Lion City Sailors’ fans call on more to back team and make themselves heard against Spurs
When Tottenham Hotspur previously visited Singapore in 2019, long-time supporter Jordan Tan made sure he was at the National Stadium to cheer on his team against Juventus.
But on Wednesday, the 34-year-old entrepreneur will be backing the Lion City Sailors when they face Spurs at the same venue, even though the decision was not straightforward.
Tan, who has supported the Sailors since they were known as Home United, said: “Since it’s a friendly, I’ll back the Sailors as it’s always good for a local club to pitch themselves against a European team to see where the team and local football in general stand.
“It’s not often a local club gets the opportunity to face a team with Spurs’ credentials.”
Tan will be among a group of more than 200 supporters which the Sailors’ fan group, The Crew, has mobilised to get behind the Singapore side.
Besides the usual flags and drums they bring to their Singapore Premier League (SPL) matches, they will be looking to make themselves heard.
Calum Lim, a member of The Crew, said: “I hope our fans can turn at least some sections of the National Stadium into a sea of blue as we’re capable of doing it. We want to create as much noise as we can.”
The postgraduate, 23, who has been supporting the club since 2021, said the high ticket prices would not deter him from watching his favourite team in action against an English Premier League side. Tickets for the home and away ends cost $199, but those who used the Sailors’ promotional code got theirs at half price.
He added: “There is no doubt the tickets are pricey, but my passion drives me. I also read the negative comments on social media saying that nobody will support a local side, so it encourages me more.
“It’s motivating to go out there and show everyone that there’s support for our local clubs, and hopefully it piques their curiosity about the SPL.”
They have also roped in football fans who are not familiar with the SPL in the hope of making their support louder and clearer.
Two of them, Imran Hakim Azman, 24, and Faiz Kamaruzaman, 27, had previously supported the now-defunct LionsXII and Woodlands Wellington respectively, but have not followed the SPL in recent years.
Imran said it will be “intriguing” to see how the Sailors fare against a Spurs side led by Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
Faiz added: “I’ve heard positive things about the Sailors like their determination and team chemistry.”
Lim said members of The Crew are prepared to teach other fans’ their regular chants. He hopes they can “come back to support the team more often”.
Several other SPL fans are also attending the match to see how the Sailors perform against Spurs.
Hougang United fan Zachary Wu, a 24-year-old undergraduate, said: “In recent history, it’s pretty rare to see a local club facing Premier League opposition.
“This game will be a true test of Sailors’ quality. If they do well, it could raise the popularity of local football.”
Yori Haqimi, 18, who watches SPL games regularly, also hopes the match can draw more support for Singapore football.
He added: “Most Singaporeans ignore the SPL because they simply don’t believe in the quality of local football.
“Games like these present the perfect opportunity to showcase what we can do against high quality teams and potentially attract more people to our league.”
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