Sports Minutes with Zia-ul Raushan

The Singapore Women’s National Team are set to play their FIRST match on home soil in more than a year, when they take on Macau on July 16th at the Jalan Besar Stadium. So have you got your tickets to go support Team Singapore? Well if you haven’t - allow Dorcas Chu, who has battled the odds to overcome an ACL injury and returned to the National Team squad, to convince you. Tune in as Sports Minut...

The Singapore Aquatics has recently been in the headlines for the shock omission of 3-time Olympian Quah Ting Wen from it’s swimming contingent heading to the 2024 Paris Olympics. Described by some as a ‘baffling and confusing’ decision, just how and why did it amount to this for the 31-year old - who up until 5th July 2024 was expecting to be on the plane to Paris? Ting Wen herself joins us on Sp...

FOUR is the magic number on this episode of Sports Minutes - as the Euros reaches the semi-final stage and the FINAL FOUR tussle it out for a place in Sunday’s final. Who is most deserving of their spot, and who will conquer the continent? Plus, the top FOUR in the Singapore Premier League all clinched victories over the weekend, but who was MOST impressive? Deepanraj Ganesan weighs in! Got a stor...

Long labelled as 'a man's game', the gender inequality connundrum in football goes beyond just the pitches - extending to roles in management and even administration. It's no wonder then that the appointment of 35-year old Bernice Wong as the General Manager of Geylang International, the FIRST female general manager of an SPL club, has raised more than a few eyebrows. Just how did Bernice overcome...

The Kampung Buangkok futsal team is set to make history as the first Singaporean futsal team to compete in an overseas league. The team will compete in the Brunei Futsal League 2024, which is expected to kick off in August 2024. Impressed? Wait, there's more! Their participation will be completely self-funded and is expected to cost approximately SGD$90,000. So why are this team putting their mone...

Another weekend of football action at the Euros as well as the Singapore Premier League has sieved out the contenders from the pretenders. Can England ‘pretend’ their way through the comeptition to bring it home? Or will the swashbuckling Spainish team reingn supreme? Closer to home, Tampines and Geylang continue to take the fight to the star-studded Lion City Sailors…but is the East side truly th...

Former Lions stalwarts turned coaches Noh Alam Shah and Isa Halim have been awarded a coaching attachment stint with top-tier J-League club Tokyo Verdy until the end of the year. Under the 'Unleash The Roar!' initiative's newly-launched Coaches Overseas attachment programme, this opportunity is aimed at helping local coaches gain experience and further develop their capabilities. So how and why wi...

The eldest son of arguably Singapore's most famous footballer Fandi Ahmad, Irfan Fandi joins Sports Minutes to talk about his imminent transfer from BG Pathum to Port FC, revealing the moment he knew his contract wouldn't be renewed and his initial disappointment. Having played in Thailand since 2019, the 26-year old reflects on his five years at BG, expressing what he'll miss most and addressing...

From Champs to Chumps? That's what reigning Singapore Premier League champions Albirex Niigata are being accused of after the suffered a 7-1 thumping at the hands of the Lion City Sailors on Sunday. With just one win thus far, is the 2024/25 season already a write off for Coach Kazu and co.? Deepanraj Ganesan, sports reporter with The Straits Times, is in the Sports Minutes hot seat to dissect and...

Singapore's goalkeeper Hassan Sunny, known for his agility and reflexes, is seldom caught off guard. But the Lions' custodian was certainly caught by surprise when he became an overnight sensation in China after his heroics against Thailand. Hailed for his crucial saves in goal, Hassan and his food stall Dapur Hassan was the talk of the town as Chinese fans flocked to show their appreciation by se...

When you think of shopping malls in Singapore - you'd probably think of food courts, supermarkets or flagship department stores. But what if I told you that these malls are being used for basketball tournaments?! That's right, the Singapore National 3X3 League (NXL)  - launched by the Basketball Association of Singapore - is revolutionising the sport of basketball. Team Singapore's Tay Ding Loong...

It’s a Father’s Day special on Sports Minutes..ahead of the day dedicated to celebrating dads on 16 June. Delwinder Singh is a household name for fans of local football, but did you know that his dad - Ranjit Singh, was once a drug-addict who was incarcerated in the early 90s? How did that affect Delwinder’s upbringing, and how did Ranjit turn over a new leaf to become a responsible dad? The fathe...

