Commentary: A Singapore football club just beat a South Korean team - here’s why that’s huge

SEOUL: There is plenty of talk in football, especially from new owners. And the Lion City Sailors had lots to say in 2020 when they burst onto the Singapore scene. 

“We want to represent our nation with pride in the Asian Champions League,” said Lion City Sailors chairman and Sea Limited billionaire Forrest Li in 2020. 

“We hope we can become successful, not just in Singapore, but in the region. It is about bringing the fans together,” said CEO Chun-Liang Chew. “We want to have success in the Asian Champions League and our vision is to be Asian champion.”

And it looks like it’s not just talk. The Sailors emphatically defeated South Korea’s Daegu FC 3-0 in the group stage of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) on Monday (Apr 18). 

This was just Singapore’s second-ever win since the tournament started in 2003. More importantly, this was the first time that a Singapore team beat a team from South Korea – the country with 12 Asian championships and a 2002 FIFA World Cup semi-final under its belt. 

Daegu may be more of a K League Leicester City – rather than the powerhouse Manchester City or Liverpool equivalent – but they are a force to be reckoned with, finishing in the top five of one of the strongest leagues in Asia for the past three seasons.

Singapore football fans should go wild. But why should they, when the Sailors are a privately-owned team?

Is this overstating the significance of one match? In the three ACL matches played so far, the Sailors have won only this bout.

There’s reason to believe that every bit of progress the Sailors make at home and in Asia will pull up other local clubs. It shows them how good planning and investment can help them beat teams from the best Asian leagues.

Sure, continental