Sports Minutes with Zia-ul Raushan

Plenty of furore after reports emerged of a 'flat atmosphere' at the Singapore Sports Hub where Liverpool beat Leicester 4-0 in the second of three matches at the Festival of Football. Was it just Sunday blues, or do Singaporeans just lack the enthusiasm to cheer for 90 minutes? We hear from Jurgen Klopp and Deepanraj Ganesan as Elliott and Raushan discuss READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/s...

Jordan Henderson has received massive backlash from some quarters of the football fraternity after his move to Al-Ettifaq where he will be reunited with Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard. The 33-year old put pen to paper on a three-year deal worth £700,000 per week. Henderson's move to the Middle East country comes despite him being a vocal ally of the LGBTQ+ community. So...is he a "Saudi sellout"?...

Tottenham ended their trophy draught in Singapore, clinching the Tiger Cup after defeating the Lion City Sailors. We caught up with Spurs' talisman Son Hueng-min post-match to get his thoughts and Anumanthan Kumar, the Singaporean who captained the Sailors. Plus, we checked in it with Ledley King on his club's pitstop in Singapore. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg |  r...

Ahead of UFC Fight Night in Singapore on 26th August 2023, we speak to former UFC Women's Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk all about what we can expect when the world's best fighters take centre stage in the Lion City, her biggest lessons from her fighting career and her very-packed schedule since retiring from the sport. Tune in now! Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.c...

A brave new world awaits, with Ange Postecoglou gearing up for his first season in the hot seat of Tottenham. What will the much-heralded Australian bring to Spurs, and how will he cope with the possible departure of talisman Harry Kane? Speaking ahead of the Festival of Football in Singapore, Postecoglou tells Deepanraj Ganesan about all of this and much more. Got a story to tell? Get in touch wi...

PSG have been accused of "moral harassment" after leaving Kylian Mbappe out of their pre-season tour of Asia, and the French footballers' union said it could take legal action. The club's all-time leading goalscorer has told his employers that he will not extend his contract, which has 12 months left. So could they cash-in by selling him to Real Madrid? Elliott and Raushan discuss. Got a story to...

With Manchester United have completing the signing of goalkeeper Andre Onana from Inter Milan, Erik ten Hag now has his second acquisition of the summer following the earlier arrival of Mason Mount. How important is a change between the sticks in the Dutchman's rebuild of the red devils? We hear from Rio Ferdinand, Danny Murphy - and discuss what else is to come ahead of the brand new season. Got...

The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup gets underway today in New Zealand and Australia, and amidst the race to be crowned kings of the world is a Singaporean. Taqi Jahari, a professional referee from Singapore,  will be part of a team of 19 that will operate the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system at the ninth edition of the tournament . And he joins us to tell us all about the preparations, challenges...

Do you have a gym membership? Well if you do, you're one of the many in Singapore flocking to these venues in pursuit of your fitness goals. Why the sudden boom in this market, and why are more gyms cropping up in our heartlands? Richardo Chua, franchise owner of Body Fit Training, is on hand to tell us more! Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg |  raushan@sph.com.sg   See...

Harry Maguire's Manchester United spell appears to be coming to an end after he was stripped of the captaincy by boss Erik ten Hag. Skipper since 2020, Maguire has found his opportunities limited under Ten Hag and has been tipped to leave the club. Where does this latest setback leave him mentally? And what do professional athletes need to do to bounce back from adversity?  Rory Winters, mental he...

Following Dele Alli's emotional tell-all interview about his struggles with depression and a traumatic childhood, the conversations surround mental health are once again dominating headlines. What more needs to be done to protect professional athletes? We speak to Rory Winters, mental health coach & founder of Edge of the Box mentoring, to find out more.  Got a story to tell? Get in touch with...

Khairul Amri, a stalwart of Singapore football, pays it forward by donating boots to young players in Zambia. Together with Farehan Hussein, former Team Manager of LionsXII - they co-organised a charity football tournament and clinic. The trip, which included cultural exchanges and community engagement, left a lasting impact on both organisers and participants, emphasising the power of football as...

