Singapore in 2034 World Cup. Can make it or not?

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Is this just a repeat of the failed 2010 vision?
In 1998, FAS President Marlboro Tan Singapore launched a similar Goal 2010, but failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Now the push is done by another shortie, Edwin Tong.

Sam Leong would be in his 70s by then and be in a wheelchair, tragically paralysed by a PMD.

The Sammyboy discussion on Goal 2010:
https://www.sammyboy.com/threads/mah-bow-tan-goal-2010.37970/

Football: SportSG and FAS unveil blueprint to take local game to the next level

Sport Singapore and the Football Association of Singapore aims to strengthen the local football ecosystem.
PHOTO: ST FILE

David Lee

9 MAR 2021

SINGAPORE - The blueprint to set the Lions on the path to the 2034 Fifa World Cup was unveiled by national sports agency Sport Singapore and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) on Tuesday (March 9), with its aim to strengthen the local football ecosystem and bring sustainable success.

In a press conference held at the FAS headquarters at Jalan Besar, details of the Unleash the Roar! project was shared with an emphasis on eight pillars:

- Pillar One: Let Them Play
- Pillar Two: Let Them Soar
- Pillar Three: Infrastructure
- Pillar Four: Scholarships
- Pillar Five: National Service
- Pillar Six: Enhanced Technical Capabilities
- Pillar Seven: Science and Technology
- Pillar Eight: Whole-of-Society Partnership

Helmed by SportSG chief Lim Teck Yin and FAS deputy president Bernard Tan, this will be a national project that involves the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), the Ministry of Education (MOE), SportSG, FAS, the football fraternity, corporate Singapore, and Singaporeans.

While Lim said the cost of the project will be announced at a later date, it is expected to be on top of the $20 million annual budget Singapore football currently receives from the government.

Under this project, the over-arching strategy towards football excellence is to create opportunities for more young Singaporeans to undergo sustained and structured high-quality football training, with a clear talent pathway for those who wish to continue to play and excel as a professional as they grow older.

The project will adopt a phased approach with the first phase taking place in the next two years to put in place the right conditions for footballers to excel covering both "software" and "hardware" aspects. This will lay the foundation for Singapore's football teams across age groups to be more competitive on the regional and international stages.

The brand of football will be a quick and high-tempo one based on a unified curriculum developed by FAS technical director Joseph Palatsides, building on previous syllabi from predecessors Michel Sablon and Slobodan Pavkovic.

With MOE's help, the FAS hopes to increase the participation rate to a minimum of 10 per cent of primary school boys from each cohort (or around 2,000 boys per cohort), providing a steady stream of elite youth players of up to 250 players per cohort for School Football Academies which will be set up at secondary schools. Ideally, they would double their training time to four times a week.

By age 17, they should be ready to break into the Singapore Premier League, and Mindef will provide support under existing schemes to make provisions such as early enlistment and time off so that the athletes can still train for major competitions while fulfilling their National Service obligations.

MCCY and SportSG will also work with FAS to enhance coaching capabilities, supported by sports science and technology, and to enhance the football infrastructure.

Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law, said in a statement: "For generations, football has been close to the heart of Singaporeans. The sport unites Singaporeans of all ages, races and genders. It is heartening to see multiple stakeholders coming to deliver this vision together.

"This is a collective vision of our people and our next generation of footballers. I am confident that football in Singapore will reach greater heights."

In August 2019, the former FAS vice-president had said it was a "realistic" goal for the Lions to secure a first-ever World Cup qualification in 2034.

While the bulk of that prospective team are in their pre-teens and teens now, Tan said 2034 World Cup qualification is "a good target current participants can aspire to, and is a good checkpoint to see how close we are to our aspirations".

Lim added: "There must be a sense of urgency to get things right and not stay static when we compete. This project is a very important rallying call for all stakeholders to believe that Singapore can do it if we put our hearts and minds to the wheel."

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

S'pore had an insane target called Goal 2010. It was tragic.
2010 more years?
Tan Xing Qi |

June 16, 2018, 10:51 AM

Events
Law Awareness Week 2020
05 October 2020 - 13 November 2020



It's World Cup 2018 season now, and as 32 countries dream of World Cup immortality, one country can only continue to daydream.