58 years since England last tasted success in an international tournament, the Three Lions will embark on their latest attempt to end their decades at Euro 2024 - which starts in Germany on 14 June 2024. Will Gareth's ‘golden generation’ finally fulfil their potential or will the burden of expectation weigh them down once again? With 23 senior caps for England that include appearances at the 2002...

Today’s Sports Minutes is one for parents! The June Holidays are in full flow and your kids have finished all their assessment books, and all scrolled out from Social Media. They’re getting restless at home and you’re wondering what you can do keep them occupied! Well, how about to watch some LIVE sporting action for FREE? The Asian Hockey Federation cup is happening June 14 to 23 and Desmond Ang,...

When you think football owners, chances are you’ll think of the likes of the Glazers, Saudi state-ownership or rich Russian oligarchs. And you'd probably imagine these owners to be sipping champagne and soaking up luxury hospitality suites. But what if I told you that it's not always glitz and glam? In fact, it's more guts and grit as these two brothers have proved. Rafa & Stefano Petruzzo, th...

Now what do you think of when we talk about internships? Chances are you think of two words - overworked and underpaid. But what if an internship surrounded two very different words…and that is Formula One! That’s right, two very fortunate Singaporeans have been selected from thousands of applicants for what’s being described by most as an “opportunity of a lifetime” - to work as interns at Red Bu...

Manchester United's shock FA Cup triumph unsurprisingly headlines Sports Minutes - but will the Wembley miracle be enough to earn Erik ten Hag a stay of execution? Plus, with Singapore's national team in action against South Korea and Thailand very soon - has head coach Tsutomu Ogura made a mistake by omitting Ilhan Fandi from his squad? Tune in as Deepanraj Ganesan from The Straits Times weighs i...

The stage is set for a showpiece event at Wembley, as for the second consecutive season in a row a Manchester Derby will decide the winners of the FA Cup. With City in 'four-midable' form and United in the doldrums, is the outcome a foregone conclusion? Not according to two-time FA Cup winner Shaun Wright-Phillips, who weighs in on the showpiece event at Wembley and his admiration for Pep Guardiol...

Blue is the colour as Manchester City were crowned Premier League champions for an unprecedented FOURTH consecutive time....while Jurgen Klopp bid an emotional farewell to Liverpool on an action-packed final day in England's top flight. Speaking of feeling blue, Tanjong Pagar were mauled 5-0 by the Tigers in the Singapore Premier League. Could the SPL season be a slog for the Jaguars? To recap and...

Coronation Sunday in the English Premier League promises to be a blockbuster occasion with the top two separated by just TWO points...Beyond the quest to be crowned champions, the league will bid a fond farewell to a certain Jurgen Klopp...who takes charge of his FINAL game at Anfield...And ahead of the German's departure, Zia-ul Raushan caught up with Liverpool cult hero Luis Garcia - speaking on...

Just over a month ago, a certain Joseph Schooling announced his retirement from swimming at the age of 28 - causing a ripple amongst Singapore’s professional athletes and the general public. Some saw it as the end of an era, while others viewed it as a manifestation of limited runways for athletes in Singapore. So does our perception of retirement for professional athletes need a refresh? If we ca...

With 16 goals in 4 matches across the opening weekend, the Singapore Premier League got off to a lively start. Earmarked as the team to beat, the Sailors notched the weekend's biggest victory with a 4-1 win over Hougang United. And if rumours are to be believed, they could be adding some European firepower to their ranks. We spill the tea on this review, in the good company of Straits' Times sport...

A Malaysian footballer was the target of a vicious 'acid attack', while two other players were attacked within a week by unknown assailants, in a worrying outbreak of violence targeting athletes across the border. These incidents have left the football fraternity in Malaysia reeling, with fear and confusion gripping fans and footballers alike. What are the motives behind these attacks, and what ne...

How long would you wait for something you've wanted all your life? A year, maybe five? Try 22 years! That's how long Ipswich Town fans have waited to secure promotion to the promise land that is the English Premier League. So how have humble Ipswich secured back-to-back promotions, on a shoestring budget nonetheless? We speak to lifelong Ipswich Town fan and former head coach of Brunei DPMM, Adria...

The Straits Times Sports Reporter Deepanraj Ganesan is in the Sports Minutes hot seat today as we look back on the sporting weekend that was. With the Lion City Sailors laying down an early marker clinching the Community Shield, could the Blue tide be rising in the Singapore Premier League? Plus, the quest to be crowned Kings of England continues....will it be City, will it be Arsenal? Tune in to...