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The Star
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Counting down to MU vs Asean All-Stars in Bukit Jalil
MANCHESTER United are set to return to Malaysia for the first time in more than 15 years, with a match scheduled against the Asean All-Stars at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on May 28. This will be the English club's first visit since their 2009 pre-season tour. The match, kicking off at 8.45pm, is part of the Maybank Challenge Cup and follows the conclusion of the Premier League season. It also marks the beginning of their post-season tour in Asia, which includes Hong Kong for a second fixture on May 30. The match is organised by ProEvents, with support from the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and the Asean Football Federation (AFF). The event is aimed at connecting the club with fans in the region while showcasing regional football talents. Manchester United is expected to bring a full squad, including key players such as Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Alejandro Garnacho, Matthijs de Ligt and Rasmus Hojlund. The Asean side will be led by South Korea's Kim Sang-sik, who recently guided Vietnam to victory in the 2024 Asean Championship. Fans arriving early can look forward to live music performances at 6.30pm on match day. Scheduled to perform are Malaysian rock legend Datuk Ramli Sarip, energetic punk rockers Bunkface and Indonesian band Nidji. Red Devils fans will have the chance to see the players up close and show their support ahead of game day at a First Team Bus Parade which will take place on May 27 at 2pm at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. Tickets for the Maybank Challenge Cup are on sale at
New Paper
27-04-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
Lions captain Hariss Harun happy to take on role of FAS VP
Since incoming Football Association of Singapore (FAS) president Forrest Li announced his slate - which included Hariss Harun as one of his four vice-presidents - over a week ago, the Lion City Sailors and national skipper has been inundated with calls and messages asking if he was retiring. With a hearty laugh, the 34-year-old told The Sunday Times before the new council is sworn in at the FAS extraordinary congress on April 28: "I'm not retiring, and I want to play for many years more. "I will know when the time comes for me to hang up my boots, but it's not now because I feel I still can contribute on and off the pitch." Hariss, believed to be the first active player on the FAS council, added: "I was surprised when I was approached, because it's unheard of for an active player to be part of the council. "But it's refreshing to know that they want me to be a voice for the players. "I understand that the FAS council role comes with a lot more responsibility, and there will be a lot on my shoulders also being the national team captain and an active player. But I will have to learn to juggle and play each role as perfectly as I can when the time comes." One of Singapore's most successful footballers, Hariss has won the Asean Championship with Singapore, the AFC Cup, Malaysia Super League (MSL) and Malaysia Cup with Johor Darul Takzim, the MSL with LionsXII, and the Singapore Premier League (SPL) and Singapore Cup with the Sailors, who are also in the AFC Champions League Two final. He has been known to be not just a model professional since his national team debut at 16, but also one who cares deeply about Singapore football matters and is vocal about them. This is why he decided to step up after being approached by Li, despite having a busy schedule as a player for club and country, father of three and property agent. Hariss, who has 140 caps and 11 international goals, said: "I feel very strongly about things on and off the pitch for Singapore football, and even more so as I grew older because I started to understand more certain things. "I see that I have the capacity to help Singapore football. Having said that, our team acknowledges this is not a one-man job, that's why there is a diverse portfolio of people involved and everybody has to play a part to improve Singapore football." Li, founder of home-grown tech firm Sea and chairman of SPL club Sailors, has assembled a slate of nine with lawyer and BG Tampines Rovers chairman Desmond Ong as deputy president. Besides Hariss, the other three vice-presidents are Bill Ng, founder of private equity firm Financial Frontiers and chairman of Hougang United and Tiong Bahru FC; Sailors general manager Tan Li Yu; and Sean Bai, chief of staff at Burnley, who have just been promoted to the English Premier League. Hariss hopes his experience and influence as Lions skipper will help him represent local footballers and advocate for their interests, as he remains concerned that football is still not seen as a viable career in Singapore, with many dropping out in their 20s. He said: "It's understandable if footballers retire early because of injuries, but it's sad if they do so because they don't see a future in Singapore football. "I hope to make football a more attractive career for people who are serious about turning professional, to show that there is a pathway for them even after they retire in their 30s. "We are a small country with a small talent pool, so we need to retain all the quality we have and I hope I can help in this aspect." When asked if there would be concerns about potential conflicts of interest when the FAS council meets to decide on issues pertaining to the national team, he said he would recuse himself if necessary. He added: "We are all very well aware of this. This is why we have a diverse group of people in the team who can make decisions and there will be systems in place to avoid possible conflicts of interest in certain topics." He also cited Aston Villa centre-back Tyrone Mings, who was appointed one of three independent non-executive directors on the board for Euro 2028 - which will be co-hosted by Britain and Ireland - as an example of an active player making a difference off the pitch. Hariss said: "This shows we are keeping up with the times and it can be done. It's something new in the Singapore context, but I'm really looking forward to contributing to Singapore football."
