Former Lions and EPL winners to star in July 25-27 Soccer7sSeries at Jalan Besar
Shahril Ishak (left) and Khairul Amri will reprise their attacking partnership with the Singapore Football Club at the July 25-27 Soccer7sSeries at Jalan Besar Stadium. TNP FILE PHOTO
Former Lions and EPL winners to star in July 25-27 Soccer7sSeries at Jalan Besar
SINGAPORE – Former English Premier League winners Robert Huth, Wes Morgan and Luis Boa Morte will be in town for the July 25-27 Soccer7sSeries, which will feature seven-a-side men's open, women's and over-35 masters tournaments at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
Huth, 40, was part of the Chelsea team who won back-to-back Premier League titles in 2004-05 and 2005-06, and later formed a solid centre-back partnership with Wes Morgan, now 41, at Leicester City who clinched the 2015-16 Premier League crown against all odds.
Boa Morte, 47, was with Arsenal when they won the 1997-98 title before turning out for the Southampton, Fulham and West Ham United.
Among notable teams who have already confirmed their participation in the Singapore event are England's Coventry City and Queens Park Rangers, as well as Brazilian sides Corinthians and Vasco da Gama, who are set to bring their rising stars from their Under-21 and academy teams for the men's open competition, while German outfit Borussia Dortmund will play in the masters category.
Asian and Asean teams are also involved, with China's Shanghai Shenhua, Indonesia's Persib Bandung, Malaysia's Selangor, and the host's Geylang International and Singapore Football Club (SFC) taking part.
The men's open will feature 16 teams, while 10 teams will play in the women's and masters tournaments. All the 95 games over the three days will be played across two seven-minute halves on a full-size pitch.
Fans can expect to see former Lions and centurions such as Shahril Ishak, 41; Khairul Amri, 40; and Daniel Bennett, 47 – who have 412 caps among them – strut their stuff with SFC in the masters competition.
Former national captain Shahril, who noted that the event will be held two weeks before Singapore turns 60, said: 'We are excited to have the world's best sevens talent coming to celebrate our nation's anniversary with us. I can't wait to take to the field and compete against such high-calibre opponents.'
Off the pitch, there will also be activities to entertain fans and families, who will be treated to a host of Singaporean tastes and flavours.
Soccer7sSeries chief executive officer Dom Lane said: 'Singapore has truly become a global sporting destination, so we're delighted to bring the Soccer7sSeries to the country.
'Fans will be treated to faster football... we have four games played every hour. We have some exciting names including ex-Premier League winners and Champions League competitors and already lots of great teams confirmed from Europe, South America and the Asia-Pacific with even more to announce.'
Ticket prices range from $8 for children and senior citizens to $35 for general admission daily passes. Weekend passes from $25 to $60 and hospitality passes from $200 to $600 are also available at www.soccer7sseries.com
David Lee is senior sports correspondent at The Straits Times focusing on aquatics, badminton, basketball, cue sports, football and table tennis.
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