Singapore's football fans still fondly remember when the Lions were a power in the Malaysian Cup and the island republic's national stadium was a sell-out against traditional rival teams representing Malaysian states. In the build up to the ASEAN Football Federation Championship semi-final between Singapore and Malaysia, Mindy Tan of Singapore's New Paper interviewed many on their way to the game. For example, Donald Tan, a 31-year-old PE teacher at Fairfield Methodist Primary School who is in-charge of the school's football team, was planning to take his 18 young charges to the match. He hasn't bought the tickets yet as he is still waiting for his students, aged 10 to 12, to seek permission from their parents to watch the match.
Said Mr Tan: "I grew up watching the Malaysia Cup. But I did not have the chance to watch matches at the stadium until I was a polytechnic student. So I imagine the atmosphere will be exciting for the students, some of whom have never seen a real match at the stadium before."
Said Mr Tan: "I grew up watching the Malaysia Cup. But I did not have the chance to watch matches at the stadium until I was a polytechnic student. So I imagine the atmosphere will be exciting for the students, some of whom have never seen a real match at the stadium before."