Geylang International FC

Geylang International FC

Full name	Geylang International Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Eagles
Founded	1974
Ground	Bedok Stadium
Ground Capacity	3,964
Chairman	Ben Teng
Head Coach	Hasrin Jailani
League	S.League
2016	6th
Website	Club home page

Geylang International Football Club (known as Geylang United from 1996 to 2012) is a professional football club based in Bedok, Singapore. The club is one of the successful teams in the country back in the 1970s and 1980s, winning the most number of titles in the FAS Premier League. Apart from that, the club has also won a number of titles in the National Football League and President Cup. After the S.League was formed in 1996, the club has won the league twice. They have also won the Singapore FA Cup and Singapore Cup once.

The club was founded as International Contract Specialists (ICS) Football Club in 1973 and entered the league system via the National Football League Division Three in 1974. The club used to play their home game at Geylang Field. However, since the club have a huge following from the fans during that period of time, all games had to be played either in Jalan Besar Stadium or Kallang Stadium due to the crowd. The most successful period for the club was between 1988 and 1993 when players such as Malek Awab and Razali Saad helped the club to win six FAS Premier League titles in a row and two President's Cup.

History

1973 – 1995

Began in 1973 as International Contract Specialists Football Club, then club founder Colin Ng was planning to build of the strongest team in Singapore.^[1]^[2] Back then, the club was funded by donations from well-wishers after players were not paid. By giving sponsors and being able to travel abroad as rewards, he hopes that this will motivate the players to do well. It eventually became much more successful when they entered the league system via the FAS Division Three in 1974 and won both the Division Three title and the President's Cup in their debut season.^[3] After a change of name to Geylang International Football Club in 1975, they took part in the newly revamped National Football League and eventually won their first NFL title. They went on to win that title, including the President’s Cup in 1976. They won their third NFL title in 1977 and the President's Cup the following year. A relegation in 1981 prompted the arrival of a new management committee that guided the club back to the top division in 1983. In 1984, club president Kasim Chik financed the club and businessman Patrick Ang, who joined in 1986, managed to secure sponsors for them. Despite being relegated that year, they returned to Division 1 of the NFL the following season and the golden era began. In 1988, the FAS started a semi-professional league competition called "The FAS Premier League" as the top tier of the Singapore football league structure. The competition which lasted for eight years was dominated by them, who won six consecutive titles from 1988 -1993 before finishing third in 1994 and runners-up in 1995.

1996 – 2011

With the formation of the professional S.League in 1996, they changed their name to Geylang United Football Club. In a two-stage league competition, they finished first in the first stage (Known as Tiger Series) and fifth place in the second stage (Known as Pioneer Series). They eventually became the first team to win the league title after beating SAFFC (Pioneer Series) 2–1 in the Championship Play-off spot.^[4] They completed the season with another silverware, beating the same team on penalties in the Singapore FA Cup. As the team was full of international stars such as Fandi Ahmad; Kadir Yahya; David Lee; Hamid Reza Estili; Mohammad Khakpour, Chris Riley, Vincent Subramaniam (Head Coach for SAFFC) identify them as the Manchester United of Singapore. As league champions, they qualified for the 1997–98 Asian Club Championship but were eliminated after losing 8–2 on aggregate by Kashima Antlers in the first round. The 1997 season was a disappointing season for them. They failed to defend the S.League title, finishing fifth in the league table. The Eagles also failed to defend the FA Cup, after losing to Warriors FC in the finals. They did not win any silverware till 2001, when they won their second league title by a close margin. Both forwards, Aleksandar Đurić and Brian Bothwell scored 57 goals for the team. It was the best performing S.League season for the team; scoring 84 goals and conceding 28 goals. Just days after winning the league title, they suffered their worst defeat in history; losing 8–0 to Home United in the Singapore Cup finals. As league champions, they were guaranteed a slot in the qualifying round of the 2002–03 AFC Champions League but were eliminated after losing to Shanghai Shenhua 5–1 on aggregate in the second round. The 2002 season was a decent one for them, as they finished third in the S.League and Singapore Cup. They were close to win their third S.league title and first Singapore Cup in 2003, only to finish runners-up to Home United for both competitions. As runners-up, they qualified to play in the AFC Cup 2004 due to Home United’s double. Their first debut in the AFC Cup 2004 was an impressive one. Despite losing their opening match, they managed to stay unbeaten for their next five games in the group stage. They went on to qualify for the quarter-finals, beating Perak FA before losing to Al-Wahda in the semi-final. Their first Singapore Cup was in 2009, beating Bangkok Glass FC 1–0 at the Jalan Besar Stadium.^[5] The win ensured them a place in the 2010 AFC Cup. However, they failed to qualify for the knockout stages, finishing 3rd with four draws and two losses.

