MCCY Acting Minister David Neo 'takes back what he said' about Hong Kong football team & fans after historic S'pore win

Acting Minister for Community, Culture and Youth David Neo has admitted he "should have been more respectful" following his remarks made about the Hong Kong football team and fans during a post-game livestream on Nov. 18.

Neo had called the Hong Kong team and fans "idiots" while congratulating the Singapore Lions in their dressing room following Singapore's 1-2 historic comeback win in the Asian Cup qualifiers.

'I take back what I said'

Neo asked the Singapore players in the locker room: "The team was fantastic, right?"

His address was streamed live by Ikhsan Fandi on Instagram.

"You kena (got) pressured by them, all the fans were bloody idiots, and the players, they also played like idiots... but you all played like Lions!" said Neo.

This elicited loud cheers in the dressing room.

Neo later responded to a comment on Instagram from an online user, which criticised his remarks as "totally out of order as a minister".

Neo wrote:

"Indeed I probably should have been more respectful.

I take back what I said.

The Hong Kong team were really tough and their fans were fully behind them.

That's something we should respect, and let's also get behind our Lions."

Background

The high-stakes qualifier match at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Stadium on Nov. 18 was played out amidst a raucous atmosphere created by the 47,762-strong crowd, who were mostly home fans, The Straits Times reported.

Of the crowd, 2,000 were Singapore supporters.

Singapore, which was seeking a win to top the group and qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, trailed after an opener from Hong Kong's Matt Orr in the 15th minute.

However, after half-time, Shawal Anuar and Ilhan Fandi each scored to earn Singapore a 1-2 comeback win.

The win means that the Singapore national football team has qualified for the Asian Cup on merit for the first time.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Neo himself offered their congratulations to the team and coaches following the victory.

'Truly disappointing': HK sports secretary

Hong Kong's Secretary of Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law also weighed in on the home team's 2-1 loss to Singapore's Lions, calling it "truly disappointing".

In a Facebook post in Mandarin, she expressed her "grief" at Hong Kong's missed opportunity to qualify for the Asian Cup, while reflecting on errors that she insinuated may have cost the win.

"The Hong Kong team played aggressively in the first half, and if they had held on better to their scoring opportunities, they could have gone into the locker room with a larger lead, making the second half less stressful," Law said.

"That's a pity."

She also cited the decline in the team's stamina in the second half of the game as a potential reason for the loss, and expressed her "significantly different opinions" from Hong Kong's coach Ashley Westwood's direction in organising game tactics, calling it "something that must be seriously studied and reflected upon."

Despite her misgivings, Law concluded her post lauding the team's efforts in the game.

"I want to say that it was clear the entire Hong Kong football team really wanted to win and had made many preparations," Law said.

She also commended Hong Kong fans' "heartwarming" support for the team and comfort for the players after the loss, as well as their orderliness in exiting the stadium despite the disappointing outcome.

"Let's calm down, regroup, and think positively about how to continue supporting our Hong Kong, China national football team!"

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