Every four years, Singaporeans will be reminded of this impossible goal:

Screenshot via


1998 dream of greatness

This also means it has been 20 years since then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong started talking up the national dream of qualifying for the Fifa World Cup one day.
Goh said in his 1998 National Day Rally speech:

"Last year I told you Singapore would never have a chance in the World Cup, because the rules require all players to be citizens. But after watching the French victory, I have changed my mind. Maybe if we change our immigration criteria to bring in top football talent and make them citizens, then one day we too can get into the finals. In fact we intend to do just this, to bring in sports talent."

Enter Mah Bow Tan

As the name suggests, the goal of Goal 2010 was to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
It was an exciting dream, especially after the French victory in 1998.
The Les Bleus comprehensively beat Brazil three-nothing in the final with players who hailed from various roots.
The dream fell on the lap of Mah Bow Tan, who was the president of the Football Association of Singapore in 1999.
It was at an S-League awards night in 1998 when he uttered the words "Goal 2010".

"I call on all football-loving Singaporeans to give them your support. It will be the first step in a journey of a thousand miles towards Goal 2010."

And Goal 2010 was born.



The French Blueprint

The image of Zinedine Zidane, of Algerian descent, lifting the World Cup trophy for France was probably the main inspiration.
In fact, Zidane was not the only naturalised footballer in the team, which was hailed as a multicultural team that united the nation.
Light bulb moment right there for Singapore.
In came foreign imports under the Foreign Talent Scheme: Shi Jiayi, Qiu Li (both China), Egmar Goncalves (Brazil), Agu Casmir, Precious Emuejeraye (both Nigeria) and more, at various points.
The Lions were quite dominant in the Asean Football Federation Cup because of a good mix of local and foreign players.



And then there's S-League

There's only so many foreign talents Singapore could bring in. Thus, the dependence on foreign players was to be complementary.
One pipeline to train better local players? The S-League.
Yes, Mah spoke of the importance of the S-League in the same speech in 1998.

"One big stepping stone towards achieving Goal 2010 is to make the S-League a success. With a successful S-League, we can attract more promising young players, train them and nurture them, and expose them and equip them with the necessary skills and experience."

We don't want to bore you with details, but you probably know what the state of S-League has become, which is now known as Singapore Premier League.
Sure, you can call a Chery QQ a Ferrari all you like.

Singapore ranked 81st in 1998

When Goal 2010 was mooted back in 1998, it was ambitious but not entirely crazy. Singapore was ranked 81.

Twenty years later. Here we are.

In fact, the Lions were winless in 2017.
In contrast, Iceland, which started the revamp of their football infrastructure in the 1990s, qualified for this year's World Cup and romanced the neutrals with a courageous run in Euros 2016, knocking out England in the process.
[related_story]

Singaporeans keeping them chins up since... forever

Luckily, Singaporeans are a positive bunch.

ESM Goh spoke in 2001:

"Even if we do not succeed in 2010, in the process, we will raise the standard of the game in Singapore. And we can try again in 2014. Eventually, we will get there."

Indeed, we will get there. We probably just got the meaning wrong.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Football: Lessons to heed from Goal 2010

In this photo taken on March 31, national striker Fazrul Nawaz (in blue) engages in an aerial duel with Young Lions defender Lionel Tan during the match between Hougang United and the Young Lions.
ST PHOTO: KHALID BABA

Sazali Abdul Aziz
Correspondent

SEP 1, 2019

SINGAPORE - Fazrul Nawaz remembers exactly how he felt when the Goal 2010 project was unveiled in October 1998.

"It was a really exciting time for boys my age," the national striker, who was 13 at the time, told The Straits Times.

"If we were to reach the World Cup in 2010, it was up to my generation. So everybody wanted to be the ones to help Singapore get there."

The plan to get the Lions to qualify for the 2010 World Cup was announced by cabinet minister Mah Bow Tan, the first adviser for the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) then, and conceived as a way to lift the standard of local football.

While some steps were taken to realise the aim, like the appointment of Dane Jan Poulsen as project director in June 1999 and the formation the National Football Academy (NFA) in August 2000, there was still much to be desired in terms of youth development.

One unresolved issue was facilities. Fazrul, who was selected for the NFA, said that all the academy's age-group teams trained and played games at the decades-old Jalan Besar Stadium, Geylang Field, and mainly the former grounds of the Christ Church Secondary School.

