PUBLISHED ONDecember 22, 2024 7:00 AMBySean LerThe harsh heat did little to deter the will of some 1,000 Singapore football fans at Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday (Dec 22).
Armed with foldable chairs, umbrellas and the company of their friends and families, those in queue waited orderly and patiently for a chance to secure the nearly 6,000 tickets available for the Asean Championship semi-final.
Some came as early as 8am, four hours ahead of the start of ticketing sales at noon.
Lau, who is in his 50s, was one of them. He was joined by his two sons and a friend.
Speaking to AsiaOne, Lau said that the current Singapore football team under Japanese coach Tsutomu Ogura “is more adventurous in play and makes more attacks”.
The Lions supporter described Singapore’s late 4-2 loss to Thailand on Tuesday (Dec 17) as “valiant” and hopes that the Lions will now go on to make it to the final.
At around 1pm, Football Association of Singapore (FAS) officials, including chief Chew Chun-Liang, were seen taking count of the number of people in the queue.
By then, only about 2,000 tickets were left.
Just after 1.30pm, FAS officials, led by Chew, started to advise those after the 700th queue position that chances of securing a ticket were low. They also gave out isotonic drinks to them.
Some fans left after learning that their chances of getting a ticket were low.
Mohammed Sidek, 67, was one of them.
Despite some mobility difficulties, he travelled by train from Jurong West to reach Jalan Besar Stadium just after 12pm.
He was armed with a walking stick which doubled up as a chair to take short rests from standing or walking.
The childhood Lions fan was left disappointed after learning that he was unlikely to get a ticket.
Sidek told AsiaOne that he “was very sad when Singapore lost late to Thailand, but is just glad that the Lions overcame Malaysia to qualify”.
He will still be rooting for the Lions, as he has since young, on Dec 26.
Group A runners-up Singapore last qualified for the semi-finals in 2021 when they were eliminated by Indonesia.
On the 30th anniversary (Dec 17) of Singapore football’s historic double over Malaysia in 1994, the Lions gave up a two-goal lead to lose 4-2 to group winners Thailand. The Lions later overcame a higher-ranked Malaysia to qualify from Group A as runners-up.
The first leg of the Asean Championship semi-final between Singapore and Vietnam will be played at the 6,000 seater Jalan Besar stadium at 9pm on Dec 26.
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editor@asiaone.com