2012 – 2015

Weeks before the start of the 2012 season, Patrick Ang announced his retirement as club chairman. Ang, who had been with the club since 1986, moved up the ranks at the club as manager; vice-president; president and eventually chairman.^[6] He was given the nickname "Geylang's Godfather" after helping the club to gain main and co-sponsors.^[7] Former Singapore international, Leong Kok Fann took over the position. Mike Wong stepped down as coach after their 7–1 thrashing by Home United, as the club remains bottom of the league without a point so far.^[8] Under-21 coach, Vedhamuthu Kanan, swopped roles as head coach while Wong will coached the youth sides.^[9] Under the guidance of Kanan, the Eagles made it into the League Cup finals; only to lose in the final to Brunei DPMM.^[10]^[11] In the league itself, Kanan gave the U21 players the chance to be in the first team. It turned out to be a positive effort as some of these players who were given the chance to play in the S.League matches performed better than some of the first team players. They ended the season second from bottom in the table; eighth place. In 2013, the club changed its club logo and name to the old-famed Geylang International FC in a pre-season conference.^[12]^[13]^[14] Their 2013 season suffered a long-term injury crisis, with assistant coach, Mohd Noor Ali forced to come out of retirement.^[15] They finished the season on ninth place.

The 2014 season was something to look out for as Kanan flew to Argentina during the pre-season to look for new foreign players. It was later announced that Leonel Felice, Franco Chivilo and Joaquin Lopez signed a 1-year contract.^[16] In addition, Nazareno Velez joined in as assistant coach.^[17] It was also confirmed that Rotary Engineering will be their club sponsors for the season.^[18] However, it was not a good start for 2014 season when they were hit with controversies. A local press news slammed them, opting to use it as "club in chaos" after one of the Argentinian player fail to get employment pass ready before the season.^[19] Kanan eventually got demoted to coach the U-21 team after 3 straight loss. Jorg Steinebrunner was appointed as the new coach, 24 hours before their next match.^[20] Despite their poor performance in the league, Steinebrunner almost led the team to the finals of League Cup and Singapore Cup; only to lose both domestic competitions on penalty shoot-outs. The team end the 2014 season on eighth place. In 2015, Steinebrunner took this opportunity to get his own players ahead of the new season. In a pre-season press conference, Dreamatron was announced as official kit sponsor, replacing Lotto.^[21]^[22] Kata Group Resorts Thailand was later revealed as main sponsor for the season.^[23] The team was inconsistent throughout the season failing to win in most of the matches. After their defeat in the semi-finals of the League Cup, it went from bad to worse as they fail to collect any points for six consecutive games and were rooted last in the table standings for months. Their consistency in their last 5 matches with 3 wins and 2 draws allow them to climb up to the table and finish eighth in the table.

2016 – Present

Weeks after the 2015 S.League season ended, it was announced that Ben Teng would replace Leong Kok Fann as club chairman.^[24]^[25] Ben Teng and his new management committee (comprising mainly Singaporeans who have worked in Dubai/Abu Dhabi previously) set about to revamp the club by recruiting young players from the disbanded LionsXII and Courts Young Lions, anchored by seasoned players such as Daniel Bennett and Indra Shadan Daud. Four players, Hairul Syirhan; Yuki Ichikawa; Nor Azli Yusoff and Shawal Anuar) from the 2015 season were retained. In line with the club's philosophy of promoting young players from within, four Prime League players were promoted to the senior team (one was subsequently released to Young Lions at the request of FAS). The new 2016 squad also featured returning former Geylang Prime League players such as Stanely Ng, Amy Recha and Taufiq Ghani. Former Singapore International and Geylang player, Hasrin Jailani, who was part of the club's league title winning team in 2001, was appointed as head coach. His team mate from the 2001 winning team, Mohd Noor Ali, was appointed as assistant head coach and Prime League coach. In its first S-League away match of the 2016 season against title favourites Tampines Rovers, the club recovered from an early 2–0 lead by the host to lead 2–3 before an 86th-minute equaliser by the hosts.^[26]

