Fans rejoice despite travelling woes as Lions secure Asean C’ship s-final spot

SINGAPORE – What started out as a day of frustration turned into a night of jubilation for Lions fans who made the trip across the Causeway with the chartered coaches provided by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS).

On Dec 20, the Lions secured a heroic 0-0 draw against hosts Malaysia to qualify for the Asean Championship semi-finals for only the second time since they last won the title in 2012.

At the final whistle, the Singapore fans twirled scarves and sang “ole, ole, ole” as they showed their appreciation to Tsutomu Ogura’s men who battled their way to a draw, sealing their spot in the last four.

While there were only about 600 Lions supporters in the crowd of 31,127, their chants of “Singapura” echoed around the stadium in the latter stages as the dispirited Malaysian fans went quiet.

Unknown to the Lions on the pitch, however, was that about half of the Lions fans had reached the Bukit Jalil National Stadium only in time for the second half due to traffic jams. 

To give the Lions a much-needed boost, the FAS arranged free bus rides for fans heading across the Causeway for the derby.

The Straits Times understands that close to 300 fans travelled in eight FAS-chartered coaches, which left Jalan Besar Stadium at about 12.30pm for the 9pm match. The first bus reached Bukit Jalil just past 9.30pm, with other buses arriving about half an hour later.

Eliss Chen, 49, was frustrated with the arrangements that left her only able to watch the second half, but was in a cheery mood at the final whistle.

Chen, who decided to stay overnight in Kuala Lumpur after the game as she was exhausted by the long bus journey, said: “In the end it was worth it. The second half was really exciting and we found a way through to the semi-finals.

“The atmosphere was great too. It felt like my frustrations disappeared almost instantly at the final whistle. I believed in the team and they did it.”

Earlier in the evening, she had questioned why the buses could not have left earlier, given that it was a Friday and that the school holidays had already begun on both sides of the Causeway.

Chen, who works in the education sector, said: “I think the planning should have been better and the FAS could have been more prepared. Leaving at 12.30pm to be here by 8pm is cutting it close. Why could we not have met at 9am and left in the morning? About four hours into our commute, we started to fear and the guide also told us we may only reach just on time.”

According to travel sites, the driving distance between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore is about 350km. The driving time is about four to five hours, depending on traffic and road conditions.

In response to ST’s queries, an FAS spokesman said the eight buses arrived late “due to unusually high road traffic leading into Kuala Lumpur”.

“The convoy departed Jalan Besar Stadium at approximately noon today, providing reasonable time based on travel norms between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. But unusually bad traffic conditions, which started even before Melaka, meant that the buses arrived much later than expected,” he added.

“We are deeply sorry for this unforeseen delay and understand the fans’ frustrations over the situation.”

To make up for this, FAS said it will arrange for these fans to attend a home match during the Asian Cup qualifiers in 2025 as well as a training session.

Another fan, Raymond Tay, 46, was sympathetic. He said there had been a major accident en route to the stadium that delayed their arrival.

Tay, who arrived at the stadium about 30 minutes into the match, said: “This was nobody’s fault and it was unforeseen circumstances. Most of us were watching it on our phones in the bus.”

The general manager at an electronics component distributor, who was with his wife and 12-year-old daughter, was also charged up by the “electrifying atmosphere” in his first match across the Causeway.

He added: “Us going to the semi-finals has made all the wait worth it. It justified the whole trip here. To see them manage the performance and qualify is amazing.

“I am ultimately thankful for the free transport here from FAS, because of that I was able to bring my family here.”

Ogura told the players not to let the fans down, saying: “Many Singapore fans have come here by bus. I told the players, the fans return at midnight and reach Singapore early in the morning.

“They don’t get any bonus or salary for doing this, all they are hoping for is that we go through.

“I told the players this and reminded them to show their appreciation for the fans on the pitch. We want to thank them for making a good atmosphere and for encouraging us.”