SINGAPORE – Tampines Rovers player Jermaine Pennant, who will leave Singapore next week after failing to agree to new terms, gave a withering assessment of the S-League.
In an exclusive interview with The Straits Times, Pennant, 33, said that without proper investment, the current state of affairs – poor attendances, lack of public interest, limited sponsorships – will not change, even if Barcelona star Lionel Messi signed for an S-League club.
Asked if he had done enough to revive the S-League, the former Arsenal and Liverpool winger said after training at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Thursday night (Oct 27): “All I can do is go out there and play my best and hopefully create a buzz. But it needs more than that, you can’t just expect me to come here and change everything.
“No matter who you get, you could bring Messi here, yes, you’d attract fans but without money, and the government and the league helping out out like they do with other sports, or what they do in other countries, it’s not going to grow.”
Pennant’s signing generated much interest in local football. A pre-match friendly with Hougang United attracted close to 2,000 fans, unheard of in local football.
Local and foreign media tracked his transfer closely, and he was even featured in British newspaper The Times after settling in Singapore.
But, while crowd figures went up after a third of the S-League season, the hype eventually dissipated. Plans to bring back the Marquee Player Scheme, which provides subsidies for clubs to sign high-profile players, were scrapped.
Tampines also ran into cash-flow problems after a sponsor pulled out. Tampines chairman Krishna Ramachandra also decided to stop operating jackpot machines, calling it a “social ill”, and are undergoing cost-cutting measures to balance the books next season.
However, Pennant refused to say his time here was a failure. The Stags, who finished second in the league, have so far not won any silverware. But that could change on Saturday (Oct 29), when they play Albirex Niigata in the RHB Singapore Cup final.
He said: “I don’t think it’s a failure. I’ve enjoyed my time here. It’s a bit disappointing what’s happened to the club. When I signed everything looked good. But I definitely didn’t regret it.
“If we’d won the league it’d probably be a bit better but hopefully we can end on good note and win on Saturday.”
This article was first published on Oct 27, 2016.
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SINGAPORE – The tyres of a cement mixer truck ran over a woman cyclist at a pedestrian crossing when the driver failed to keep a proper lookout while making left turn, a court heard.
Tan Boon Kwee, 50, neither slowed down nor stopped to check for pedestrians as he was approaching the signalised cross junction of Yishun Central and Yishun Avenue 9 on May 16 this year.
He did not see cyclist Lin Shuiyu, 59, and her two fellow cyclists at the pedestrian crossing, which resulted in the truck hitting her as he was making a left into Yishun Avenue 9 at 11.22am that day.
Madam Lin, a retiree, fell from her bicycle and was run over by the truck’s left tyres.
According to Tan, he heard a loud sound coming from the front of his vehicle as he was making the left turn but he continued to make the turn. He then felt a jerk from his vehicle as he continued to drive.
He only stopped about 17m after the pedestrian crossing. He realised what happened when he alighted from the vehicle.
Read also: One minute she’s alive, but now she’s gone: Family mourns Yishun cyclist killed by cement-mixer
After stopping his vehicle, he used the water pipe from the cement mixer truck to wash the left rear tyre.
Madam Lin was pronounced dead on the spot.
Seeking a sentence of 10 weeks’ jail and a five-year disqualification on Thursday (Oct 27), Assistant Public Prosecutor Lim Yu Hui said Tan displayed an extremely high level of negligence in this case.
She said a pedestrian and a fellow cyclist were ahead of Madam Lin who was the third person to cross the pedestrian crossing. There was no reason for Tan not to have noticed them especially when he had seen the three cyclists as he was approaching the junction.
Read also: Cycling woman killed by cement mixer: She just celebrated her birthday
APP Lim said Tan was driving a heavy vehicle and should have exercised greater caution when driving.
Tan’s lawyer Ramesh Chandra said his client, who has a primary education, had only been involved in a minor accident in his 25-year career as a driver. He said Tan was extremely remorseful for what he had done, and his financial obligations to his family would be affected by a long jail term.
District Judge Samuel Chua said this was a very sad and horrific accident. He said Tan should have been mindful that the cyclists he had seen riding along the pavement earlier would use the pedestrian crossing, and should have exercised extreme caution since he was driving a heavy and high vehicle.
“In the circumstances, I agree with the prosecution that an appropriate sentence is necessary to reflect the extent of the accused’s negligence in this case,” he said before sentencing Tan to 10 weeks’ jail and banned him from driving for five years.
Tan could have been jailed for up to two years and/or fined for causing death by doing a negligent act.
This article was first published on Oct 27, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
SINGAPORE – Former Arsenal and Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant will leave Tampines Rovers at the end of the season, bringing an end to his nine-month sojourn in Singapore football.
The Stags’ last match is the Singapore Cup final against Albirex Niigata on Saturday (Oct 29).
Tampines chairman Krishna Ramachandra confirmed the club had offered Pennant, 33, a new deal, albeit one with reduced terms, which the player turned down.
The former England Under-21 international is believed to be earning around $20,000 a month. He is understood to have received offers from back home, as well as from some South-east Asian clubs.
Krishna said: “Pennant has contributed greatly to the team in terms of the style of play and guiding younger players and has generated the hype needed to resuscitate interest in local football.
“But the club is looking a revenue model that is sustainable. He politely considered our offer but ultimately we could not afford someone of his stature.”
Pennant arrived in January to much fanfare. A pre-match friendly against Hougang United at the Jalan Besar Stadium attracted close to 2,000 fans, almost unheard of in local football. He was mobbed by adoring fans after the match, which Tampines won 2-0.
The season, however, did not pan out well for the Stags. The five-time S-League champions were expected to challenge for multiple honours with a star-studded squad that included Singapore internationals Izwan Mahbud and Shahdan Sulaiman.
Tampines finished second in the S-League, one point behind Albirex, although the Japanese club sewn up the league with two games to spare. Albirex also knocked out Tampines in the League Cup semi-final.
On the continental stage, the Stags reached the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup quarter-final, the first time since 2008 for a local club. There, they were eliminated by India’s Bengaluru FC.
This article was first published on Oct 27, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
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