Seasons

Season	S.League								Singapore Cup	Singapore League Cup
Season	Pos	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	Singapore Cup	Singapore League Cup
1996-1	1st	14	9	1	4	27	14	28
1996-2	5th	14	6	3	5	20	16	21
1997	5th	16	6	7	3	23	18	25
1998	3rd	20	11	5	4	32	18	38	Group Stage
1999	4th	22	9	8	5	33	21	35	Quarter-Finals
2000	3rd	22	13	2	7	42	29	41	Third Place
2001	1st	33	23	7	3	84	28	76	Runners-up
2002	3rd	33	17	8	8	80	39	59	Third Place
2003	2nd	33	21	3–2	7	75	30	71	Runners-up
2004	7th	27	10	7	10	43	43	37	Semi-finals
2005	8th	27	7	5	15	38	57	26	Preliminary
2006	10th	30	6	5	19	22	62	23	Round of 16
2007	6th	33	10	9	14	43	44	39	Round of 16	Withdrew
2008	6th	33	13	6	14	56	57	45	Round of 16	Round of 16
2009	6th	30	12	4	14	36	39	40	Winners	Quarter-finals
2010	5th	33	12	11	10	32	30	47	Round of 16	Quarter-finals
2011	8th	33	13	2	18	43	63	41	Round of 16	Quarter-finals
2012	11th	24	5	6	13	28	50	21	Round of 16	Runners-up
2013	9th	27	8	8	11	31	38	32	Quarter-finals	Quarter-finals
2014	8th	27	8	8	11	33	34	32	Quarter-finals	Semi-finals
2015	8th	27	7	7	13	36	44	28	Quarter-finals	Semi-finals
2016	5th	24	10	7	7	35	29	37	Quarter-finals	Group Stage

The 1996 season of the S.League was split into two series. Tiger Beer Series winners Geylang United defeated Pioneer Series winners Singapore Armed Forces in the Championship playoff to clinch the S.League title.
2003 saw the introduction of penalty shoot-outs if a match ended in a draw in regular time. Winners of penalty shoot-outs gained two points instead of one.

Performance in AFC competitions

AFC Champions League: 1 appearance

2002–03: Qualifying East – 3rd Round

Asian Club Championship: 4 appearances

1989: Qualifying Stage

1990: Qualifying Stage

1991: Qualifying Stage

1998: First Round

AFC Cup: 2 appearances

2004: Semi-Finals

2010: Group Stage

Asian Cup Winners Cup: 2 appearances

1990/91: First Round

1991/92: First Round

Club Officials

Management

Chairman: Ben Teng
Vice-Chairman: Vacant
Honorary Secretary: Vacant
Honorary Treasurer: Lim Yiak Tiam
Club Advisor: Tin Pei Ling
Club Member: Bambang Sugeng & Aide Iskandar

Technical Staff

Head Coach: Hasrin Jailani
Assistant Coach: Mohd Noor Ali
Team Manager: Aizat Ramli
Sports Trainer: Daniel, Nithiya
Equipment Officer: Leonard Koh
Goalkeeper Coach: Narong Saiket

Coach

Haji Ahmad Bakri Fahrin (1974–76)
Dennis Bent (1977–78)
Cheng Meng Sak (1979)
Zayid Ramsay (1980–88)
Ibrahim Awang (1989)^[28]
Sulaiman Karim (1989–91)
Subhash Singh (1991–94)
Amri Khaizan (1995–99)
Jakbir Khalil (2000–01)
Dhalil Hainan Ibrahim (2002–06)
Attaphol Buspakom (2006)
Jozef Herel (2008)
Mike Wong (2009–12)
Kanan Vedhamuthu (2012–14)
Jorg Steinebrunner (2014–15)
Hasrin Jailani (2016–Present)

Honours

Domestic

League

S.League: 2

1996, 2001

FAS Premier League: 6

1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993

National Football League Division One: 3

1975, 1976, 1977

FAS Division Three: 1

1974

Cup

Singapore League Cup (Plate Tournament): 1

2016

Singapore Cup: 1

2009

Singapore FA Cup: 1

1996

President's Cup: 6

1974,^[3] 1976, 1978, 1990, 1991, 1995

Ground

Main article: Bedok Stadium

Bedok Stadium, located in the eastern part of Singapore is the home ground for the Eagles. It is used mostly for both football matches and events. Besides that, the pitch is also used by the club for their training sessions. The stadium has a natural grass football pitch, an 8-lane running track and partial athletic facilities. The stadium are closed to the public during official events and S.League matches. The stadium can hold up to 3,900 spectators. The stadium is currently managed by the Singapore Sports Council.

Players

S.League Players

As of 6 February 2016 ^[29]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Position	Player
1	GK	Hairul Syirhan
2	MF	Anders Eric Aplin
3	DF	Yuki Ichikawa
4	MF	Isa Halim (captain)
5	DF	Shariff Abdul Samat
7	MF	Gabriel Quak
8	DF	Daniel Bennett
9	DF	Faritz Abdul Hameed
10	FW	Shahfiq Ghani
11	MF	Safirul Sulaiman
12	GK	Russell Santa Maria
13	FW	Indra Sahdan Daud
14	MF	Stanely Ng

No.	Position	Player
16	FW	Mark Hartmann
17	FW	Amy Recha
18	DF	Al-Qaasimy Rahman
19	MF	Carlos Alberto Delgado
20	MF	Nor Azli Yusoff
21	FW	Shawal Anuar
22	MF	Taufiq Ghani
23	FW	Sahil Suhaimi
24	GK	Syazwan Buhari
25	MF	Brandon Koh

Prime League squad