Straits Times
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Lions captain Hariss Harun happy to take on role of FAS vice-president
Hariss Harun will not be retiring any time soon despite his impending appointment as Football Association of Singapore vice-president. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR SINGAPORE – Since incoming Football Association of Singapore (FAS) president Forrest Li announced his slate – which included Hariss Harun as one of his four vice-presidents – over a week ago, the Lion City Sailors and national skipper has been inundated with calls and messages asking if he was retiring. With a hearty laugh, the 34-year-old told The Straits Times before the new council is sworn in at the FAS Extraordinary Congress on April 28: 'I'm not retiring, and I want to play for many years more. I will know when the time comes for me to hang up my boots, but it's not now because I feel I still can contribute on and off the pitch.' Hariss, believed to be the first active player in the FAS Council, added: 'I was surprised when I was approached because it's unheard of for an active player to be part of the council, but it's refreshing to know that they want me to be a voice for the players. 'I understand that the FAS Council role comes with a lot more responsibility, and there will be a lot on my shoulders also being the national team captain and an active player. But I will have to learn to juggle and play each role as perfectly as I can when the time comes.' One of Singapore's most successful footballers, Hariss has won the Asean Championship with Singapore, the AFC Cup, Malaysia Super League (MSL) and Malaysia Cup with Johor Darul Takzim, the MSL with LionsXII, and the Singapore Premier League and Singapore Cup with the Sailors, who are also in the AFC Champions League Two final. He has been known to be not just a model professional since his national team debut at 16, but also one who cares deeply about Singapore football matters and is vocal about them. This is why he decided to step up after being approached by Li, despite having a busy schedule as a player for club and country, father of three and property agent. Hariss, who has 140 caps and 11 international goals, said: 'I feel very strongly about things on and off the pitch for Singapore football, and even more so as I grew older because I started to understand more certain things. 'I see that I have the capacity to help Singapore football. Having said that, our team acknowledges this is not a one-man job, that's why there is a diverse portfolio of people involved and everybody has to play a part to improve Singapore football.' Li, founder of home-grown tech firm Sea and chairman of Singapore Premier League club Lion City Sailors, has assembled a slate of nine with lawyer and BG Tampines Rovers chairman Desmond Ong as deputy president. Besides Hariss, the other three vice-presidents are Bill Ng, founder of private equity firm Financial Frontiers and chairman of Hougang United and Tiong Bahru FC; Sailors general manager Tan Li Yu; and Sean Bai, chief of staff at Burnley, who have just been promoted to the English Premier League. Hariss hopes his experience and influence as Lions skipper will help him represent local footballers and advocate for their interests, as he remains concerned that football is still not seen as a viable career in Singapore, with many dropping out in their 20s. He said: 'It's understandable if footballers retire early because of injuries, but it's sad if they do so because they don't see a future in Singapore football. 'I hope to make football a more attractive career for people who are serious about turning professional, to show that there is a pathway for them even after they retire in their 30s. 'We are a small country with a small talent pool, so we need to retain all the quality we have, and I hope I can help in this aspect.' When asked if there would be concerns about potential conflicts of interest when the FAS Council meets to decide on issues pertaining to the national team, he said he would recuse himself where necessary. He added: 'We are all very well aware of this. This is why we have a diverse group of people in the team who can make decisions, and there will be systems in place to avoid possible conflicts of interest in certain topics.' He also cited Aston Villa centre-back Tyrone Mings, who was appointed one of three independent non-executive directors on the board for Euro 2028 – which will be co-hosted by Britain and Ireland – as an example of an active player making a difference off the pitch. Hariss said: 'This shows we are keeping up with the times and it can be done. It's something new in the Singapore context, but I'm really looking forward to contributing to Singapore football.' David Lee is senior sports correspondent at The Straits Times focusing on aquatics, badminton, basketball, cue sports, football and table tennis. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Forum: Old Turf City can feature mid-tier football stadium
I refer to the article 'Sharjah FC do not want Asian final against Lion City Sailors to be held at Jalan Besar Stadium' (April 18). This is not the first time Singapore football has had to resort to considering using the relatively small Jalan Besar or Bishan stadiums with their 6,000-seat capacity to host a major football match. In 2024, Jalan Besar Stadium was used to host the semi-finals of the Asean Championship between Singapore and Vietnam, much to the chagrin of both countries' fans, when the National Stadium was unavailable. Now, we read that the National Stadium will be unavailable again, for a match which marks the first time a Singapore club team has qualified for the final of a major regional tournament _ the Asian Champions League 2 _ between the Lion City Sailors and UAE's Sharjah. Besides being frustrating to fans from both countries because of the limited number of tickets available, it is embarrassing that Singapore, which touts itself as a world-class venue for international events, can offer only the small Jalan Besar Stadium with its much-maligned artificial turf. There have been calls to build a medium-tier stadium with a capacity of about 20,000 to 30,000 (Rush for football tickets shows mid-tier stadium is needed, Dec 24, 2024). However, this will not be easy in land-scarce Singapore. Apart from having space for the stadium itself, there must be enough available room around it for supporting infrastructure like carparks, bus stops and even cafes and restaurants. Besides the mid-tier stadium being planned at the Sports Hub, another solution might be to convert one or even both of the two former grandstands at the former Bukit Timah Turf City, which have a combined capacity of 60,000, and the fields of natural grass in front of them into a medium-tier stadium which can seat about 30,000. This place also has existing space around it which used to have bus stops, carparks, shops and restaurants, which can be refurbished for use again. When there are no major football matches, this proposed stadium can be used to host clinics, training for football schools and clubs, Singapore Premier League matches, or be used for other sports such as rugby, and even concerts. Edwin Pang More on this Topic Forum: What readers are saying Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