Jalan Besar, opened in 1932, was refurbished in 2003, while Geylang Field was refurbished only in 2015. Christ Church underwent a $47-million makeover into the People's Association's headquarters in 2009.

Fazrul chuckled as he recalled: "At Christ Church, there was only one little pipe, so the whole squad had to take turns, one by one, to shower after training.

"There wasn't even a rubber hose attached to the pipe - we players bought one with our own money."

Former national player R. Suria Murthi, who coached several NFA teams comprising players born from 1983 through to 1987, agreed.

"Goal 2010 was a dream, and at times it seemed like it remained just that - a dream on a piece of paper," said the 60-year-old, who has now retired from coaching.
"Not a lot was done, especially in terms of facilities, and funding."

The Goal 2010 dream was discarded in June 2004 by then-FAS president Ho Peng Kee, who revised the association's focus towards becoming one of Asia's top 10 sides within five years. He said that Goal 2010 became "counter-productive as we measured everything against that slogan".

The ambition was officially snuffed out in June 2008, when Singapore ended their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign at the third round, finishing third behind Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia, and ahead of Lebanon in their group.

However, former national skipper Seak Poh Leong, who sat on the "Youth Development" committee of Goal 2010, does not accept those who call the project a failure.
Calling such an assessment "unfair", he bemoaned critical missteps.

"For example, in 2000, they started a youth development programme created by Poulsen," said Seak. "A year later, he was pushed to the national team as head coach (after the FAS replaced Vincent Subramaniam) and there was no one to take care of the programme. That was the biggest mistake."

Seak also called the NFA a "big setback" because it narrowed the pool of players that would receive the best coaching and opportunities to represent national age-group teams. The NFA was scrapped earlier this year.

Still, 20 years on, there is a consensus that Singapore football failed to capitalise on the buzz Mah's announcement created, not just among aspiring footballers but also the wider football community.

Local football blogger Ko Po Hui was among 600 people who turned up at a Goal 2010 workshop for members of the public at the Suntec City Convention Centre, six weeks after the project was announced.

He still owns the large black binder, with hundreds of pages of preliminary findings from the various task force teams, which was distributed to the workshop's participants.

Said Ko: "It is not difficult to point out the issues constantly brought up as problematic in local football, such as poor grassroots development, national service, and quality coaching."

"But learning from this," he said, tapping his fingers on the Goal 2010 binder, "and other failed proposals like the Strategic Plan (announced in 2010), should also be key lessons ahead of any new blueprint the FAS might unveil."

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Lions' 2034 World Cup target a pipe dream?

Singapore football fans showing their support for the Lions during the Singapore-Japan Group E World Cup qualifier.PHOTO: ST FILE

AUG 26, 2019

It was projected by former Football Association of Singapore(FAS) president Mah Bow Tan in 1998 that the Lions would play in the World Cup in 2010. That came to nought.

In 2017, deputy president of FAS Bernard Tan spelt out his perspective of Singapore football (What it will take to make Singapore football great again, July 14, 2017).

He delved into the complexity of the modern game, including its faster pace, the advancement of technical and tactical skills, and fitness of players, the need for intense competitions to develop players with exposure to top talent at international level, and the need for a good professional league.

This led to much expectation that these perspectives would translate into positive outcomes for the development of Singapore football.

It is now 2019, and sadly our football is still floundering at the Fifa World Cup ranking of 162nd - one of the lowest this century.

Current FAS vice-president Edwin Tong has now audaciously announced that a realistic goal of the Lions will be the 2034 World Cup (2034 World Cup a realistic goal: FAS, Aug 19). He bases his optimism on the increase of Asian places in the World Cup from 4.5 to 8 from 2026.

We have not achieved any promising results at regional age-group levels, and we have not got past the elementary Asean stage to date. Our professional Premier League is just going through the motions, with no sign of becoming a thriving league that attracts the masses and our youth to take up the game professionally.

A goal has to be driven by a consistent supporting infrastructure, action programmes that include grassroots, youth and schools' football development, a flourishing national league, and a committed FAS and stakeholders.

Much of this has been consistently espoused by departing foreign technical advisers and our FAS chiefs, time and again.

And the refrain still goes on with ambitious pronouncements and perspectives from our custodians of football at the FAS.

What we need to know now is: What is the present state of the art in all the FAS initiatives and programmes that are working towards the 2034 World Cup target that makes it realistic?

