Gary Koh is one of the premier voices of Singaporean football who has seen his views and opinions published in publications such as Four Four Two and the Asian Football Confederation Quarterly Magazine.
Such is Koh’s passion and devotion towards the domestic game in Singapore that he was the main editor for the book “ROAR: Football Legends of Singapore” — A Tribute to 100 Years of Football History” The publication, written by A Thiyaga Raju, is a love letter to Singaporean football and captures and chronicles memorable moments from the past.
Koh kindly gave his thoughts and opinions on the crunch Asian Cup 2027 group C qualifier tie between Singapore and Hong Kong.
Both sides know a positive result in this opener is vital as the group is very competitive.
Singapore Players To Look Out For
Koh knows the ins and outs of Singaporean football and gave his views on who would be the key names in the Singapore side to face Hong Kong.
“The key Singaporean players to look out for include Safuwan Baharudin, the veteran centre back. His positioning and anticipation in sensing danger remain vital assets. The Selangor defender is also a threat in attacking set plays with his timely jumps.
Shawal Anuar, veteran striker. At the age of 34, the Lion City Sailors forward is the best local forward. Defenders underestimate his slight frame at their peril, for he possesses the ability to time his runs in getting past the offside trap and/or marker to receive the ball. With his most prolific season to date in his career, his confidence is high and his ability to finish inside the box is an asset.
Kyoga Nakamura, experienced midfielder. The naturalised Japan-born player provides an additional dimension in the Singapore midfield with his high work rate and vision.
The former Japan Under-17 midfielder provides that link between midfield and attack, and is capable of delivering a mid-distance attempt at goal as he showed in Singapore’s solitary goal in their 1-3 loss to Vietnam in the second leg of the recent ASEAN Championship.”
Fan Culture In Singapore
Hong Kong has seen a new generation of young fans truly bringing a totally new vibe and sense of community to recent Hong Kong home games though is this sense of belonging also seen amongst Singapore fans for their national team?
“Hong Kong football is blessed with passionate local fans as seen in last year’s Asian Cup finals in Qatar. Plenty of credit has to be given to a core group who are willing to put their money where their passion is in supporting the national team.
At the same time, the bond of the Hong Kong fans is strong because of the trials they have gone through due to events in recent years.
The same cannot be said of Singapore, where personal interests of the more hardcore fans override the collective over the years and alienate the rest of the football-watching public, who usually attend national team matches.
This can be seen the different fan groups that proclaim to support local football in recent decades that come and disappear after the disbandment.
Presently when it comes to national team matches, whether it is at the National Stadium or Jalan Besar Stadium, there are a few fan groups that gather to watch the game though they do not usually sing in one voice.
Singa Brigade – a hardcore local football fan group comprising of the remnants of the previously disbanded Exclusinga and Lions All The Way, the more prominent fan groups in the 2010s, and an emerging new group of young supporters who back various local league sides – is the present main supporters group backing the Lions.
Assisting them at times is Team Nila, a government-backed group of local sports volunteers and supporters who are distinct in their purple outfits. It is more like a coalition of fans and supporters rather than a solid unit as can be seen in the Hong Kong fans.
Closer to home, the Ultras Malaya from Malaysia, can galvanise the rest of the stadium to join in on their cause. As for the two local fan groups, they try but unfortunately are too soft to be heard and do not inspire the rest of the spectators to join in.”
The State of the Game In Singapore
Singapore are currently ranked 160 in the FIFA world rankings and with the recent financial investment into Lion City Sailors, who are flying in the AFC Champions League 2, there should be room for further growth and development though Koh is not as optimistic.
“Currently, the local men’s game has stagnated. Notwithstanding the outstanding continental run of Lion City Sailors in the second-tier AFC Champions League 2 where they are in the semi-finals, the Singapore Premier League matches are poorly attended and the level of play has been declining for a while.
The state of the national team is a reflection of the local league, with a poorer production of quality local players evident in the teams’ play in the domestic games and also evident in the younger players in the national team which still rely on the over-30 veterans to hold the fort.
While the poor production of current players are down to the previous inadequacy in youth coaching and competition, as well as the multi-racial focus on education and economic survival where local league players often either take a second job to boost their income, or for a few fortunate ones, ply their trade overseas where the monthly pay is much better and in five digits in US dollars, the Singapore Youth League, a nationwide youth competition at various age groups for both boys and girls, is now into its second season and provides a glimmer of hope on the churning out of higher quality players in the future than the current ones in the 20s.”
Thank You!
Game Prediction from Gary Koh: Singapore 1 – Hong Kong 1
Gary Koh is an experienced Singaporean football writer with sound knowledge of the local game. He began writing in 2004 with now-defunct website Total Football and had a stint as an intern at The New Paper Sports desk.
Koh’s work has been published in local and international football sites, among them renowned football magazine FourFourTwo and the Asian Football Confederation Quarterly Magazine. (Biography from https://pagesetters.sg/roar/ )
