Forum: Sailors' valiant run should spark lasting revival in local football
As the first local club to reach a continental final, the Sailors have shown that with belief, discipline and teamwork, Singapore teams can stand toe to toe with some of Asia's best.
Their campaign, marked by victories over regional powerhouses and a dramatic semi-final win, is a testament to their resilience and hunger.
The final was a roller coaster of emotions. Still, the electrifying atmosphere was a rare and heartening sight for the local football scene.
Let us not allow this momentum to fade. The Sailors' inspiring journey has rekindled belief in the potential of Singapore football. I hope this level of support continues and spills over into our domestic league.
With stronger promotion and sustained investment in local talent, we can build a solid foundation for the future. Perhaps one day, a Singapore team will go all the way and lift a continental trophy.
Gabriel Chia
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Independent Singapore
4 days ago
- Independent Singapore
Sailors boost squad with Zurich midfielder Ndenge and Yokohama Marinos striker Lopes
SINGAPORE: With their sights set not only on defending their domestic titles but also on continuing their impressive form in continental competition, the Lion City Sailors have further strengthened their squads with two notable signings, Tsiy William Ndenge and Anderson Lopes from Grasshopper Club Zurich and Yokohama F. Marinos, respectively. 'The opportunity to sign a player of Anderson's calibre was one we couldn't pass up. He's a proven match-winner with an elite mindset, and that's reflected in his consistently outstanding performances at the highest level of Asian football. We're excited to see what he'll bring to the team,' said Sailors' executive director, Mr Bruce Liang. While Lopes has been plying his trade in Asia with Japanese, Korean, and Chinese clubs, it will be Ndenge's first adventure in this region. Ndenge started his professional football career in Europe with Borussia Monchengladbach in 2015 before moving on loan to Dutch club Roda JC in 2017. The German-born footballer moved to Switzerland for the following campaign and played for FC Luzern before transferring to Zurich in 2022. 'I've had opportunities to continue in Europe, but what drew me to the Lion City Sailors was the clear ambition of the club and the project underway here,' said Ndenge, who made over 90 appearances and scored 15 goals for Zurich. Lion City Sailors new midfielder Tsiy Ndenge in a pre-season training camp in Thailand. (Photo credit: Lion City Sailors) According to the Sailors, the 1.92-m tall central midfielder, who signed a two-year deal with the club, would add steel and stature to their midfield as he brings with him top-tier European experience and a commanding presence in the centre of the park. 'It's an exciting challenge, and I like this feeling of helping a team achieve things that are not done before and create more history. I'm going to give everything to help this club succeed,' added the 28-year-old, who suffered a knee injury during his second season with Zurich. The signing of Brazilian player Lopes from Japanese club Yokohama will undoubtedly add significant depth to the Sailors' striking department, as head coach Rankovic will now be able to deploy a more versatile and potent attacking lineup, which includes prolific striker Maxime Lestienne, Lennart Thy from Germany, and the Lions' attacking player Shawal Anuar. 'I'm thrilled to join the Sailors at such an exciting point in their journey. Their run to the ACL Two final last season really caught my attention, and I've been impressed by the club's vision and ambition to elevate Singapore football,' said 33-year-old Lopes, who inked a three-year deal with the Sailors. 'My objectives are clear: I'm here to contribute, to score goals, to win trophies, and to help the team make a real impact in Asia.' Lopes started his professional career in his native Brazil with Avai FC in 2013 and had spells in K League 1 with FC Seoul and the Chinese Super League with Wuhan FC for the 2018 and 2021 seasons, respectively. He first made his move to Japan with Hiroshima in 2016, and switched to Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo for the 2019 campaign. It was with Yokohama that Lopes made his mark as a feared striker, netting 81 goals in 157 matches across four seasons from 2022 to 2025. In total, the 1.85 m forward racked up 101 career goals in the J1 League across stints with three Japanese clubs. 