Commentary: Although Singaporean football supporters adore Son Heung-min of South Korea, they also ought to support our Lions.

Commentary: Singapore football supporters should support our Lions as well, as they adore South Korea’s Son Heung-min. On June 6, 2024, at the National Stadium, Singapore football fans will be cheering on the Lions with the SingaBrigade. Pictured by Jerome Douglas

SINGAPORE: The national football team of Singapore rarely sells out the National Stadium. Naturally, not every one of the 49,097 spectators at Thursday’s (Jun 6) World Cup qualifier versus South Korea was there to witness the Lions.

Son Heung-min, the superstar and captain of South Korea, is accustomed to being jeered from the opposing side’s bleachers since he hears more foul language every week in the English Premier League. The stadium was filled with people rooting for his national team, so maybe that surprised them.

The term “12th man” is aptly applied to the fans. Every crunching tackle, every shot, and every save should be met with cheers from the crowd, which will encourage players to keep going despite fatigue or fatigued legs.

The odds were stacked so much against the Lions that home advantage was extremely crucial. In the FIFA World Rankings, Singapore is currently ranked 155th; South Korea, which is rated 23rd, defeated Singapore 5-0 in Seoul in November 2023.

A draw would have been optimistic, but a victory over the Asian behemoth would have been unrealistic. Even a brave, close loss would push us to the very finish.

That evening, I was a member of the SingaBrigade, a group of supporters that sing and chant to cheer on the Lions and create a festive environment at every game. Even though the goals kept coming in one after another, the group remained united and our spirits never wavered.

We anticipated that the crew would feel let down. Therefore, now more than ever, we had to speak up and encourage them.

It was a little depressing to realize, though, that for every supporter in our ranks who gave a hearty roar of approval, there would be one or two Singaporeans who somewhat softened that intense support by applauding for the opposition.

The fact that fans of South Korea were bouncing up and down while waving the free plastic Singapore flags that the Singapore Football Association had supplied was also quite humorous. Maybe from the field, both teams soaked up the applause for them.

A TEAM DESERVING OF TRIBUTES
However, this is not meant to be a criticism of Singaporean football supporters.

Even after the Lions suffered a crushing defeat, Singaporeans continued to cheer for the squad long after the South Koreans had left the field. Having witnessed the athletes’ hard work and dedication firsthand, they felt compelled to remain behind and honor them.

In contrast to earlier games against more prestigious opponents, the Lions ventured to put pressure on their South Korean opponents and nearly scored a few times. Midfielder Hami Syahin’s forceful header could have found the back of the net if the opposition goalie hadn’t been alert.

Perhaps at that point, we could have heard the fans rejoicing over a goal for Singapore.

The head coach of Singapore deserves praise as well because he accepted full responsibility for the loss. After the game, Tsutomu Ogura, who only assumed leadership of the national team in February, stopped by the SingaBrigade area to express his gratitude for our unwavering support.

I shall never forget the picture of him holding a deep bow for over 20 seconds in apology for the team’s performance that evening.

Following the Singapore national football team’s game versus South Korea on June 6, 2024, head coach Tsutomu Ogura expresses gratitude to the supporters. Pictured by Jerome Douglas
I saw signs of hope here, in contrast to the previous glamour match we played (against Argentina without Lionel Messi in 2017), where some Singaporeans jeered our own players.

Naturally, as an ardent supporter, I hope that Singaporeans will cheer on our local players a bit more throughout upcoming games.

Even if we get excited to see our favorite club players play, we should support our home team. To be the 12th man for our underdog team, we’ll boo the opposition if that means it. It doesn’t make us any less polite or impolite hosts.

“As a fan, you can’t just support the opposite player, which I totally understand,” Son Heung-min elegantly responded when questioned about the jeers directed towards Singaporeans during the press conference after the game.

But in the end, the beautiful game is only a ninety-minute game.

What about the 90 minutes before and after? Leading the way, the Korean Association in Singapore printed cheer towels with the slogan “We love Korea and Singapore” with pride.

My buddies and I were in a karaoke bar outside the stadium before the game, and there were some Korean supporters at the adjacent table. We made friends with them and sang a Korean song to break the ice since we thought they might have felt a little uncomfortable at a place where Mandopop was the predominant genre.

I met up with the Korean cheer squad captain the day after the game and took him around Singapore to sample some local delicacies, bak kut teh, and curry chicken noodles.

Since we are kind hosts, let’s extend that grace to our own. Even though our chances of winning the World Cup are already over, some members of the SingaBrigade will be in Bangkok on Tuesday night when Singapore plays Thailand, yelling themselves to death. Let’s support the Lions from our TVs, everyone else.