Published: 5:49pm, 19 Nov 2025Updated: 5:57pm, 19 Nov 2025
Singapore’s acting sports minister has apologised for calling Hong Kong football fans and players “idiots” in a locker room pep talk to his side, following the city state’s historic win on Tuesday night in Hong Kong.
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Singapore came back from a goal down to beat Hong Kong 2-1 in the Asian Cup qualifiers in front of a record 47,762-strong crowd in Kai Tak Stadium, sealing their qualification for a major football tournament on merit for the first time. The country participated in the Asian Cup tournament for the first time in 1984 as hosts.
In a video clip circulating online from an Instagram live stream from one of the players’ accounts, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth of Singapore David Neo can be seen congratulating the team for delivering under pressure.
“It was fantastic… you kena [Malay for hit] pressured by them, all the fans were bloody idiots, end up players also played like idiots [sic]… But you all played like lions,” Neo said, making reference to the colloquial name for the Singapore men’s football team, as the locker room erupted into cheers.
In response to a comment from an Instagram user who said it was “totally out of order” for a minister to have said this, Neo replied: “Indeed I probably should have been more respectful. I take back what I said. The Hong Kong team were really tough and their fans were fully behind them. That’s something we should respect, and let’s also get behind our Lions.”
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