'To reach 100 goals in a league as competitive as the J1 speaks volumes about his quality, but it's not just about his goal-scoring. Anderson is excellent at holding the ball up and just as capable of creating chances for his teammates. I'm confident he'll be a tremendous asset to the team this season,' said Sailors head coach Aleksandar Ranković. Both the new players, Ndenge and Lopes, have joined up with the rest of the team for the Sailors' pre-season training. The club is currently in Thailand for a training camp from Jul 21 to Aug 1. The latest announcement by the 2024-2025 Singapore Premier League champions comes a week after they secured the services of national team defender Safuwan Baharudin on loan from Malaysia Super League outfit Selangor FC. The Sailors have also offered their head coach, Aleksandar Rankovic, a two-year extension with the club and converted defender Diogo Costa's loan spell into a permanent move after a successful season in which he played a key role in the club's historic treble-winning campaign. Lions City Sailors coach Aleksandar Rankovic named 'Coach of the Year' for the Singapore Premier League 2024-2025 season. (Photo credit: Lion City Sailors) Since taking the reins in June 2023, the Serbian native has guided the Sailors to four trophies, including a domestic treble last season, winning the Singapore Premier League (SPL) title, Singapore Cup, and Community Shield. Rankovic also lifted the Singapore Cup in 2023, just six months into his tenure with the club. Head coach Rankovic will be looking to continue building on the strong foundation laid during a historic 2024–2025 season, including leading the club to the final of the inaugural Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two. The Sailors became the first Singaporean side to reach the final of a major Asian club competition. Although the team narrowly fell 2-1 to UAE's Sharjah FC, the campaign firmly cemented the Sailors' reputation on the continental stage. Another competition that the Sailors would probably focus on in the new season would be the regional ASEAN Club Championship (Shopee Cup). The Singapore club was probably too focused on the ACL Two tournament last year, as they were eliminated from the Shopee Cup in the group stage. The Sailors ended the inaugural campaign in fifth place, chalking up a win and a draw, and lost their remaining three round-robin matches in the six-team group stage. The new campaign will see the Sailors battling it out in Group B with Johor Darul Ta'zim (Malaysia), Bangkok United (Thailand), Nam Dinh FC (Vietnam), and Svay Rieng (Cambodia). The winners of a playoff between Ezra FC (Laos) and Shan United (Myanmar) will make up the final team in the group. Below are the Sailors fixtures for the 2025 – 2026 ASEAN Shopee Cup Aug 21 – Johor vs Sailors – Sultan Ibrahim Stadium Dec 4 – Bangkok United vs Sailors – BG Stadium Dec 17 – Sailors vs Ezra FC or Shan United – Bishan Stadium Jan 29 – Nam Dinh vs Sailors – Thien Truong Stadium Feb 5 – Sailors vs Svay Rieng – Bishan Stadium
Straits Times
17-07-2025
- Straits Times
Lion City Sailors score coup with two-time J1 League top scorer Anderson Lopes
Anderson Lopes, Lion City Sailors' new signing from Yokohama F. Marinos, at the Lion City Sailors training centre on July 15. SINGAPORE – The Lion City Sailors' unprecedented run to the AFC Champions League Two final in the 2024/25 campaign made clubs in the continent sit up and take notice. And ahead of the new season, Singapore's only privatised football club are not resting on their laurels. The Singapore Premier League and Singapore Cup champions on July 17 confirmed that they have signed Brazilian forward Anderson Lopes from five-time J1 League champions Yokohama F. Marinos on a three-year contract. While the Sailors did not disclose the transfer fee, The Straits Times understands that it is lower than the club's record fee of €1.8 million (S$2.69 million) that it paid to sign Brazilian midfielder Diego Lopes from Portuguese Primeira Liga side Rio Ave in 2021, and the reported €1.5 million fee to Dutch Eredivisie side Utrecht for attacking midfielder Bart Ramselaar. The signing of Lopes, 31, from the Marinos is a coup for the Sailors and Singapore football. Lopes had rejected interest from Brazilian giants Botafogo and clubs from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, ST understands. Lopes who primarily plays as a centre forward but can also operate as a second striker or as a winger, told ST that the ambitious project outlined by the Sailors' management, along with Singapore being an ideal place for him and his family played a key role in his decision. Lopes, who has two children – a five-year-old son and one-year-old daughter – with his wife said via a translator: 'When the proposal came, of course, I didn't know too much about Singapore, but I started to ask around about the country and then I realised it's a good place for the family. After speaking to the club as well (about their project), I decided this was the right move. