IN FOCUS: Fixing Singapore football - are there lessons from the successes of other sports?

SINGAPORE: The conclusion of another Southeast Asian (SEA) Games campaign offers the chance for reflection for Team Singapore's sporting fraternity.

For some, the games, which were held in Cambodia for the first time,were a marker of consistency.

Take swimming, whose contingent delivered 22 gold medals – one more than at the last edition of the SEA Games, and one shy of their best hauls of 23 in 2015 and 2019. They also registered 15 silver medals and 10 bronze medals.

There were also six new meet records, seven national records and 19 personal best results.

For others, the games were proof of a turnaround.

Singapore's athletics team secured thee golds, two silvers and five bronzes. This was the contingent's second consecutive SEA Games hitting a double-digit haul of medals.

There was a games record courtesy of Southeast Asia's new sprint queen Shanti Pereira, six national records, 13 personal best timings and 19 season best performances.

But for football, the event represented yet another low.

Singapore was eliminated in the group stages for the fifth consecutive time, and suffered a 7-0 mauling by Malaysia in their final game. It was Singapore's heaviest defeat at the SEA Games since the competition became an age-group affair in 2001.

It has been 10 years since the Under-22 football team made it out of the group stages and the last time Singapore made it to the men's football finals was in 1989. 

The contrasting fortunes of these sports are clear, but are there lessons for football from swimming and athletics, and their comparatively consistent success?

Speaking to CNA, former Singapore national football team defender R. Sasikumar said that it is important to acknowledge the inherent differences between sports.

"If you really want