The Hindu : Sport / Football : India and Singapore at the same level

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Tuesday, Jul 15, 2008
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India and Singapore at the same level

P. Srinivas Aditya

SINGAPORE: P.N. Sivaji, the head coach of Singapore’s ‘S’ League team, Home United FC, feels that the level of football in Singapore is the same as in India.

Speaking to The Hindu, the 57-year-old Sivaji, a former national coach and presently the technical director of the Singapore national team said, “I think the level of football is more or less the same in Singapore and India. However, football here is ruled more by the bookies.”

Sivaji said betting on football matches was made legal in 1989 to reduce illegal gambling.

“Even the dates and timings of the matches are decided by the bookies. Around 60 to 70 per cent of the revenues are generated by betting,” he said.

Nine local and three foreign — 12 teams — are in fray in the ‘S’ League and each team plays 33 matches in three rounds.

Apart from the ‘S’ League, Singapore also has the Singapore Cup knock-out tournament.

Sivaji, who played as a defender and represented the Singapore ‘A’ team before injuries and bad eye sight cut short his career when he was just 27, is a holder of AFC’s professional diploma, which he obtained in 2001. He is one of the very few coaches in Singapore.

More organised

He said football is more organised in Singapore, but there is a dearth of patronage. “Now-a-days, people are not interested in watching the matches live.

Moreover, unlike other countries, the teams have to pay some amount to the television channels to telecast the matches.”

On the game in India, Sivaji has some very good words to say. “The present Indian National team has tremendous potential, but the desired results are not coming. It is just a matter of time before everything falls in place.”

He also feels that the players in India are getting fantastic support from the clubs.

Home United FC, which is owned by Singapore’s home ministry, has Kappa as its human brand ambassador and is also supported by Coca Cola.

The team finished second in last year’s ‘S’ League and is currently placed third in the current season.

The country boasts of 12 multi-purpose stadiums of which two are exclusively for football and the ‘S’ League sponsored by the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC).

The winner takes home S$150,000 and the runner up will be richer by S$75,000.

“The main problem with football here is that it is not vibrant neither are there icons like Baichung Bhutia. Talks are on to sign up foreign players. Also we have to train and play on the same pitch which is a major hurdle,” Sivaji said.

The salaries in ‘S’ League range from S$2,000 for newcomers to up to S$10,000 for experienced and overseas players. All the teams are managed by the Singapore Sports Council.

Impending setback

However, football, it seems, will suffer a setback once the famous National Stadium, built in 1971 and one of the biggest stadiums in the country, will be pulled down.

Sivaji still fells the best is yet to come for Singapore football.

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