Zaiful regrets refusing to play

He thought he was acting in support of a younger team-mate but former Balestier Khalsa captain and goalkeeper Zaiful Nizam now regrets his act of insubordination, which cost him his job.

He had refused to play against the Young Lions when called upon at half-time on Aug 14, which led to his sacking by the Tigers four days later.

Fortunately for the 34-year-old father of two, Geylang International swooped in and signed him for the five remaining Singapore Premier League games this season, plus next term, with an option to extend to the 2023 season.

Zaiful, who could make his debut for the Eagles against the Young Lions at Our Tampines Hub today, told The Straits Times: "I was shocked because I never thought it would result in a termination. I had been through thick and thin with Balestier for nine years, winning two Cups and qualifying for the AFC Cup twice.

"But I regret my actions and they are a club I will always be grateful to for making me a better player and person.

"I don't want to dwell on the past. It's like a football match - I have learnt from this saga and want to move on to this new challenge."

He thanked the Football Association of Singapore for facilitating the opportunity with Geylang, and others who sent him messages of support.

"Like I have always done in my career, I will give my all to help the club do well and help the younger players reach the next level," he said. "Hopefully, we can win something together."

In his first comments on the matter, Zaiful explained why he declined to come on for 23-year-old Zacharial Leong, who had conceded four goals in the first half against the Young Lions. The Tigers eventually lost 4-2.

He said: "As a senior player, I wanted to support and encourage him. I told him to forget about the first 45 minutes, settle down. If he doesn't concede in the first 10 minutes of the second half, his confidence will come back. That's exactly what happened.

"But no player is bigger than the club and I respect the club's decision. This is a lesson learnt."

After seeing first-choice goalkeeper Zainol Gulam retire to pursue a career in the public sector and reserve Sanders Saurajen leaving to pursue a dentistry degree in London, Geylang moved quickly for Zaiful, who has three Singapore caps and played more than 200 games for Balestier since joining from Gombak United in 2013.

Geylang coach Noor Ali is confident the addition of Zaiful will strengthen the Eagles' defence and goalkeeping department, which includes Hairul Syirhan and Wayne Chew, who is set to enlist for national service next month.

He said: "Zaiful is a very experienced goalkeeper and I'm confident he will provide that stability in goal as we shore up our defensive unit. We look forward to having him as a key member of our squad.

"He suits our style of build-up play, and has saved many points for Balestier. We hope he can do the same for us as we aim to finish the season strongly."

With 16 points from 16 games, the Eagles are fifth in the eight-team SPL. They are five points behind fourth-placed Tampines Rovers, who have a game in hand, and have an outside chance of squeezing into the top four to retain their spot in next season's AFC Cup.