SINGAPORE, 19 AUGUST 2020 – After six weeks of voting, Singapore Premier League (SPL) fans have spoken – the 2001 vintage of Geylang United is Singapore Football’s Greatest Team!

 

Featuring the likes of Aleksandar Duric, who scored 32 times, as well as Brian Bothwell, William Bone, Mohd Noor Ali, Hasrin Jailani, Zulkarnaen Zainal and company, the Eagles edged Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) FC to the 2001 S.LEAGUE title by just two points. Jang Jung’s side conceded less than a goal per game – 28 in 33 – as they staved off SAF’s late push – a 3-0 win over the Warriors with seven games left proved crucial as Geylang eventually sealed a memorable triumph, despite SAF winning their last seven games. It was Geylang’s second league triumph, five years after they won the inaugural title in 1996, and remains the last time they have won the league.

 

Geylang beat off competition from 10 other teams in the voting, which was part of the 25 Moments in 25 Years campaign that launched in early June. Back in July, we had selected 11 teams that we felt were outstanding from the past 25 years that had each won at least one league title or Singapore Cup trophy to be pitted against each other in a knockout “tournament” to crown the champion. The entire voting process was conducted solely via the Singapore Premier League (SPL) Instagram Story, which featured different match-ups every weekend.

 

These included the mighty SAF teams of 1996 to 1998 and 2006 to 2009, as well as the Tampines Rovers sides from 2004 to 2005 and 2011 to 2013. Of course, the 2018 invincibles of Albirex Niigata (S) were in the mix, along with the spectacular 2013 class of Home United.

A total of 2,819 votes were cast by SPL fans through our Instagram Story and in the end it came down to a final showdown between SAF (2006-09) and Geylang (2001). In a nail-biting finish, the 2001 class of Geylang emerged as the champions with a 52 per cent share of the votes.

 

 

We would like to thank everyone who took part in the voting for Singapore Football’s Greatest Team and hope that you enjoyed the process. Remember to stay tuned for more fan engagement initiatives from the SPL!

 

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