With a degree in the bag, Lions winger Glenn Kweh ready to flourish on the pitch

SINGAPORE – Since he picked up the sport aged just five, national winger Glenn Kweh had constantly been reminded by his mother that if his academics were not up to scratch, there would be no football.

To realise his dream of becoming a professional footballer, Kweh decided to play the long game and put aside his passion temporarily to ensure he would do well enough in his A-level examinations at Victoria Junior College to make it to a local university.

It meant that at 16, he left the National Football Academy and returned to regular football training only five years later when he joined the Young Lions in 2021 after completing national service.

While a decision to put sport on hold may have seen him fall through the cracks, Kweh has gone on to juggle studies and football with aplomb.

After graduating from the National University of Singapore with a degree in business administration in May, the 24-year-old is fully focused on football and has become a key player under Lions coach Tsutomu Ogura.

His contributions from the flanks could be crucial as world No. 161 Singapore target a win and a flurry of goals against 196th-ranked Timor-Leste in their Asean Championship Group A match at the Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi on Dec 14.

Goal difference could come into play later on when deciding the top two sides, who will advance to the semi-finals.

Thailand thumped Timor-Leste 10-0 on Dec 8, while Malaysia eked out a 3-2 win over the Timorese three days later.

On the same day, the Lions opened their campaign with a lacklustre 2-1 home win over Cambodia, during which Kweh played as a right winger. 

Kweh, who has featured in six out of seven international matches under Ogura, starting in four, said the key will be to improve on that performance.

He added: “We all know that we need to do better.”

The 14-cap Lion had dreamt of becoming a professional footballer since watching Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie plunder goals while he was a kid.

“I also needed to focus on my studies earlier but, after I got into university, I’ve actually tried to plan my football around it,” he said.

“Going to university was like my backup.”

With a degree in the bag, he can now focus on football.

Kweh, who spent most of the 2023 season at left-back and has since returned to a more familiar winger role, has been in fine form in 2024.

He scored a career-high six goals and notched 10 assists in 26 appearances for BG Tampines Rovers.

He hopes that his route can be an example for others.

He said: “A lot of people say ‘Oh, it’s not possible to study and play football at the same time’. But I wanted to show that you are able to do both and do well at the same time. So hopefully I can be an example of that.

“Hopefully, more generations can follow in my footsteps.”

While his ultimate aim is to play overseas, his immediate target is to win a Singapore Premier League title with the Stags.

He is also eyeing his first goal for the Lions.

Ogura noted that Kweh has brought his Asian Champions League 2 experience to the national team, adding: “He has good technique and is getting tougher as a player.”

With the quick succession of matches, the Japanese tactician could be forced to shuffle his pack, especially with defending champions Thailand awaiting the Lions at the National Stadium on Dec 17.

Noting that the Timorese can be dangerous on the counter-attack, as they showed in their narrow loss to Malaysia, Ogura said: “Of course to win, we need to score goals, but our defence needs to be good too.

“We need balance between our attack and defence. The opponents are all tough and that is why the key factor will be the balance, how we defend in transitions will be important.”

While the Lions

trounced Timor-Leste 6-1 in the 2018 Asean Championship,

they won only 2-0 in the following edition in 2021.

Timor-Leste coach Simon Elissetche hopes his charges will reprise their showing against Malaysia, when they led 2-1 before losing 3-2.

“After two losses, we want to get our first point,” added the Chilean.