Liverpool match versus Crystal Palace through the eyes of their Singapore fans

Their team was in Singapore for the Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy friendly match against Crystal Palace and they were loving every moment of it.

17/07/2022, 05:29 PM +00:00

A restaurant along a busy Geylang street was rocking – it was 3.30pm on Friday (Jul 15) and the beats from a live and the unmistakable strains of Liverpool fan anthems wafted through the door. The Reds faithful were in full voice.

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At The Cavern which also doubles up as a bar, close to 200 Liverpool fans have gathered. Some have travelled from across the region – Malaysia, Thailand, Australia – united by their love for their club. They were thousands of miles away from Anfield but it did not matter.

Their team was in Singapore for the Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy friendly match against Crystal Palace and they were loving every moment of it. Liverpool fans gathered at The Cavern in Singapore on Jul 15, 2022.

A dream come true

The pre-match party was organised by local Liverpool fan club Spion Kop Singapura, and mingling with guests was its president Rajpal Singh. Having supported the club for 41 years, Mr Singh regularly flies abroad to watch his team live. A season ticket holder, he watched his beloved Reds 17 times last season. But not everybody may have such an opportunity, he noted.

As such, having the team in Singapore is always a special feeling, explained Mr Singh, an in-house legal counsel. He also runs a matchday experience company that aims to provide local fans with football tickets to overseas games and merchandise.

“The magic never diminishes. The magic always grows. As a proud Singaporean, having the team you love in your own backyard, it is nothing short of magical,” he said. “And it's a dream come true. Not only just for everybody else, myself included. I got excited when I heard the news (that Liverpool was coming).”

It's Overwhelming

As a sea of red flowed into Singapore Sports Hub on Friday evening, Mr Abdul Aleem made his way to his seat behind the Crystal Palace goal. An ardent football fan, his love affair with the beautiful game began decades ago in the heydays of the Malaysia Cup.

Back then, his family could not afford to buy tickets. Instead, Mr Aleem would scramble up pillars at the old National Stadium to peer at the stars of the Singapore national team. But his other love has always been Liverpool. While he has never watched a game in Anfield, he has caught them in action in Singapore on two previous occasions in 2001 and 2009.

When it was announced that they would be visiting once again, there was only one thing left to do – ring up his fellow Liverpool-loving nephew, and snap up tickets.