Latest news with #SingaporeFestivalofFootball
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
AC Milan legend Franco Baresi backs Massimiliano Allegri to make Rossoneri competitive again
AC Milan legend Franco Baresi believes players carry the responsibility to be ambassadors for their clubs on overseas tours. PHOTO: AC Milan via Getty Images SINGAPORE – After recording their worst league finish in 10 seasons, AC Milan are in dire need of a restart, one that is set to begin in Singapore. The Rossoneri, who sacked coach Sergio Conceicao after missing out on European football next term with an eighth-placed league finish in the recently concluded season, will have a familiar face at the helm when they embark on their pre-season tour in the Republic in July. Veteran coach Massimiliano Allegri, 57, has returned to the club and the Italian's first assignment will be a friendly against Arsenal at the National Stadium on July 23. It is part of the Singapore Festival of Football, which will also feature an Arsenal-Newcastle United friendly at the same venue on July 27. The return of Allegri, who guided the Rossoneri to the Serie A title in 2011 before winning the league and Coppa Italia five times apiece and reaching the Champions League final twice with Juventus, has sparked optimism among the Milan faithful, including legend Franco Baresi. In a phone interview with Singapore media on June 4, the former defender told The Straits Times that the Festival of Football will be 'a great opportunity to restart with great enthusiasm'. 'Allegri is a coach with fantastic experience, so he will be able to work well with the team, with the players, to give them the kind of serenity and conviction to get back, to be competitive again,' said the 65-year-old Italian via a translator. Their past season has been marked with instability, despite beating arch-rivals Inter Milan 3-2 in January's Italian Super Cup final. Stefano Pioli, who guided Milan to the Scudetto in 2022, was dismissed last summer. He was replaced by Paulo Fonseca, who lasted six months, before Conceicao got the sack after just five months. While he declined to assess the recent season, Baresi, who is also Milan's honorary vice-president, said: 'With the new coach, there will be a lot of willingness to get back on our feet and start the new season in the best way. 'These are games that are very useful... for the players to get to know the coach, for the coach to get to know the players, and for everybody to get to know any new players who might arrive in the summer. 'So, this game is very important to start to play well together and understand what the ideas of the new coach will be... and to get ready for the new season in terms of finding good team morale and teamwork on the pitch , and also to be physically ready.' Changes are afoot in the Milan camp, with players being linked with moves. Several media outlets, including the BBC, reported on June 4 that their Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders has agreed terms with Manchester City ahead of €55 million (S$80.9 million) move. Meanwhile, Real Madrid icon Luka Modric will reportedly join Milan after the June 14-July 13 Club World Cup. While Baresi stopped short of confirming the 39-year-old Croat's arrival, he did pick out players from the current side whom he admires and hopes will set the National Stadium alight on their first visit here. 'I like players of great technical ability and quality. When I think of children who go to the San Siro and watch the team play , the ones who would probably excite them most are Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic, who can really thrill with their skills and velocity ,' said the one-club man, who played 719 games for Milan across 20 seasons. The model pro, who also has 81 caps and was part of Italy's World Cup-winning side in 1982, also chimed in on the responsibility of players to represent their club and country well while on overseas duty, after two Manchester United players were seen flashing middle fingers during the club's post-season tour of Asia. He said: 'We always need to prove that we are professionals at the end of the day, because we have a huge responsibility towards our millions and millions of fans across the globe. So the most important thing is to represent the club with our best.' Tickets for the Singapore Festival of Football start from $108 and are available on Ticketek. 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
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Tickets for Singapore Festival of Football to go on sale on April 25
Arsenal's Leandro Trossard (third from right) celebrates with his teammates after scoring their second goal in a 2-2 Premier League draw with Crystal Palace on April 23. PHOTO: AFP Tickets for Singapore Festival of Football to go on sale on April 25 SINGAPORE – Match tickets for the 2025 Singapore Festival of Football, which are priced from $108, will be available from Ticketek on April 25, organisers announced in a media statement on April 24. The festival will see European clubs gracing the National Stadium after a two-year hiatus, with Arsenal taking on Italian side AC Milan on July 23, followed by the Gunners' clash against Newcastle United on July 27. Both games kick off at 7.30pm. Arsenal will also hold an open training session on July 25 at the National Stadium, where their fans get another opportunity to interact with their favourite players. Tickets for this session are priced at $32. This will be Milan's first visit here, while Arsenal last came in 2018 for the International Champions Cup, where they faced Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid. The Magpies last played in Singapore in 1996, when they faced an S-League All-Stars team. This time around, they will be heading here on the back of a memorable season in which they ended a 70-year domestic trophy drought by beating Liverpool to lift the League Cup in March. The inaugural Singapore Festival of Football in 2023 welcomed over 130,000 fans to the National Stadium where Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City and German giants Bayern Munich played three matches over a week. Earlier in April, promoter TEG Sport and the Singapore Tourism Board announced the return of the festival in a five-year partnership that will see regular top-flight European football fixtures played in Singapore in alternate years (2025, 2027 and 2029). Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
New York Times
11-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Arsenal, Newcastle and Milan to play pre-season friendlies in Singapore
Arsenal, Newcastle United and Milan have announced they will travel to Singapore for pre-season ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. The two Premier League sides will play each other at the National Stadium on Sunday July 27 (7:30 pm local time). Arsenal will also play Milan at the same venue on Wednesday July 23 (7:30 pm local time), with the games part of the Singapore Festival of Football. Advertisement The trip will mark Newcastle's first visit to Singapore since 1996, when Kevin Keegan's side played an S-League All Stars team from the Singapore Premier League and new signing Alan Shearer was presented to the crowd before kick off. The club toured Japan as part of last year's pre-season preparations. The fixture against Arsenal represents the first time Milan have played in Singapore, while the north London side have visited in 2015 and 2018. The two games will complete Arsenal's pre-season tour of Asia, having already announced a game against Tottenham Hotspur in Hong Kong on July 31. Mikel Arteta's squad will then return to London following the Tottenham fixture ahead of the Premier League season beginning on August 16. Milan are also playing in Hong Kong as part of their pre-season tour and face Liverpool on July 26. The club say the final stop of their pre-season tour will be announced 'in the coming weeks'. 'Having Singapore as part of our pre-season will provide a special experience for supporters in Asia, and we're looking forward to seeing them and playing in front of them in July,' Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe said. Arsenal managing director Richard Garlick added: 'Our trip will give us the opportunity to connect with our supporters in this beautiful region, with the matches against AC Milan and Newcastle United promising to produce two exciting games, providing the squad with high-quality preparation ahead of the new season.' ()
BBC News
11-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Magpies to face Arsenal in Singapore
Newcastle will play Arsenal in a pre-season friendly in Singapore this Magpies will be part of the Singapore Festival of Football tournament and will play the fixture at the Singapore National game will take place on 27 July, with manager Eddie Howe stating: "Pre-season is all about setting the right challenges to ensure we are ready for the new season,' said Eddie Howe. "So we're pleased to be playing against high-calibre opposition in an iconic stadium."Having Singapore as part of our pre-season will provide a special experience for supporters in Asia, and we're looking forward to seeing them and playing in front of them in July."