Perhaps then there could be a public assessment whether this goal is an achievable target for Singapore or a figment of imagination. Let us walk the talk.

George Pasqual

 

[mojito]

Alamak like CPF withdrawal push back again and again.

 

[laksaboy]

Dictatorships can't thrive in competitive football, because sooner or later the bureaucrats (who know nothing about football) would meddle in football stuff, hindering development and progress.

Best example of this is China. Plenty of potential, but flushed down the toilet.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

The FAS has already put it its excuse. Goal 2034 is just a target, it is not a failure if Sinkapore fails to reach the goal.

2034 World Cup an 'aspirational target' for Singapore, will not determine success of new national project: FAS

File photo of the Singapore football team at the National Stadium. . (Photo: Matthew Mohan)
By Matthew Mohan@MatthewMohanCNA
09 Mar 2021

SINGAPORE: Qualification for the 2034 World Cup remains an "aspirational target" for Singapore and it will not determine whether the new national project to grow local football is a success, said Football Association of Singapore (FAS) deputy president Bernard Tan on Tuesday (Mar 9).

Speaking at a press conference to present the various initiatives of the project, Mr Tan said that its success goes beyond the goal of qualifying for the 2034 World Cup.

"If we can grow an ecosystem, if we can get fans coming to watch the game, parents very interested, if we can raise the level of our game, these are very, very good indicators to say that we have actually achieved substantial improvements in our pathway towards this project in football," he said.
Still, he noted that the target remains important.

"We are not looking for one single objective. We're looking for a sustainable journey, sustainable pathways, with the World Cup 2034 as an aspirational target. This aspirational target is important because if we are going to ask our young Singaporeans to commit to this target, they need to aim high," explained Mr Tan.

"This is something that we want to put before them, but obviously the success of this project is not just on the qualification."

The new project, with the tagline "Unleash the Roar", was announced by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong in Parliament on Monday during his ministry’s Committee of Supply debate.

As part of the project blueprint, the Ministry for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), Sports Singapore (SportSG) and FAS will introduce the football programme in phases.

The first phase will ensure that footballers have the “right conditions” to excel, laying the foundation for Singapore’s football team across age groups to be more competitive on regional and international stages, said MCCY previously.

The implementation of the project will focus on eight "pillars", which involve a number of initiatives such as FAS establishing a standardised National Football Curriculum for football co-curricular activities (CCA) in primary schools.

Mr Tan noted that some of the "desired outcomes" would include having the unified footballing curriculum, as well as getting 10 per cent of each cohort of children between 6 and 12 years old playing football. This would create a pipeline of talent so that children can move into the school football academies, he added.

Improving infrastructure and making use of science and technology to raise performance standards are also part of the project's other "pillars".

"In every (of the) pillar(s) that we have, we want to measure some outcomes. These are the outcomes that we wanted to make sure that we fixed as part of the project," said Mr Tan.

"There are certain outcomes that we're still discussing, but ... let's for example participation we are quite fixed. We want 10 per cent of kids to be playing soccer on a regular basis," he said.

"For the elite pathway ... we wanted to have about 250 per cohort so 1,000 kids actually training at the elite level - that's actually quite significant."

Together with the Ministry of Defence, MCCY is also looking into supporting eligible footballers through early enlistment, leave and time off for full-time national servicemen to train and play at top levels while fulfilling their National Service obligations.

This vision of the project is based on the involvement of government agencies including MCCY and the Ministry of Education (MOE), alongside SportSG, FAS, the football fraternity, corporate partners and Singaporeans, said FAS in an accompanying press release.

There will also be a public naming exercise for the project in due course, revealed Mr Tan.

Mr Tong had said in 2019, when he was FAS vice-president, that qualification for the FIFA World Cup in 2034 would be a "realistic" goal for Singapore.

This is not the first time Singapore has set a target to play at football's showcase tournament. In 1998, Singapore said it was aiming to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said the initiative, dubbed Goal 2010, was “bold and ambitious”.

FOCUS ON THE FUNDAMENTALS

Speaking at the press conference, FAS president Lim Kia Tong noted that there has been comparison between the new national project and Goal 2010.

"While we acknowledge that Goal 2010 did not reach its originally intended goal, it has brought about several positive outcomes, including the Lions' extended period of dominance in the region, winning four ASEAN championship titles starting in 1998, and then in 2004, 2007 and finally 2012."

