SAFSA RECAPTURES BOGAARS CUP

At the 44th G.E. Bogaars Cup final held at Bedok Camp II on 21 Feb, the Singapore Armed Forces Sports Association (SAFSA) football team tasted sweet victory. They defeated seven-time defending champions Singapore Police Force Sports Association (SPFSA) football team in a 2-1 win.

The score may look close but the match was far from it, with the SAFSA football team dominating throughout.

The first opportunity for goal came just minutes after the starting whistle as a SAFSA player was brought down by an opposing team member in the penalty box. One of the players stepped up to the penalty spot but lost the chance to take an early lead as the SPFSA goalkeeper made a diving save.

The first goal of the match came at the 28th minute as Private (PTE) Muhammad Al Nazirul Islam Bin Abdul Razak found space in SPFSA's defence off a fantastic feed from his teammate and buried the ball in the net.

An ecstatic PTE Muhammad Al Nazirul exclaimed: "I didn't expect to score the first goal. I just decided to give it a shot and it went in!"

The recce trooper from 5th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment added: "Afterwards, I just wanted to keep the lead and make sure that our team didn't get complacent."

After the first goal, the SAFSA team never looked back. The match was sealed when SAFSA grabbed a second goal moments after the second half started. Although SPFSA clawed one back in the dying minutes of the game, it was too late.

Team captain Corporal (CPL) Darren Teh Ting Wei, a canine handler from the Military Working Dog Unit, put the team's great performance down to "excellent teamwork and perseverance".

"Everybody contributed to the win - we played according to the coach's plan, and the boys put in a lot of hard work and made a lot of sacrifices. These are what brought us the championship."

The team's coach, Kevin Wee, echoed CPL Teh's views: "Everyone worked very hard during training I'd say this is a well-deserved win and I'm happy to see the trophy back in SAFSA's hands after seven years. "

The elated coach added: "I have no complaints of my team. Collectively, everybody played well. Everybody worked very hard and kept on running for the ball. I can't find a fault at all!"

This year, 25 players - comprising 20 Full-time National Servicemen and five Regulars - from various Army, Navy and Air Force units made up the SAFSA football team.

The Bogaars Cup was first organised in 1971 to honour the late Mr George Edwin Bogaars, who was Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Interior and Defence (MID) from 1965 to 1970. MID is the predecessor of today's Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The annual competition aims to maintain the historical ties and close working relationship between the SAF and the SPF by providing healthy interaction opportunities in a friendly competitive environment.