by Sporting Cock
After Sinchi FC, a soccer team composed entirely of mainland
Chinese players, was not only allowed by the FAS to play in the
S-League, but also able to raise $700,000 in sponsorship, High
Street businessman Bolpas Singh thought his sporting dreams would
soon be realized.
However, the Football Association of Singapore yesterday rejected
Mr. Singhs application to register his team of Chittagong-born
Sikhs.
I still dont know why, said Mr. Singh ruefully in his
electronics emporium along High Street. The FAS just faxed me with
no explanation whatsoever.
Mr. Singh had intended to fashion a team from his own tightly-knit
community of Sikhs, all of whom hail from Chittagong in
Bangladesh.
Not many people know that theres a strong Sikh community in
Chittagong, explained Mr. Singh. But Guru Nanak himself visited
Chittagong, and the Gurdwara Chowk Bazar temple remains there to
commemorate that holy event.
The Chittagong-born Sikh community in Singapore is small but
tightly-knit, and they all play soccer on weekends rather than the
sport normally associated with Sikhs.
We switched from hockey to football some years ago, said Mr.
Singh. Basically, we found the hockey community here to be sticks
in the mud. And also, weve really come to love soccer, thanks to
inspirational figures like Jita Singh.
The team is formidable, by all accounts. Theyve done well in
constituency friendlies, and even in overseas friendly
leagues.
We came in third in the Overseas Bangla Cup two years ago, beamed
a proud Mr. Singh, as he flexed his shoulder in the direction of a
gleaming trophy on his bookcase. Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia
herself presented the prize to us. Begum Zia is a big soccer fan,
you know. Theres a popular saying amongst the soccer community in
Dhaka: nobody bends it like Begum.
So the team is understandably upset by the FAS rejection.
I dont get it, sighed a visibly disappointed Mr. Singh. Why
were we turned down? Were only helping to promote brotherhood
amongst the Singapore sporting community. We even incorporated our
term for brother into the teams name! What could be so
objectionable about us?
And that the FAS allowed a Singapore-Chinese team certainly made
their rejection even more perplexing.
How come a team of Singapore-based Chinese was allowed, but not a
team of Chittagong-born bhais? How did Sinchi FC get through, Mr.
Singh asked, hands thrown up in exasperation. But not Chibhai
FC?
*stolen from here