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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He was then loaned out to South Korean team FC Seoul in 2018, before returning to Japanese football the following year after completing a permanent move to Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo. In 2021, he signed for Chinese club Wuhan FC but returned to Japan a year later to sign for Marinos. Since joining Marinos in February 2022, Lopes had established himself as one of the best players in the Japanese top tier. In his first season, he scored 11 goals in the club's league winning season. In the following two seasons, Lopes would win consecutive top scorer awards in the J1League. In 2023, he was joint-top in the scoring charts with Japan international Yuya Osako with 22 goals before he netted 24 goals the following season to finish as top scorer. I n the current season, Lopes and his club have struggled amid some managerial changes. Marinos are bottom of the 20-team league, with the Brazilian finding the net only twice in 20 matches. But it is his prowess on the continental stage that Sailors will hope to reap rewards. In the 2023–24 AFC Champions League season, Lopes was top scorer for Marinos – six goals in 11 matches – as the Japanese side reached the final, where they were defeated by Al Ain from the United Arab Emirates. In the inaugural season of the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite, Lopes finished joint-second in the scoring charts with nine goals in 10 matches, sharing the spot with Al-Ahli winger Riyad Mahrez and Gwangju FC's Jasir Asani. Saudi Arabian captain Salem Al-Dawsari claimed the Golden Boot with 10 goals, but Lopes outscored several high-profile names including Al-Nassr's Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo (eight goals), Al-Hilal's Aleksandar Mitrovic, and Al-Ahli duo Ivan Toney and Roberto Firmino, who each scored six. Lopes arrives in Singapore with a clear ambition. 'I came here to score goals and win titles. I want to grow with the club, and make history together and help the club to do even better and better,' said the Brazilian. The signing of Anderson Lopes, 31, from the Marinos is a coup for the Sailors and Singapore football. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG Beyond that, Lopes vowed to put in relentless hard work. He credited this work ethic to his upbringing in the favela of Recife, Brazil, and the values instilled by his family. Football helped Lopes to purchase a flat for his family and build a future he once only dreamt of. That same drive and determination still remains. 'What they (fans) can expect from me is that I will give everything on the pitch, whether it is in training, the games, and I will score the goals to make everyone happy,' he added. Sailors head coach Aleksandar Rankovic, who recently inked a two-year contract extension with the club, will now have added ammunition in his front line, which already includes 2023 SPL Player of the Year Maxime Lestienne – who is contracted to the club till December – German forward Lennart Thy, Ramselaar and Lions hitman Shawal Anuar. Rankovic said: 'To reach 100 goals in a league as competitive as the J1 speaks volumes about his quality. But it's not just about his goalscoring. Anderson is excellent at holding the ball up and just as capable of creating chances for his teammates. I'm confident he'll be a tremendous asset to the team this season.' The Sailors have also bolstered their squad since they made a historic run to the ACL 2 final, where they lost 2-1 to Emirati side Sharjah FC in May. The Sailors are the first team from Singapore to feature in a continental final. National team stalwart Safuwan Baharudin has joined on a season-long loan from Selangor, they have added Croat custodian Ivan Susak from Croatian top-tier side Slaven Belupo, and beefed up the midfield with former German Under-20 player Tsiy-William Ndenge. The Sailors who are competing on four fronts again – the SPL, Singapore Cup, Asean Club Championship and ACL2 – and will kick off their season with the Singapore Community Shield match against BG Tampines Rovers on Aug 16.
