GOAL 2010: Singapore in the World Cup

In the year 1998, 23 Aug, then PM Goh Chok Tong in his National Day Rally Speech made a astonishing goal, not a football goal, but a national goal for Singapore, that was to be in the final of 2010 World Cup!



That was about 12 years ago and needless to say, we had not even cleared Asian World cup rounds.

I tried to dig out that ambitious speech made by then PM Goh, now SM Goh, I came to this link from MOE, but I think the full text was censored. Just liked the Mee Siam Mai Hum honest mistake made by PM Lee was also deleted.

But a careful search and I yielded a speech by Mr Mah, to the FAS, in his speech (Para 18), he mentioned what PM Goh had steered Singapore's sport direction to:

As PM Goh said at the launch, "…… even if we do not succeed in 2010 and have to try again 2014, 2018…… the project is worth undertaking. It would radically revamp the way Singapore football is run, developed and promoted."

At that time, the FAS President Mr Mah himself must be thinking of quitting because of a hugh "moon landing" mission, Singapore in 2010 World Cup Final. But nonetheless, Mr Mah in his "coffin nail" speech to the FAS justified the awakening from this dream in the speech on 24 March 2004:

I recently appointed a committee to review the football excellence programme with special emphasis on GOAL 2010 project to assess progress made, and to make recommendations on what further steps to take. Because of the poor performance of our National Teams in recent years, confidence in the GOAL 2010 project has been eroded. We should continue to persevere and not give up on our vision for football excellence.

So sad...........

However, in 2010, the year Singapore suppose to be in the World Cup final, our Women's Table Tennis team had managed to upset the Top Table Tennis playing nation, China by becoming the Woman World Champion.

However, non of the players from Singapore are locally born. Thus fulfilling PM Goh's inspiration from France win in 1998 World Cup, but in Table Tennis:

Look at the French World Cup football team. In the final against Brazil, I picked Zidane as the most outstanding French player. He is of Algerian descent. Of the 22-players, more than half did not look "French". They looked Argentinian, Armenian, Basque, Caribbean, Ghanaian, New Caledonian. Some were born in France, but of immigrant parents. Others are first generation French citizens. When they went up to receive their medals, President Chirac embraced all of them as Frenchmen. He sent a strong political signal for multi-racialism and against xenophobia: that in France, so long as you contribute to the French cause, it does not matter what colour your skin is or where you were born. Last year I told you Singapore would never have a chance in the World Cup, because the rules require all players to be citizens. But after watching the French victory, I have changed my mind. Maybe if we change our immigration criteria to bring in top football talent and make them citizens, then one day we too can get into the finals. In fact we intend to do just this, to bring in sports talent.

However, PM Goh had forgotten that to be called French, the new French immigrants have to speak FRENCH, not Mandarin. Perhaps, we can lower our expectation and aim for 2022 World Cup final instead?

Why didn't a committee formed to discover if Singapore's 2010 World Cup dream will ever be fulfilled?

Our "FREE to AIR" Channel only air free 4 Matches only and I can't help thinking where our $110 paid to MDA yearly went to??

Tomorrow on 11 June, I can watch 1st of the 4 free broadcasts:

South Africa vs. Mexico - 11 Jun 10:00pm (Singapore Time)