Mr Lim noted that Goal 2010 had been "primarily driven" at implementing "high-performance fixes" and having the sole objective of making the 2010 World Cup.

"I'm certain that we should look to do more than that. And the objective must be to rebuild the sport from the ground up. The focus will be on the fundamentals of football, starting from the grassroots stage right up to the elite level," said Mr Lim.

The new project would be the "next step" to bring Singapore football forward, and it has incorporated lessons from Goal 2010, he added.

"Unlike past projects which have been solely measured against results on the international stage ... (it) will be grounded in the longer-term sustainability of our football ecosystem. The focus will be on improving overall standards in key aspects of the ecosystem and through that, aim to achieve outcomes and success well beyond 2034," Mr Lim explained.

Mr Tan also noted that a "large portion" of Goal 2010 was the recruitment and naturalisation of foreign football players.

"This is something that we have learned from the past. That is probably not as sustainable. If we want to invest in football, it is best that we involve ... Singaporeans as a base. And this means that we want our children to grow up and be the stars of tomorrow," he noted.

"It doesn't rule out the inculcation of foreigners into the national team, but certainly the base has to be Singaporean. And this means basically fundamentally, we are going to invest in a development pathway that is large."

MIRRORING SINGAPORE'S ASPIRATIONS

Speaking also at the press conference, SportSG chief executive officer Lim Teck Yin noted that football is an "ideal" project due to its high participation rates locally.

"On average, for players 13 years old and above - that means not even counting the primary school kids - about 130,000 people play football every week. Of course, these statistics are in pre-COVID times," he said.

"That is not a small number. Football is the most-watched sport in Singapore and football is one of a few sports that Singaporeans play throughout their lifetime."
Mr Lim noted that the project "mirrors" Singapore's aspirations as a nation.

"Football as a project will be a strong platform will be a strong platform for us to realise that together," he added.

 

[jw5]

Don't expect too much from Edwin.

 

[syed putra]

Except for south korea, countries that eat mainly rice just cannot make it in football.

 

[laksaboy]

Except for south korea, countries that eat mainly rice just cannot make it in football.

Japan is alright too.

 

[Loofydralb]

Same Modus Operandi to gain votes.

 

[red amoeba]

We have the East Coast plan might as well have a World Cup plan.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Bernard Tan compares Singapore with Iceland
Iceland has no army, no national service.
Icelandic players playing overseas will come back to play for their country
Sinkies have NS and reservist liability.
Young Sinkies will take up soccer for the wrong reason.
It is better to play soccer during NS than to become combat engineer, infantry.
And if the Sinkie footballers can make it in the top leagues, NS and reservists are inconvenient interruptions to them earning big bucks and fame.
They will renounce Singapore citizenship and play for their new countries.
Why play for Singapore when can play with the future Lionel Messi for Spain, the future Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal etc.?

Bernard Tan wants the best players to begin their carers in the Singapore Premier League from 17.
Not many footballers can make the first team at 17 years old in the premier leagues in Europe.

Based on just these two points, Dot thinks Goal 2034 is f**ked. Expensive f**k.

Football: FAS deputy president Tan wants Singapore's best players to ply their trade overseas

Football Association of Singapore deputy president Bernard Tan wanted the best players to begin their careers in the league from 17.
ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
Deepanraj Ganesan

9 MAR 2021

SINGAPORE-A Lions side at the 2034 World Cup comprising mainly of players who ply their trade outside Singapore - that is what Football Association of Singapore (FAS) deputy president Bernard Tan envisions the make-up of the future national team to be.

He told The Straits Times following Tuesday's (March 9) unveiling of Unleash the Roar!, the FAS' blueprint to set the Lions on the path to the 2034 World Cup: "The Singapore Premier League serves a national purpose - it must be to build a stronger national team. To have a strong national team, just like Iceland, players (must) play in top leagues in the world.

"In Goal 2034, we want our players to play in the best leagues in the world. That's when you get the best national team.

"What is the function of the SPL if our best players play overseas? They must start here and they may even end here... just like many leagues in the world, where the top players go overseas because the domestic league is smaller."

While he stopped short of branding the SPL a developmental league, he said that he wanted the best players to begin their careers in the league from 17, " get picked up because we are performing so well in Asian Football Confederation tournaments" and play overseas.

