Mixed-heritage Singapore team gear up to face Thailand in SEA Games football opener

PHNOM PENH – It is fitting that multiracial, multicultural Singapore boasts an Under-22 football team comprising players whose heritage trace back to Nigeria, Mali, Ireland, Wales and the Philippines.

As the Young Lions prepare to kick off their SEA Games campaign against Group B rivals Thailand on Sunday, the sextet of captain Harhys Stewart, Jared Gallagher, Jordan Emaviwe, Bill Mamadou, Nicky Melvin Singh and Abdul Rasaq – all of whom are Singaporean but of mixed heritage – are expected to play a key role in their opener at the Prince Stadium in Phnom Penh.

With nasi lemak, mee rebus and Mandarin tying them to their home, the players are every bit as Singaporean as the rest of the 20-man squad.

Born to a Welsh father and a Malay mother, Stewart spent much of his childhood in the United Arab Emirates and Finland before returning to Singapore in 2015. The 22-year-old midfielder’s cousins and grandmother still reside in Wales and he considers himself a fan of Newport County – a team based in South Wales who compete in England’s League Two.

Full-time national serviceman Stewart said his father raised him to be a proud Singaporean while maintaining a strong connection to his Welsh roots.

The former Tanjong Katong Primary School pupil added: “Growing up, I always got questions like ‘are you Singaporean?’ and then I would explain my background.

“But when I was younger, my grandmother liked to say that if people know my diet, they will recognise me as a Malay boy because I don’t really like Western food so much but I love stuff like nasi lemak and mee rebus.”

Defensive midfielder Gallagher, whose father is Irish and mum is Singaporean, grew up in Bukit Gombak and dabbled in badminton and wushu until his family moved to China, where he picked up football.

After moving to Hong Kong and linking up with Kitchee SC’s youth side, he returned here in March 2020 to fulfil his national service (NS) obligations.

Like Stewart, Gallagher has his own home team that he roots for in Sligo Rovers, based in the north of Ireland. Gallagher said it is normal to be asked about his background but he enjoys watching the surprise on people’s faces when he speaks fluent Mandarin and banters in his mother tongue.

On the mixed-heritage Young Lions team, he said: “We have so many different ethnicities in our team, and everyone has their unique traits and qualities.

“We definitely give each other a bit of stick sometimes, like if Wales don’t do well or Ireland don’t do well in international sports, we do rub it in. Whatever it is, we all get along well, regardless of our ethnicities.”

For Emaviwe and Mamadou, their fathers came to Singapore to play professional football and they have also followed suit.

Emaviwe’s dad Prince Jasper played for Tampines Rovers during the 2001 S-League season and married a Chinese Singaporean, the late Elaine Ong, while Bill’s father is Mali-born Bah, who played for S-League clubs including Gombak United, Balestier Khalsa and Woodlands Wellington.

Like Gallagher, Emaviwe learnt Mandarin as his mother tongue in school and one of the things on his bucket list is to visit his dad’s birthplace in Lagos, Nigeria.

Food keeps Emaviwe and Singh – who has a Singaporean father and Filipina mother – close to their roots. When asked what some of their favourites are, Singh said chicken adobo is one of his go-to dishes while Emaviwe enjoys fufu and egusi soup.

Emaviwe said “the food I eat makes me still feel connected to my roots”, adding that his background has been “an icebreaker for me to explain to my friends and teammates about who I am and what my heritage is”.

Singapore U-22 coach Philippe Aw said in an e-mail interview that it is a positive to have players from various backgrounds and ethnicities as it is a “reflection of the melting pot... society that is Singapore”.

He added: “What matters above all, is that the best players are selected based on their technical ability, self-discipline and professional attitude.”

While his team face a tough challenge against 16-time SEA Games champions Thailand, Aw said his charges are capable of making things difficult for them and is convinced the Young Lions will display “fighting spirit and a never-say-die attitude”.

He added: “I can’t predict our results, but I know that my players will be giving their all and carrying out our game plan till the final whistle.”