With Christian Pulisic in the news after sealing a move from Chelsea to AC Milan, we're wondering if footballers from America will ever be great? Well, the female footballers will certainly make a case for it when the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup gets underway next week, and Team America eyes their 5th successive title triumph! Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg |  rausha...

Daniel Ricciardo is making a surprising return to Formula 1 and will drive for Red Bull's sister team Alpha Tauri for the rest of the season. The 34-year-old Australian, who was released by McLaren last year, will race at the Hungarian Grand Prix on 23 July. He replaces Nyck de Vries, who has been dropped after only 10 races. Matthew Marsh, F1 analyst and former racing driver, sheds light on what...

With a reputation as one of Singapore's greatest strikers and two AFF Championships under his belt in 2004 and 2007, it's safe to say Noh Alam Shah knows a thing or two about local football. And the former Lion, now team manager with Tanjong Pagar United, was at his effervescent best as Elliott and Raushan discuss the Football Association of Singapore's findings of its SEA Games review. READ MORE:...

Speaking exclusively to Sports Minutes, Australian International and former Sunderland defender Bailey Wright tells us why he swapped Sunderland for Singapore, his aims & ambitions with the Lion City Sailors and playing at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.  Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg |  raushan@sph.com.sg   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Saudi Pro League is taking world football by storm with its raft of high-profile recruitments and ambitious plans to challenge the established order. But will this be a long-term project or will it fizzle out much like the Chinese Super League? And what about the accusations of sports washing? Well the Saudi Pro League's new Chief Operating Officer, Carlo Nohra is in the hot seat on Sports Min...

We dive deep into a groundbreaking study by More Than Equal, an organisation co-founded by ex-Formula 1 driver David Coulthard, that uncovers the deep-rooted prejudices preventing female growth in the world of motorsport. Joining us to xplore the challenges faced by women in this male-dominated industry and shed light on the barriers that hinder their progress is  Alex Yoong, former F1 driver &amp...

With the imminent arrival of Mason Mount to Manchester United after spending 18 years at Chelsea, and Mauricio Pochettino returning to English Football since his departure from Spurs in 2021 - Elliott and Raushan are in a pensive mood as they discuss the benefits of a fresh starts. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg |  raushan@sph.com.sg   See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Kohei Wong, the first Singaporean to have successfully joined a professional baseball team — the Ibaraki Astro Planets in Japan, joins us to share his journey to Japan. What does he hope to learn from his stint in the land of the rising sun? And what are his aspirations for baseball in Singapore? Tune in to find out!   Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg |  raushan@sph.co...

What are the similarities between Lewis Hamilton, Nick Kyrgios and Erik ten Hag? All three have been hampered by circumstances beyond their control. How do you continue to keep up your motivation in such a situation? Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg |  raushan@sph.com.sg   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki is set to make a comeback to tennis having retired from the sport in 2020 to start a family. The Dane spent 71 weeks at the top of the world rankings and finished with 30 singles titles - including a Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open in 2018. Mousummi Dutt, tennis commentator and international sports broadcaster, weighs in on Wozniacki's comeback as well...

The discussion on the transfer market frenzy continues, with a host of clubs in the hunt for fresh blood. Who holds the trump card in these negotiations - the selling club, the buying club, the owners, the managers or the players themselves? Listen in as we hear from Fabrizio Romano, Eniola Aluko & Dharmesh Sheth on the latest transfer stories dominating the headlines. Got a story to tell? Get...

The transfer madness is in full swing with the likes of Harry Kane, Mason Mount & Declan Rice dominating the headlines for eye-catching prices. What determines the value of these players, and how has inflation 'messed with the market'? James Walton, Sports Business Leader for Deloitte Singapore and Southeast Asia  joins us to make sense of the numbers, or at least try to!   Got a story to tell...

Ever wanted ringside seats to the hottest sporting tickets in town? Well one man who always has a seat close to the action is Shawnrick Hu, a sports announcer who recently became the Singapore's first Sports Presentation Announcer for the Olympics at the inaugural Olympics E-Sports Week. What made him pursue this, and what does it take to be a hype man extraordinaire? Tune in to find out! Got a st...