Strange things have happened in Singapore football over the pass week. First, the National Stadium was filled with more than 30,000 fans watching the Singapore Indonesia match last Friday. Most of the fans were in the stadium supporting the Lions, not some foreign European team in a useless friendly match.
Then after victory was secured against Indonesia, the Lions traveled to Philippines. And 20 fans made their way to Bacolod, to watch the match live at the stadium. Bacolod? Yes, a town in the Philippines so obscured, there is nothing to do there except watch the football on show last night. But what was more surprising was that fans actually flocked to Our Tampines Hub and Admiralty Community Sports Club to catch the live screening of the match there. In fact, there were so many people that the unexpected huge numbers ensured that it was standing room only at the two live screening venues.
Was it the Fandi Ahmad factor that is bringing fans back to the Lions? Or the fact that the Lions are now playing a more attacking style of football? They lost last night, so the acid test will come on 21 November, when they take on Timor Leste at the National Stadium. Maybe then we will see if the fans are back for good.
