gusto, because football in Singapore isn't just about the football.
Happy National Day.
3 comments:
What does that tell you about the state of fan support for the national team? Everyone wants to be associated with a winner, and it takes people with special fortitude to support his or her team thru' thick and thin. Which is why the football culture here is years behind many other countries.
What does this tell you about the state of football support here? Everyone wants to be associated with a winner. It takes a special something for a person to go thru' the good times and the bad with his team. I started following Man United since 1977, so you can imagine the trauma I went thru' in the 80's when Liverpool, Everton and even Arsenal won one championship after another. But I never wavered because there was something in me (or was it United) that made me continue following them. We don't have that here with the national team.
For me, the "something" was watching the Lions beat Malaysia on penalties in the semis of the 2007 AFF Suzuki Cup. If watching the Lions win in recent months has strengthened my already solid faith in the national team, I believe loyalty has also been moulded with other Singaporeans who have first-handedly witnessed the national squad's recent success. Therefor, I do not agree that the "something" is lacking in Singapore. It is present, but to be made more evident, the Lions have to prove that they can be consistent with their exemplary performance, and continue to push the boundaries.
Liverpool fan since I was 6 or 7. So it has been a good 7 years standing behind the Reds. The "something" was watching them lift the 2005 trophy, and most importantly the great Liverpool fan community.
I guess in whatever part of the world you/your team are/is in, that "something" can be bred.
Thanks for reader, user Fred. See you as my role model of a diehard fan.
Editor
Wong Yang
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