TEAM SAFSA HOLD THEIR NERVE TO RETAIN BOGAARS CUP

Following months of intense training, the Singapore Armed Forces Sports Association (SAFSA) soccer team has successfully defended their title at the annual Bogaars Cup on 22 Sep amid the rousing cheers and applause from their supporters.

Held at the Home Team Academy stadium, the 37th Bogaars Cup saw the defending champion team edge out its competitor with a penalty scored at the 80th minute to walk away with a hard-earned 1-0 victory.

With both sides giving their all, nothing separated them when the half-time whistle was blown. When play resumed, it was adrenaline-pumping action from end-to-end of the field as the teams searched for the elusive winner.

That was when Private (PTE) Shaiful Fauzi B. Rahman from SAFSA scored the all-important penalty to break the deadlock in the final minutes of the game.

"I'm very proud of myself and the team. We did very well for this game. It was a winning goal!" said a delighted PTE Shaiful Fauzi, who only joined the SAFSA soccer team in March this year.

Despite feeling the pressure to perform following last year's victory, PTE Shaiful Fauzi remained unfazed as he took on the challenge.

"Last year, we won so this year, we kept up with the fighting spirit to retain the title and we did!" he chuckled.

However, PTE Shaiful Fauzi confessed that he felt nervous when he stepped up to take the penalty.

"I missed a penalty before and it was at another big match like this one. But I was composed and saw the goalkeeper's position, which was a bit far back, and I told myself to just take it as it comes," he told cyberpioneer.

Delivering a Man-of-the-Match performance, PTE Shaiful Fauzi's greatest takeaway from the competition is that "nothing is impossible".

He reminisced: "Ever since I missed a penalty shot at the other match, I didn't dare to take penalty kicks any more, but I took up the challenge for this one and scored! It shows that even though you have fallen, you can always rise again."

Certainly, perseverance, team spirit and sheer hard work make up the success formula behind SAFSA's win.

The SAFSA footballers had to juggle between fulfilling their operational duties in their units and coping with their hectic training schedule for the National Football League which began in April.

To top it all, in the week preceding the Bogaars Cup, the team stepped up on their drills and training to about four hours everyday.

With all the hard work, comes sweet success.

"We are very happy our hard work paid off and we got to retain the cup again this year," exclaimed the elated team captain, Corporal (CPL) Md. Nurizam B. Azman, who has been with the team for nearly two years.

Team manager Major (MAJ) Joe Tan attributed SAFSA's win to the brotherly ties that have built up over time among the players. "There is this comradeship, they don't want to let each other down," he said.

The G. E. Bogaars Cup was named after Mr George Edwin Bogaars in appreciation for his services rendered. Bogaars served as the Permanent Secretary in the then Ministry of Interior and Defence (MID) from August 1965 to July 1970.

The MID is the predecessor of today's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF).

Now in its 37th year, the Cup, which aims to promote interaction between the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the SAF, has been contested annually between the forces since 1971.

The guests of honour at this year's match were Chief of Air Force, Major-General Ng Chee Khern and Commissioner of the SPF, Mr Khoo Boon Hui.