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. SinghÂ’s application to register his team of Chittagong-born Sikhs.
“I still don’t 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 there’s 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, we’ve really come to love soccer, thanks to inspirational figures like Jita Singh.”
The team is formidable, by all accounts. TheyÂ’ve 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. There’s a popular saying amongst the soccer community in Dhaka: nobody bends it like Begum.”
So the team is understandably upset by the FASÂ’ rejection.
“I don’t get it,” sighed a visibly disappointed Mr. Singh. “Why were we turned down? We’re only helping to promote brotherhood amongst the Singapore sporting community. We even incorporated our term for ‘brother’ into the team’s 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
