Asian Football

The Cambodian Elephants Charge On: A Chat with ISI Dangkor Senchey’s Jean Botioba

Jean Botioba is a symbol for many. The Cameroonian is the face of Phnom Penh-based outfit ISI Dangkor Senchey (ISI) and has been a hero for its fans. The Cameroonian had an interesting playing career that saw him play in Southeast Asia, including the V.League. Turning only 38 this year, he hung up his boots…

Plugging The Gaps: Who can fill in for Ikhsan Fandi and Adam Swandi for the 2022 AFF Championship?

When Singapore’s leading marksman Ikhsan Fandi crumpled to the ground in the 38th minute during the Lions’ final warm-up game against Maldives, fans held their collective breath, fearing the worst as the forward was stretchered off the pitch. As fans awaited news of the extent of Ikhsan’s injury, tragedy struck again. In the 61st minute,…

2022 FIFA World Cup Preview

Different time, not great location, but same tournament we all find a way to love… The time is finally upon us. The 2022 FIFA World Cup is right around the corner. And while the timing is much weirder, the weather is much colder (at least where I am), and injuries are much more of an…

A First In Singapore: The Albirex (S) GK Wars Cup

If there’s one person who doesn’t stop innovating in the Singapore football scene it’s Habil Hakim. The Albirex Niigata (S)  Academy Director has helped solidify the Japanese outfit’s presence in our city-state’s youth football and his latest initiative helps strengthen that further.  Goalkeepers are the arguably biggest unsung heroes in world football. Literally the last…

The Path Less Taken : Mukundan Maran’s Journey To The Singapore National Team

When the Singapore National Team squad for the Hung Thinh International Football Tournament was announced, many quickly noticed a new custodian among the goalkeeping contingent. Mukundan Maran’s name surprised many at first, but after thinking about it, it was the right call by Takayuki Nishigaya. The Hougang United keeper has put in some solid performances…

Clawing Their Way To The Top: The Garuda Lions Project

It goes without saying that Indonesians love the beautiful game. The football-crazy nation is home to some of the best teams and some of the best-supported sides in the region. Sides like Bali United, Arema Malang, Persija Jakarta, and Persib Bandung have millions of fans and countless fan groups. Indonesia is scattered with numerous teams,…

Finding Comfort in the Uncomfortable: Matthew Orr’s Story

It is often said that in order to achieve excellence, one must push themselves beyond their limits. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. Matthew Orr (安永佳) embodies just that. In his tumultuous journey to becoming Kitchee SC and Hong Kong’s talisman, he’s encountered many setbacks. However, he never once let them deter him from what he always…

Small Countries, Big Dreamers

Hong Kong, like Singapore, is a small country. They’ve got a big noisy neighbour and at times can get lost in the world of elite football due to their size – just like us. This past week’s double header of friendlies for our Lionesses against Hong Kong showed that there is a gulf in experience.…

The Next Lion Up: Glenn Kweh

Donning the Singapore jersey brings something special out of Glenn Kweh. With three goals in nine games for the U23s, he’s the next Young Lion’s player to have been called up to the senior team and deservedly so. He dazzled fans at the recently concluded Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam as well as last year’s…

Leading the Line, What it Means to be A Number 9

The number nine, a number synonymous with goals, excitement and above all responsibility. Vasileios Chua, better known as Zikos or Bill to the Singaporean football community, is a dying breed, a traditional number nine with proper striker instincts. To Zikos, ‘leading the line’ is something that he’s had to grow into in his young career.…

Our 2022 SPL Team of The Week #5

The Singapore Premier League was back in action following a two-week international break that saw the Lions edge past Malaysia and the Philippines in the Tri-Nation Series. With great results at the national stage, we hoped that this would translate into higher quality fixtures over the weekend. Friday evening saw Lion City Sailors take on…

Our 2022 SPL Team Of The Week #4

Game Week 4 sees all four teams in action once again with yet another barrage of goals for us to feast on. There were two fixtures on both Friday and Saturday evenings. On Friday evening, Tampines Rovers took on Hougang United following their certainly eventful fixture against Lion City Sailors where they had two disallowed…

Our 2022 SPL Team of The Week #2 (Feat. Lions Of Asia)

We’re joined by our friends from Lions Of Asia for this week who will co-pick the team! Another weekend flew by us as we saw witnessed entertaining fixtures that demonstrated some plausibly serious ramifications for the title race. Kim Do Hoon reshuffled his Lion City Sailors starting eleven for their fixture against Geylang International and…

