No World Cup Telecast, Now No Stadium to Host Barcelona, Thats "Your Singapore"!

[SNAblog]

http://in.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idINIndia-47046520100319

Stadium work could scupper Singapore's Barcelona bid
Fri Mar 19, 2010 10:15am IST

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's bid to bring European champions Barcelona to the city-state later this year could be scuppered by the redevelopment of the National Stadium.

The Spanish giants are planning a two-match tour of Asia after the World Cup finals but construction work for the scheme to turn the 55,000-capacity arena into a "Sports Hub" would leave Singapore without a ground big enough to host them.

"Within the next week, we have to find out if we can have the National Stadium or else it will simply be too late to plan this," Jon Collins of soccer consulting firm Football Asia told the Today newspaper.

"A lot of Asian countries are keen to have them, Vietnam is bidding heavily to have them and is willing to pay 2.5 million euros (S$4.77 million). We will do everything in our power to see if we can get the venue to make it happen."

Singapore does have another venue, a huge floating platform at Marina Bay, but the revenue from a smaller crowd would not sustain a visit from the Catalan club, Collins added.

"To have 27,000 people watch a big club like Barcelona does not make financial sense," he said. "You need 40,000 to 50,000 people to make it viable, and only the National Stadium can hold such a crowd."

Lucrative pre-season tours of Asia by top European clubs have become commonplace in the last few years with Manchester United the major visitors last year.

Barcelona played matches in Beijing, Yokohama, Japan and Hong Kong on their last trip to the continent in 2007.

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[halsey02]

I thought the National Stadium held its Farewell matches a long time ago? or this is another of those shops we know that hang the "Closing Down" sales banner from Janaury To December from 1973 to 2010?

 

[Queen Seok Duk]

Barcelona is just trying to find excuses not to play Singapore. The fear factor is just too great, knowing that Singapore was originally slated for World Cup 2010, and would have been joint favorites with Brazil and England to win the tournament.

Names like Agu Casmir, Dickson, Noor Alam Shah, Daniel Bennett instill fear in Pep Guardiola.

 

[Logisex]

Barcelona is just trying to find excuses not to play Singapore. The fear factor is just too great, knowing that Singapore was originally slated for World Cup 2010, and would have been joint favorites with Brazil and England to win the tournament.

Names like Agu Casmir, Dickson, Noor Alam Shah, Daniel Bennett instill fear in Pep Guardiola.

I totally agree with what you said. Moreover Barcelona cannot hide their fear by fielding reserves and then use them as an excuse when they lose to Singapore. Spectators pay top dollars to see them and this match will be telecast live in more than 100 cities so they still need to field a few key players like Henry to make their fans happy. Losing to Singapore will most likely not affect Barcelona or top players like Henry's place (or salary) in international football (since they are not touted to win this match anyway). But it will certainly leave a dent in their club/player history/career and also a bad taste in their mouths.

 

[Queen Seok Duk]

I totally agree with what you said. Moreover Barcelona cannot hide their fear by fielding reserves and then use them as an excuse when they lose to Singapore. Spectators pay top dollars to see them and this match will be telecast live in more than 100 cities so they still need to field a few key players like Henry to make their fans happy. Losing to Singapore will most likely not affect Barcelona or top players like Henry's place (or salary) in international football (since they are not touted to win this match anyway). But it will certainly leave a dent in their club/player history/career and also a bad taste in their mouths.

Great minds think alike.

Finally I have found someone in this forum who shares the same wisdom as Mah Bow Tan.

 

[elephanto]

Barcelona is just trying to find excuses not to play Singapore. The fear factor is just too great, knowing that Singapore was originally slated for World Cup 2010, and would have been joint favorites with Brazil and England to win the tournament.

Names like Agu Casmir, Dickson, Noor Alam Shah, Daniel Bennett instill fear in Pep Guardiola.

This is funny LOL, up you Queen ....
BTW, always meant to ask, not being rude, wat yr nick means ah ? izzit in Thai ?

 

[Ramseth]

Not completely a sarcasm for those who remember a game at National Stadium just weeks before World Cup 1982. Singapore-Malaysia XI v. Bayern Munich. Quah Kim Song, Dollah Kassim, Samad Allapitchay, Soh Chin Ann, Santokh Singh, Mokhtar Dahari etc. were fielded in the XI selection against Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (then reigning European Footballer Of The Year second time consecutively), Michael Schumacher. Pierre Littbarski etc. (2nd in Euro Champs earlier and 2nd in Word Cup later).

Result: Singapore-Malaysia 2 Bayern Munich 1

Barcelona must have studied some SEA footballing history.

 

[Rogue Trader]

Result: Singapore-Malaysia 2 Bayern Munich 1

cannot compare last time team with the present FTrash team

 

[Internet Brigade]

Resources and budget earmarked for the new stadium were diverted to other more critical projects. Especially in-lieu of the recent recession.

I still think a deal will be struck soon though.

 

[Rogue Trader]

More critical projects by Mdm Ho ching?

 

[balajii]

This is funny LOL, up you Queen ....
BTW, always meant to ask, not being rude, wat yr nick means ah ? izzit in Thai ?

his nick is the name of a korean drama which is currently showing at channel 8. initially i also dunno wtf it means until i saw the trailer on tv.

 

[elephanto]

his nick is the name of a korean drama which is currently showing at channel 8. initially i also dunno wtf it means until i saw the trailer on tv.

tks, pseudo ah-neh, you are the most cross-cultured aware indian, from appreciating sam hui's cantonese songs to korean drama .... solid dah !

 

[Queen Seok Duk]

This is funny LOL, up you Queen ....
BTW, always meant to ask, not being rude, wat yr nick means ah ? izzit in Thai ?

BTW, don't anyhow associate me with the Thais....I'm not CB KIA Tony.

 

[Brightkid]

Barcelona is just trying to find excuses not to play Singapore. The fear factor is just too great, knowing that Singapore was originally slated for World Cup 2010, and would have been joint favorites with Brazil and England to win the tournament.

Names like Agu Casmir, Dickson, Noor Alam Shah, Daniel Bennett instill fear in Pep Guardiola.

Well said, well said.

With our current team playing against Barcelona, if it ever happen, will cause Barcelona to shit in their pants.......................from too much laughing and dead tired kicking the ball into goalpost.

 

[postnew]

Singtel & Starhub next week will announce on World Cup Telecast.

 

[singveld]

ah national stadium, our millionaire minister want to follow the west, let the business invest and pay for the stadium.

only thing is that in the west, the minister are not well paid as pap.
they also have the population mass to make the investment worth while.

singapore is too small for private investment in stadium.

pap have to pay for the stadium, if not it will be in a limbo. the economic crisis and ho ching loses did not help one bit.

and it is not even air con and closed stadium. what? 21 century first world stadium like that, what the point with a hole at the side, are they going to flood the place and recreate navy battle like the roman.