By now, you'd have seen this video of Singapore striker Khairul Nizam caught on camera completely losing his shit after the final whistle was blown and Singapore lost 1-3 to arch-rivals Malaysia in their final Suzuki Cup group match on Nov. 29, 2014:

In the video, Nizam could be seen being restrained by fellow reserve teammates and backroom staff before kicking a styrofoam box in a feat of rage.

Nizam has since apologised via the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) in a statement, as reported in The New Paper on Dec. 2:

"We have since counselled the player and he has apologised for his actions."

"The FAS also wants to apologise to all fans who may have been offended by the video."

But did he really have to be sorry about it? Of course not.

Why? Because any hot-blooded sportsman with a sense of pride and competitiveness would have reacted the same way in the face of a ridiculous exit from the Suzuki Cup competition.

Therefore, here are 3 good reasons Nizam did not even have to be sorry about letting his emotions run wild:

1. The 90th-minute penalty was rubbish

Did you catch the replay of the so-called foul?

Well, here it is:

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Having watched it, it is as clear as day no official should ever call a penalty for this type of foul. It is only a penalty if this was a charity shield match and this was in the 34th minute of play.

Calling this a foul not only robs the game of its contact sport status, but this is the sole reason why rugby fans look down on footballers as a bunch of sissies.

As you can see, Nizam's reaction was understandable: Singapore could have advanced to the semi-finals if they held on to the draw.

The penalty was made worse by the fact that it was awarded by the referee who wasn't even anywhere near the incident in the penalty box.

Plus, the Malaysian player had no way to play the ball that was sailing way over his head even after he jumped to reach it.

2. We shouldn't have celebrated like we won the World Cup after beating lowly Myanmar

President Tony Tan showing up after the Lions beat Myanmar 4-2 was really unnecessary mind games for the players:

This was the second game for Singapore that was without any special significance, so it inevitably made it seem as if the president's minders chose the Myanmar match as the most opportune time to show up because it was reasoned that the Thais and Malaysians are going to be harder teams to beat.

President Tony Tan's presence, therefore, unwittingly sent this message: "I specifically came to see you guys play against Myanmar because you guys stand the best chance against them. I most likely won't get to congratulate you guys in your next match against Malaysia."

And the players will be wondering: "Why is Tony Tan here today for the Myanmar match? He doesn't expect us to beat Malaysia? Isn't that the more significant make or break match? Because he doesn't believe we are going to get through?"

As innocuous as the president's presence was, it was unnecessary mind games that would have wrecked havoc on the players' psychology, when they haven't even advanced to the next stage.

3. Football is a passionate sport after all

Check out this video and you can understand what passion in football sounds like: A stadium filled with tens of thousands of Napoli fans going completely bonkers after their striker Gonzalo Higuain scored a goal.

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What Singapore needs more of, is passion like this.

The last thing Singapore needs are fans and footballers who are not passionate about football and players who are not aggressive enough.

Instead of asking players and fans to curb their enthusiasm, we should encourage them to showcase their fanaticism passion. Even if we cannot have the best team, we can have the best supporters, not spectators, who can intimidate the living daylights out of any opponent that sets foot into Kallang.

Therefore, under what circumstances is Nizam's behaviour considered unbecoming? If Malaysia had beaten Singapore fair and square without the late penalty, then that's fine.

But given what Singapore had to go through in the tournament, especially against Malaysia in that last game, it's surprising more players and fans didn't cave in to their emotions.

Maybe that is the real problem with Singapore football today.

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