When football brings Singaporeans to rival territory
SINGAPORE – Singapore football had been in the doldrums for much of 2024.
After finishing 156th in the FIFA World Rankings in 2023, the Lions slumped to an even lower position of 162 by October 2024 after enduring heavy losses, such as a 7-0 thrashing by South Korea in a World Cup qualifier match.
But that didn’t deter Joycelyn Chua and her family from making a trip across international borders just to catch the Lions in action.
“I was a big fan of the Lions in the 1990s and vividly remember the team of 1994,” she said, referring to the Singapore team who famously won the M-League and Malaysia Cup double.
Over the years, she had attended various matches in the ASEAN championship, a football tournament held every two years among Southeast Asian nations.
The 2024 version is known as the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup, and it is in this tournament that the Singapore team finally showed some signs of life. A nervy 2-1 victory over Cambodia was followed by a 3-0 thumping of Timor Leste.
Results elsewhere meant the mouthwatering clash between the old rivals of Singapore and Malaysia would determine who would qualify from Group A together with powerhouse Thailand.
To beat the crowds, Chua, her husband, and their two sons drove to Kuala Lumpur on December 19 ahead of the match at Bukit Jalil Stadium the next day. It was their first time attending a match in Malaysia.
“We didn’t want to wear our national colors initially but decided to do so when FAS (Football Association of Singapore) announced that there were eight buses going to KL,” she said.
The Singapore authorities had announced a scheme whereby football fans in Singapore would get to travel to Bukit Jalil for free in a group of buses, and then return home. But due to traffic congestion, those fans were late in reaching the stadium.
This left the early birds like Chua and her family, who were seated quite near to the Malaysian fans, as easy targets for their chants.
“Things were better when Singaporeans arrived in their buses. There was someone who took charge of the chants from Singapore, and then things were more balanced,” she recalled with some amusement.
The match ended in a gritty 0-0 draw. Not getting the victory meant that Malaysia finished in third spot in Group A, behind Singapore and Thailand, and would not be continuing further in the tournament.
Minority play
This left the Singaporean fans in somewhat of an awkward position as they were now in a stadium with Malaysian fans, most of whom were understandably upset about Malaysia crashing out of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup.
Seeking “safety in numbers,” Chua and her family headed to Gate E of the stadium, where most of the Singaporean fans were waiting for their buses, and she could wait for her Grab ride.
However, while they were waiting, a “guy in blue” came up behind them and pulled away the Singapore flag, which her older son had around his shoulders.
Chua said it was lucky that the flag was not tied; otherwise, he could have been pulled down to the ground and hurt.
“I did shout at him. But he walked away quickly. Being the minority, we just need to bite the bullet,” Chua said, although there was no way to tell if the aggressive fan was a supporter of the Malaysian team.
Chua’s husband also recalled an incident where someone “tapped his hand” and told him “good game.”
Within five minutes, some police officers and marshals showed up at the gate, and the family did not have any further encounters.
However, Chua had an ultimately positive view of her night.
“I feel that despite the incident, it was a great experience as a whole. The unity of Singaporeans was great. We met fellow Singaporeans back at our hotel before and after the match, and all of us were excited.”
She also had an advice for other fans, saying, “We should always remain cautious and be respectful when we are in another country.” – Rappler.com
Sulaiman Daud is a 2024 #FactsMatter fellow of Rappler. He is a writer and editor at Mothership, Singapore’s youth-focused digital news platform.