The French Dominate Singapore

That’s an imposing coq.

How much do you really know about the Singapore S-League? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

I didn’t really know much either until I came across a story about Etoile FC (thanks, Google Alerts!).

Until 1996, association football in Singapore consisted only of either: (1) a representative Singaporean club entered into competition in the Malaysian football league; or (2) lower-level domestic competition dominated by clubs from the Singaporean military.

The first “professional” clubs emerged in the 1970s, with Geylang United (9 titles) and Tampines Rovers (3 titles) leading the charge.

After withdrawal from the Malaysian league in 1995 followed by the destruction of the semi-professional Premier League teams by the Singaporean national side, the Singapore Football Association established the S-League to begin competition in 1996.

Since that time the S-League has been dominated by, not surprisingly, Geylang United, Tampines Rovers and the Singapore Armed Forces FC, which perhaps accounts for the fact that the league has lost 13 clubs over the past 14 years, with many of those combining in an attempt to be more competitive.

The S-League has also featured nine foreign teams, with clubs participating from China, Japan, Africa and Brunei. Of those, only Albirex Niigata Singapore FC (of the Japanese J-League) remain in the league.

However, the 201 season of the S-League saw its first-ever European entrant, with French club Etoile FC marching ruthlessly through the field. Comprised entirely of players of French origin, the side managed the first title ever by a foreign side in Singaporean football, pulling off the league and league cup double while making it to the semi-finals of the Singapore Cup. The league championship was a close race, with Etoile securing the title by 1 point (70 points, to 69 for Tampine Rovers) with a 4-2 victory on Wednesday over Albirex FC.

If this sort of dominance by French clubs in foreign competitions continues, we should expect Auxerre to win the Champions League this year.