Is Singapore (emotionally) England?

By Les Tan/Red Sports

The World Cup is one of those sporting tournaments that makes you feel keenly what you are — and what you are not.

A lot of Singaporeans are supporting England because they are familiar with the English players from the English Premier League. The EPL is the most-watched football league in Singapore. The upcoming last-16 game between Germany and England should see more Singaporeans supporting the English team.

Of course, supporting England doesn’t make us English. However, we certainly want to support somebody. As proof, look at the number of people wearing the national team jerseys of England, Brazil, Argentina, Holland, Spain and Germany. You hardly see anyone wearing a Singapore national team jersey. (If you see one, the guy probably works at FAS.)

The Koreans definitely know who they are and who they support. The public support for the Korean national football team is outstanding. Police estimated that 1.5 million Koreans have thronged outdoor venues to watch their team play. The Japanese are similarly patriotic.

We have had enough of winning economic awards for airports, ports. We need more of the sporting ones, especially in team sports like football and basketball.

Those are the ones that are frustratingly hard to win but are oh-so-sweet when you do.

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