Building own youth talents is 'most sustainable way' for S'pore football to grow: Edwin Tong

Singapore can afford to bring in some foreign players who have that connection with Singapore and Singaporeans, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong told CNA's "Talking Point".

His comments were made in the wake of Cardiff City's Perry Ng being invited to train with the Singapore national team in a "familiarisation stint".

Ng is eligible to play for Singapore under FIFA rules, as his late paternal grandfather was born here but later moved to Liverpool.

"Occasionally, we might supplement with a few who’ve been here, who not just as a footballer, but as a person can relate to Singapore and Singaporeans. I think that’s important," Tong said.

On top of that, Tong said the most "sustainable way" for Singapore to grow its football scene is to build a pool of its own youth players instead of importing foreign talent.

Tong said this would also be the "most relatable" to Singapore.

He pointed out that in the early 2000s, Singapore relied "a lot" on naturalised players, but it masked a deeper problem, CNA reported.

"We did win a couple of Asean champion titles in that period. And I think this is in some ways... papered over the cracks."

"The real fundamental problem was we weren't building a pipeline of young players. And then the moment we stopped having naturalised players, that got exposed."

According to the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), Ng is eligible to play for the Lions through his late paternal grandfather, who was born in Singapore.

If successful, he will be the first heritage athlete to gain Singapore citizenship.

The FAS also invited Tampines Rovers' Kyoga Nakamura to join the training. Nakamura recently became a permanent resident and aspired to eventually obtain Singaporean citizenship.

Ng previously shared with Mothership his hopes of representing Singapore as a way to honour his late grandfather.

"I always felt like I needed to honour my grandfather and make him proud," said Ng.

@mothershipsg According to FAS, Perry is eligible to play for the Lions through his late paternal grandfather, who was born in Singapore. If successful, he will be the first heritage athlete to gain Singaporean citizenship. #tiktoksg #singapore #football ♬ original sound - Mothership

Relatable

Tong told CNA that he does not want a team made up of people who wear the Singapore jersey and bear the flag, but he does not know them.

"Occassionally, we might supplement with a few who've been here, who not just as a footballer, but as a person can relate to Singapore and Singaporeans.

I think that's important."

He gave the Indonesian football team, whose lineup largely comprised people of mixed heritage, as an example.

The Indonesian national team recently drew against Australia 0-0 in a World Cup qualifier, despite the Australians taking 19 shots against Indonesia and forcing 15 corners.

During the Asian Cup in January, Australia beat Indonesia 4-0.

"They are Indonesian by birth or descent, but may not necessarily be culturally connected to Indonesia in the same way.

I want to build a Singapore team that is Singaporean by culture and Singaporean in identity."

"Naturalisation" not sustainable strategy

FAS president Bernard Tan also agreed separately that naturalisation in the past was not a sustainable strategy, sharing with CNA that the movement's pause exposed the lack of focus on domestic youth development.

"We think that looking after the youth spectrum, building a strong pipeline, having a big base of players is the most sustainable way to rebuild football in Singapore," said Tong to CNA.

"We want kids who are interested in football, to see a career in football. We want them to realise their aspirations. We want them not to have to choose so much between the academic path and the sporting path."

Top photos via FAS/Facebook & Edwin Tong/Facebook