World Cup 2010, Even North Korea is in

[wikiphile]

But we are not, what happened to The World Cup 2010 promise made by Mr Mah "I know shit about football" Bow Tan? Even "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il has produced a better football team, despite being very good at producing nukes too

FULL LIST OF TEAMS AT 2010 WORLD CUP

HOSTS
South Africa

ASIA QUALIFYING
Japan
Australia
South Korea
North Korea

EUROPE QUALIFYING
Netherlands

Full World Cup qualifying tables on Fifa.com

 

[scroobal]

Kudos to North Korea. Its does not matter that their people are dying of hunger that they need the world and UN to send them supplies. Soccer comes first.

But we are not, what happened to The World Cup 2010 promise made by Mr Mah "I know shit about football" Bow Tan? Even "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il has produced a better football team, despite being very good at producing nukes too

FULL LIST OF TEAMS AT 2010 WORLD CUP

HOSTS
South Africa

ASIA QUALIFYING
Japan
Australia
South Korea
North Korea

EUROPE QUALIFYING
Netherlands

Full World Cup qualifying tables on Fifa.com

 

[R4g3]

Sinkapore not in? who is the one that say we will be in 2010?
Paying millions to talk craps that even kids don't believe.

 

[Ramseth]

Kudos to North Korea. Its does not matter that their people are dying of hunger that they need the world and UN to send them supplies. Soccer comes first.

Bill Shankly: "Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I can assure them it is much more serious that."

 

[Ramseth]

There's one more possible place for Asia left: Bahrain v. Saudi Arabia, winner play-off Oceania winner (most likely New Zealand). Singapore was knocked out by Saudi Arabia and Uzebekistan in an earlier round.

But we are not, what happened to The World Cup 2010 promise made by Mr Mah "I know shit about football" Bow Tan? Even "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il has produced a better football team, despite being very good at producing nukes too

FULL LIST OF TEAMS AT 2010 WORLD CUP

HOSTS
South Africa

ASIA QUALIFYING
Japan
Australia
South Korea
North Korea

EUROPE QUALIFYING
Netherlands

Full World Cup qualifying tables on Fifa.com

 

[KuanTi01]

When the blur-sotong-know-nuts-about-football minister envisioned the year 2010 as the year for world cup qualfying status, I fell off my chair. Can you imagine the cheek when our so-called lions can't even land the SEA games gold nor are we anywhere near Asia soccer standards? Talking big and now so low profile. Dare to predict one more time? How about 3010 to beat Asian teams like Japan, North & South Korea, Iran etc? Dream on forever!

 

[kensington]

Well, dreams are free....

 

[Ramseth]

Well, dreams are free....

Well, not exactly. I believe that many millions were spent in pursuit of the dream.

 

[angry_one]

Singapore was never a match for the north koreans in many aspects. They can take children from young and house them in football concentration camps, then threaten them with death if they don't win. This can make a very good team.

In other areas, their NDP mass displays makes ours look like a school project. And they have nukes, even USA must give them face.

 

[Ramseth]

Playing football from young in North Korea and playing it well is is good way to a better life and status there. Kids who failed to make the grade are simply sent off to be soldiers or laborers. Football is used as an international political tool. N. Korea delievered the first ever Asian victory over an European power as far back as in 1966 when they defeated Italy 1:0, and scored 3 goals against Portugal before bowing out 3:5 to the best player in the world then, Eusebio. All these without money, without foreign talents, without even a proper domestic league.

However, Singapore couldn't follow that path. State-sponsored clubs SAFFC and Home United won't be able to produce players like their N. Korean counterparts do. Just like SAF could never produce an army like the Israeli army.

Singapore population is 75% Chinese. Singapore national team is hardly 20% Singapore Chinese. When the vast majority population, especially the kids, want to watch football but don't want to play it, how to have a future?

 

[saratogas]

How to win when Sinkies love their Football clubs more than their Country.

 

[Ramseth]

Tens of thousands Singaporeans cheering Liverpool on to beat and thrash Singapore. Spectacular, isn't it? Another one for the uniquely Singapore collection.

 

[singveld]

maybe the gene. china with 1.6 billion people cannot enter too, what hope singapore? where parent does not encourage kids to play soccer?
what hope?why have a national team if sinkies dun support it?

 

[Perspective]

Kudos to North Korea. Its does not matter that their people are dying of hunger that they need the world and UN to send them supplies. Soccer comes first.

For some of these hegemonic countries, it's not that they have no $$$. It's just that a few elites share the $$$. If the soccer team and their family members are part of the elite, they will have all the energy to play soccer. They can have the best stadiums, equipment etc.

 

[wikiphile]

Medals-buying in international sport competitions is obviously not going to place us on the map of the world that easily. If anything, the fact that we take in 2nd-3rd rate sportsmen from the sport giants and make them our citizens to compete on the international level is just but a short cut towards gold winning. Its a real mockery of competing in sports in the first place, we still have a long way to go before 'REAL' Singaporeans, nutured and honed locally have a fighting chance in the international playing field.

Look at England (赢个烂), the best players in their premier leauge now are mainly foreigners and they have been languishing in World cup and Euro cup competitions in the past few years while their youth programmes have not produced any Linker, Gasicogne, Beckham for the past few years. How interesting FAS have not picked up on that yet if they really are professionals.

 

[Ramseth]

North Korea didn't suddenly qualify for the World Cup first time. They qualified before and were always in frontline contention for qualification. They have a footballing culture which they upkept for decades at all costs. Singapore killed our own fledgling footballing culture in the 70s and 80s by banning children from school fields. Leaving the fields empty. In the 70s and 80s, many boys own footballs, jerseys and boots, and belonged to neighborhood teams that played each other regularly. By the 90s, that became almost unheard of. They still watch football and buy jerseys, not to play but as fashionwear or to show support for their favourite teams like England, Manchester United, Liverpool, Brazil, Italy, Argentina, Germany, Spain, Real Madrid etc. and etc.

The adults mostly follow football games and news for betting purposes. Singapore wants to have a national team that can qualify for World Cup? Wait long long, or sing the Air Supply song, I Can Wait Forever.