Our 2022 SPL Team of The Week #1

We’ve decided to bring back the Team Of The Week series for yet another season! The Singapore Premier League has finally returned and we were once again delighted to another weekend of thrills and spills. Albirex Niigata (S) suffered a shock defeat to Tanjong Pagar United as the Jaguars held firmly to their lead, denied…

A High Stakes Encounter : The 2022 AIA Community Shield

In a few hours, Lion City Sailors and Albirex Niigata (S) will draw swords and battle for the 2022 AIA Community Shield. Many label Community (or Charity) Shield fixtures as over-glorified friendlies, with teams often fielding fringe players in their lineup. The traditional curtain-raiser for the season may not be taken seriously in many parts…

Changing Stripes: A New Chapter Begins For Oriol Mohedano at Svay Rieng

When I last interviewed Oriol Mohedano, the Tiger Tactician was approaching his 100th game for Angkor Tiger and finished the 2021 campaign as a centurion. In the current global football landscape, it is indeed rare to witness football coaches reaching this pinnacle. However, after 5 seasons with the Tiger, Oriol crossed the 100-game mark, transforming…

An Alternative Route To Singaporean Professional Football

In a sport that is equally political as it is reliant on skill and determination, we often forget that even in the small market that is Singaporean football, many players take atypical routes to the top of the game, making their rise more remarkable and commendable.     This can definitely be said for Ryhan Stewart, who…

Introducing Our Newest Addition: Singapore U-22 and Young Lions Player Jared Gallagher

It’s the transfer window but Singapore Premier League clubs aren’t the only ones that are shopping. We’ve done some wheeling and dealing of our own and we’ve snapped up a great addition to the squad. We are pleased to announce that Singapore U-22 international and Young Lions utility player Jared Gallagher has joined the SoccerKakis…

The Fox in the Box: The Amy Recha Story Part 2

In part 1, we looked at how Amy began his football journey. He started his professional career with Geylang International in 2011 and finished the 2015 season with Young Lions. In this second part, we continue his journey by looking at what transpired following his return to Geylang in 2016 until the 2020 AFF Suzuki…

Spreading The Festive Spirit – A Tampines Rovers Initiative to Help Migrant Workers

Before the pandemic outbreak, migrant workers had always been a marginalised and often forgotten community in Singapore. Yet, they have become increasingly isolated once COVID-19 restrictions kicked into full gear. As things stand, these migrant workers have been largely restricted to the confines of their dormitories, and they have minimal ability to travel out for…

We need to Keep Things In Perspective – Aftermath of Thailand 2-0 Singapore

When the final whistle blew, a chorus of boos echoed throughout the National Stadium, drowning out the applause from a select few of the Singapore faithful. It was abundantly clear that Singaporean fans were disappointed by the national team’s performance against Thailand. With eleven changes made by Thailand head coach Alexandré ‘Mano’ Pölking, there was…

Song Ui-young is Singapore’s Trump Card : Why this Call-up may Fundamentally Augment the Lions’ Future

The Singapore national team will finally feature in the New National Stadium after a two-year absence due to the global pandemic in less than a few hours. This fixture marks the first AFF tournament for several Singaporean players, but many fans will have their eyes fixed on one particular name – Song Ui-young.  Song has…

A Mainstay In The Years To Come: Why Albirex Niigata (S) has Carved a Permanent Space in the Singapore Football Landscape

A few weeks ago, we published an article by the Swan Army. The Albirex Niigata (S) fan group submitted an article discussing that their beloved club is not like any other foreign team featured in the S.League or Singapore Premier League. Instead, they argue that Albirex Niigata (S) has become a localized club. Many other…

Our 2021 SoccerKakis SPL Team of The Season

The 2021 Singapore Premier League season had its fair share of thrills and spills and will be memorable for numerous reasons (depending on who you ask of course). That being said, we have finally created our picks for the SPL 2021 Season – well we had for some time now but the global pandemic has…

On Singapore’s Upcoming International Friendlies: Results Matter But Positive Performances Matter More

As part of Singapore’s preparations for the upcoming AFF Championship, the national team has recently flown to Dubai to play two friendly fixtures in the next few days. On 11 November, the Lions take on Kyrgyzstan in an official ‘A’ international fixture. A few days later, on 14 November, they take on the Moroccan ‘A’…

The Fox in the Box: The Amy Recha Story Part 1

When Geylang International started their 2021 campaign, it seems like the Eagles were struck by lighting. A dark cloud seemed to loom over the club and setback after setback fell upon them. Of course, most eyes would have been on Lion City Sailors and their journey to the Singapore Premier League title, but if you’re…

How Do We Raise The Stock Of Singaporean Football Players?

