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In this current flux that is the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve found myself in a state of limbo on weekends. In part, due to the withdrawal of my regular fix of the EPL and a search of any alternatives have proven fruitless with all major leagues suspended, save for one Belarusian league; but who’s even broadcasting?
A bright idea of picking up where I left off with the SPL (that’s the Singapore Premier League) was quickly extinguished with the league suspended into only its 3rd match day.
In an improvement from previous years of social media engagement, the Singapore national coach, a Japanese tactician – Tatsuma Yoshida, came out and gave a decently riveting press conference.
He appealed for understanding and support from fans for the temporary suspension of the league; preaching a message of solidarity and gratitude for the front-line healthcare professionals.
Not a Jurgen Klopp for sure, but decent marks for a slightly reserved character from the land of the rising sun.
It brought me back to a chance occasion I had with him when he was the guest of honour at a Japanese expatriate football tournament.
From afar, it was a chance to observe this man who was tasked to revive an ailing sporting corpse of a shiny utopian nation just a touch north of the equator. Football can be considered the national interest where the SPL was the only professional sporting league.
I pointed out to my group of friends “Hey! That’s the Singapore national team coach over there!”
“Where?”
A bunch of them strained their vision while focusing on another more dashing individual amongst the sweaty crowd.
Yoshida-san was busy mixing with the 200 strong Japanese contingent, signing autographs, chatting up soccer mums, appraising the juggling skills of a few eager tweens, just absolutely charming the socks off and soaking in all the adoration that was afforded to him.
Hang on a sec, something was off.
This was the Singapore national coach. Not the Japanese national coach!
How is it that our natives mistook him for a regular dad of one of the participating children and yet his countrymen paid him the respect and recognition normally reserved for a celebrity?
Surely, Gareth Southgate or Roberto Mancini wouldn’t be able to roam the streets of London without being stopped for an autograph, photo or some occasional dose of adoration, right?
But this is Singapore, a land of gleaming skyscrapers that’s the jewel in the crown of South East Asia, where professional sport is an afterthought – a condiment atop the entree just to compliment the flavours and make life a little more palatable from the relentless grind.
I would like to propose that our supposed love of football and the respect for the game as a nation are on parallel planes; like star-crossed lovers, never destined to meet.
The passion and interest in football are definitely there. It is wooed by the vast marketing budget of the English Premier League and to some extent, the Spanish La Liga or the Italian Serie A.
Just like an image of Hyun Bin from the latest K drama sensation – Crash Landing On You, emerging from a Ferrari, even stiff-lipped husbands would struggle to be seduced. Yes, circuit breaker semi lock-down here doesn’t help.
The local football scene seems like the eternally poor backup actor struggling to make a break-through; struggling to attract the gazes of much-needed fans.
Sure, we worship our EPL heroes past and present, we spend fortunes on foreign club memorabilia and we even turn up religiously for our weekly amateur games.
But like every love affair, it’s not the fluttering infatuations that matter, but the long marathon grind. It’s about showing up even when the chips are down, stick by with faith that anything bad will turn a corner.
But most crucially, love means respecting the very thing that’s near and dear – our local heroes; however flawed they may be.
Perhaps, all it takes is some faith, and some love to fire our league back up and jet-heel our footballers into playing the exciting football that would draw the crowds that I have no doubt they are capable of.
After all, we could all do with a dose of much-needed optimism in this dreaded hour.
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