He added: "And perhaps they can come back at the age of 37 or 38 after having a full career and play here and contribute back. That is the image I have of the league. The pathway must push the best players to play in the best league in the world."


The idea of the best local players plying their trade outside of their home country and contributing significantly to the national team is not new. The likes of Denmark and Iceland have done this to considerable levels of success. In the 2018 Fifa World Cup, only one out of Iceland's 23-man squad was based in the country's top tier, while the rest were based in various clubs across Europe. The Danish squad had only three players who were from Denmark's top flight.

The reaction from the Singapore fraternity to Tan's comments was mixed.

Geylang International head coach Noor Ali said that with the Under-23 rule - where each team's starting line-up must include three players aged under 23 - the SPL was already a developmental league.

"Not just for players but for coaches like me and Gavin (Lee) for example. We are able to use the league as a stepping stone and develop ourselves at this stage," said Noor Ali.

"My only concern would be if the clubs in the SPL share the same view. I am lucky to have a club who allow me to develop young players. We have had the likes of Umar Akhbar and Noor Ariff who we have blooded in recent years. Ultimately, a lot of coaches will be judged based on results.

"It won't be easy to produce players to play overseas just like that. There is a lot of groundwork needed to be done for that to happen."

Tanjong Pagar United chairman Raymond Tang supported Tan's idea.

He said: "There is no doubt that a Singaporean playing regularly in a better league overseas can improve. We have good examples like Hariss Harun, Ikhsan Fandi and Gabriel Quak.

"But the players must join clubs that are able to offer a higher standard of football and they must have the hunger and determination to succeed overseas. Hariss, Ikhsan and Gabriel succeeded because they all got out of their comfort zones and the national team benefited as a result."

Tampines Rovers chairman Desmond Ong added: "It sounds fantastic if it works. The concern is if our very best players don't meet the required standard. But we need to trust that the system that we build will be capable of producing these players, and on a consistent basis".

However, others were against the idea of the SPL acting as a feeder league.

Said former youth coach Khairul Asyraf, now a coaching consultant to clubs in the region: "If you set out to be like that, then the SPL will always be mediocre.
"Maybe if we get all our processes right, we can still be a competitive league. I don't see why we always have to be a developmental league."

He also took issue with Tan's statement that "by age 17, they should be ready to break into the Singapore Premier League",saying: "You can't expect everyone to break into the league at 17. In fact, that is rare. That shows a poor understanding of a footballer's development.

"With the correct planning, we can focus on having a competitive league and producing players for the national team. If we follow the idea of having all our best players go overseas, the league will be less competitive, then we will suffer for the long term."

 

[LordElrond]

Maybe Year 2304 would be possible

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

We have the East Coast plan might as well have a World Cup plan.

Maybe the East Coast plan is the Goal 2034 plan?

 

[THE_CHANSTER]

The Govt should just focus on the shitty S-League or rather the "Singapore Premier League".
I remember the big fanfare over Goal 2010 and Singapore's aspiration to qualify for the WC.

Local football fans would much rather spend their $$$ on Mio TV or Starhub subscriptions than contribute to grassroots soccer.

 

[SalahParking]

by 2034, nobody will play or watch football. Because it's a stupid game.

 

[SalahParking]

This Bernard Tan was the chief armour officer and President scholar. But somehow somewhere he fucked up. Maybe his dad was abit of a rebel, and didnt toe the line.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

This Bernard Tan was the chief armour officer and President scholar. But somehow somewhere he fucked up. Maybe his dad was abit of a rebel, and didnt toe the line.

Another army officer and civil servant parachuted into a job for which he has no experience and qualifications?
Can treat Goal 2034 as a big joke then.

 

[laksaboy]

Right on cue... proven right again.

Football: FAS deputy president Tan wants Singapore's best players to ply their trade overseas

You want them to 'ply their trade overseas' and hey presto, they obey immediately, eh? And 'overseas' is a big place... exactly where? And which target clubs/leagues are interested? Wages and contracts?

Dictatorships can't thrive in competitive football, because sooner or later the bureaucrats (who know nothing about football) would meddle in football stuff, hindering development and progress.

I think I know how this works: announce a grandiose plan/vision/project e.g. 'Goal 2034', resulting in public funds funneled into it. Exactly where the money goes, that's anyone's guess. No oversight.