While the eternal optimist in me sees positives from our World Cup Qualifiers, many reckoned that Singapore’s showings were abysmal. Likewise, I think Tampines Rovers displayed a lot of grit and showed determination in their AFC Champions League run, but to the uninformed and ignorant external observer, they would look at the scoreline of the…

A New Era: The Danger Of Lion City Sailors’ Long Term Dominance

After seven long years, we finally have a Singaporean club lifting the Singapore Premier League. Seven long years of sheer frustration watching foreign sides lifting the league title, of withstanding ridicule from our Southeast Asian neighbours, of bitter disappointment with our domestic football predicament.   Lion City Sailors have emerged as champions. If the lead up…

Our Singapore Premier League Team of the Week #18

It was another weekend of SPL action and we experienced yet another twist in the title race. Tampines Rovers, who has struggled since returning from their maiden AFC Champions League voyage, put in a solid performance to hold Albirex Niigata to a draw and deny them valuable three points. However, that draw meant nothing unless…

The Cup Specialist Returns? Why Lee Lim Saeng Helming A Southeast Asian National Team Makes Sense

The recent AFF Championship Group Stage draw reminds us that the regional tournament is truly around the corner. My love for Singapore football blossomed during this competition with the thrill and spills it had to offer over the years. While the global pandemic has demonstrated time and time again that everything is subject to change,…

The Arctic Fox – Danny Kim

On the 1st of November 1983, Kim Pan-keun made history for the football-mad nation of South Korea by attaining a National Cap at the young age of 17 years and 241 days. The record still stands today. Nicknamed the ‘Ground Fox’, he won the K-League twice while racking up a reputation for being one of…

Our Singapore Premier League Team Of The Week #16

It hasn’t been the best of weekends for the Eastside clubs, with Geylang International and Tampines Rovers getting smashed by Albirex Niigata (5-0) and Hougang United (7-3), respectively. As a result, Tampines are in a precarious position and are dangerously flirting with the prospect of missing out on continental competition next season. On Sunday, Lion…

On the Under-23 Rule: Let’s Keep It At One, But We Need The Prime League To Return

Back in January, I wrote an article about why it’s time for the Football Association of Singapore to consider re-evaluating the U-23 rule. Perhaps they read my article, because they’re supposedly revising the rule. If the alleged changes come to effect, then only one under-23-year-old player needs to start each game instead of the three…

Our Singapore Premier League Team Of The Week #15

Gear up folks, we’re in for a nail-biting finish. The conclusion of last week’s fixtures means that 4 games remain for the majority of the teams, while Lion City Sailors and Tampines Rovers have five games remaining each. Matchday 17 certainly produced thrilling matches with Lion City Sailors and Hougang United battling it out in…

Our Singapore Premier League Team Of The Week #14

The Singapore Premier League was back in action this past weekend and the “weekend” kicked off on Thursday where Balestier Khalsa took on Tampines Rovers who were looking to bounce back from their 4-1 thumping by Lion City Sailors. Unfortunately for the Stags, they slumped to another heavy defeat again – this time a shock…

Our Singapore Premier League Team Of The Week #13

So finally, Tampines Rovers play their first Singapore Premier League fixture following their AFC Champions League expedition. As a result, we have all eight teams battling it out over the weekend for the first time in months.  It wasn’t just the stags that returned, though, but we also witnessed a goal-fest again after a surprising…

Our Singapore Premier League Team Of The Week #12

Happy National Day everyone! Singapore turns 56 today! The Singapore Premier League is full of twists and turns. Hate it as much as you want but you cannot deny that it is an entertaining competition. Even though there weren’t many goals this time round, this week’s fixtures did produce two shocks – Tanjong Pagar United…

Our Singapore Premier League Team Of The Week #11

And we are back with yet another weekend of football filled fun. Matchday 13 sees more action but we wanted to wait till the end of the Lion City Sailors and Tampines Rovers match before making our selections. However, that match got called off and instead, these are the contenders worthy to be included in…

Our Singapore Premier League Team Of The Week #10

After a two-month break, the Singapore Premier League is finally back. This past weekend saw the return of our beloved sides battle it out and with the return of fixtures, comes the return of the SoccerKakis Singapore Premier League Team of The Week series. The second leg of the SPL started off with a banger…

The Brain Gain: Evaluating Singapore’s Reverse Football Brain Drain – Short Term Benefits & Next Steps?