Independent Singapore
09-07-2025
- Independent Singapore
Lion City Sailors bolster squad with Safuwan loan deal, extends coach Rankovic's contract
SINGAPORE: Singapore Premier League champions Lion City Sailors have strengthened their squad ahead of the new season, signing national defender Safuwan Baharudin, and extending the contracts of head coach Aleksandar Rankovic and Portuguese left-back Diogo Costa. Head coach Rankovic was offered a two-year extension with the club, as the Sailors are looking to continue building on the strong foundation laid during a historic 2024-2025 season, including leading the club to the final of the inaugural Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two. The Sailors became the first Singaporean side to reach the final of a major Asian club competition. Although the team narrowly fell 2-1 to UAE's Sharjah FC, the campaign firmly cemented the Sailors' reputation on the continental stage. 'It's an honour to continue this journey with the Lion City Sailors. The trust from the management, the players, and the fans means a huge deal to me. What we've achieved last season was extraordinary and will be difficult to replicate, but we relish this challenge,' said 46-year-old Rankovic, who has a record of 50 wins and 12 draws in 79 matches in charge. Aleksandar Ranković signs a two-year extension with Lion City Sailors after historic treble-winning season. (Photo credit: Lion City Sailors) Since taking the reins in June 2023, the Serbian native has guided the Sailors to four trophies, including a domestic treble last season, winning the Singapore Premier League (SPL) title, Singapore Cup, and Community Shield. Rankovic also lifted the Singapore Cup in 2023, just six months into his tenure with the club. 'We're in the midst of assembling a strong squad for the season ahead, and we're determined to write new chapters in the club's history,' added Rankovic, who previously held coaching roles at Dutch Eredivisie sides Vitesse Arnhem, Sparta Rotterdam, ADO Den Haag, and FC Utrecht. The club will also welcome the return of Singapore national defender Safuwan to the Singapore league after he played nearly ten years abroad, including a stint with Australia's Melbourne City in 2015. Safuwan, who had been with Selangor since 2023, was reportedly not in their new head coach Katsuhito Kinoshi's plans for the upcoming Malaysia Super League campaign. With a year left on his contract, the lanky defender was allowed to leave the Malaysian club and join the Sailors on loan. 'I'm very excited to be part of a team that's doing everything it can to raise the bar for Singapore football,' said Safuwan in a media release by the Sailors. 'Safuwan is a proven top player in the region. His calming presence, winning mentality and versatility will add valuable strength and depth to our squad,' commented Sailors executive director Bruce Liang. There will be familiar faces when Safuwan joins his new team for the pre-season training, as he will be reunited with national teammates such as Hariss Harun, Hami Syahin, Lionel Tan, and Shawal Anuar. 'I followed the club's run in last season's ACL Two closely — it was something truly inspiring for the country. The club's lofty ambitions are very much aligned with my own goals, and I'm ready to help us reach even greater heights this season,' added the 33-year-old. Diogo Costa (left), and Rui Peres winning the 2025 Singapore Cup. (Photo credit: Lion City Sailors) The Sailors have also decided to convert Diogo Costa's loan spell into a permanent move after a successful season in which he played a key role in the club's historic treble-winning campaign. Blending European pedigree with a fearless style of play, Costa added steel to the Sailors' defence while posing a constant attacking threat with his overlapping runs and pinpoint deliveries. 'From the moment I arrived, I felt something special building here — from the players and fans to the club's ambition, I feel a deep connection and a strong desire to contribute to this project,' expressed Costa, who came through the youth ranks at Primeira Liga side FC Famalicão. 'It's an honour to be a Sailor for the next five years, and I'm committed to doing my part to help us realise our dream of becoming one of Asia's top football clubs.' The 21-year-old arrived in Singapore during the mid-season transfer window in January 2025 and wasted no time in making his mark as he quickly became a fan favourite, earning plaudits for his dynamism, grit, and relentless work rate down the left flank. Costa recorded 11 assists in 21 appearances across all competitions, including four in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two, where he played a pivotal role in the club's dream run to a first-ever continental final. The Sailors have begun their pre-season preparations as they have a massive campaign ahead, with the club not only aiming to defend their domestic titles, but also make further strides in both the ACL Two and the ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Shopee Cup. In the regional ACC Shopee Cup, Sailors have been drawn in Group B alongside Johor Darul Ta'zim (Malaysia), Bangkok United (Thailand), Nam Dinh FC (Vietnam), and Svay Rieng (Cambodia). The competition will begin with qualifying play-off matches on Aug 8 and 15 involving clubs from Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, and the Philippines. The winners will advance and join 10 top ASEAN clubs in the group stage proper, which is scheduled to kick off on Aug 20.