The Singapore National Team has always had several players plying their trade overseas. Truth be told, we need it. While the Singapore Premier League and its former iteration as the S.League has always produced a decent level of football, our best footballers should be forging moves abroad. Playing in an overseas league is challenges these…

The SPL Resumes: The Rest Of The Pack

How can I leave the other teams out? Of course, I wasn’t going to. Also, if you haven’t already, do take a look at the title race preview that I previously wrote. Balestier Khalsa Balestier Khalsa find themselves leading the rest of the pack, and it will be hard for the team to bridge the…

Setting Foot In Unchartered Territories – Razeen Khalid’s Unorthodox Career Part 1

If the name Razeen Khalid rings a bell, you may remember him from my previous interview with Central African Republic international and former Home United stalwart Franklin Anzité. I briefly mentioned Razeen, who was his agent in Malaysia. Razeen was a central figure during Franklin’s footballing chapter in Malaysia. Yet, make no mistake. Razeen is…

The SPL Resumes: The Title Race Preview

With the Singapore Premier League resuming in a matter of days, I decided to take this time to preview the second half of the SPL season. Even though there are only 8 teams in the SPL, the title race is certainly exciting, and every team in the top half of the league is certainly a…

What would Singapore’s National Team look Like with 0 caps? – Celebrating the #NOCAP Squad Part 1

When Tatsuma Yoshida first took the reins of the national team, he ushered in a new era of Singapore football. Under icons V. Sundramoorthy and Fandi Ahmad, the national team had unfortunately grown stale during their tenures as national team managers, but Yoshida’s management was refreshing. Fans were behind the former Jurong FC player, and…

Harimau Muda B 2.0? Not Quite – Part 1: Thoughts On JDT III’s potential inclusion in the SPL

Recently, the Crown Prince of Johor and Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) owner Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim revealed that he is interested in sending their President Cup squad to play in the Singapore Premier League. If the move does materialise, it shares many similarities with the Harimau Muda B team [The Malaysia Under-21 National Football Team]…

‘El Loco’ – The Continental Tale Of Blake Ricciuto

You can learn a lot from a football player by his goal celebration. Kylian Mbappé’s understated shoulder fold comes to mind, a shout-out to his brother’s celebration of choice after scoring a goal in FIFA.A larger-than-life athlete, however, deserves a more glorious trademark – which calls to mind Cristiano Ronaldo and his now iconic (and…

A Chat With The Mouth Of The North: R. Vengadasalam Part 2 – Stories to share and Thoughts on Football today

Do read Part 1 if you haven’t already! Launching The Woodlands Lions A private landscaper right now, he still contributes to the footballing scene with his most recent initiative, Woodlands Lions. Woodlands Lions was launched by Venga because he felt there was a need to establish a proper youth team. While the rest of the…

A Tale Of Two Halves? Palestine 4-0 Singapore

The boys in red walked out of the tunnel, onto the pitch and lined up for the national anthem. As Majulah Singapura played, I couldn’t help but smile at the sight before me. I know that co-writer Kim was probably singing his lungs out at 2AM in the morning. International football has finally returned for…

Addressing The Singapore National Team Selection

Our recent article featuring an interview with Kenny Poh Yi Feng certainly raised a few eyebrows. While we are grateful for the opportunity to share Kenny’s story, what caught my attention was the number of reposts of his article. Specifically, people were reposting his featured quote: “You will always think you have a chance but…

Our Singapore Premier League Team Of The Week #9

The final fixtures before the international break have concluded. For the next month or so, we will not have any Singapore Premier League action, which means that we will not have any editions of our Team Of The Week until the resumption of the league in July. However, do not fret, for we have a…

Meet Oriol Mohedano: The Tiger Tactician

Football in Cambodia is less renowned than other leagues in Southeast Asia, but make no mistake, it is a sleeping giant about to wake from its long slumber. Cambodians are passionate about the sport, and as more funds are being invested into the football landscape, it will certainly grow expediently. Only 34 years old, don’t…

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