Leeds fan Azura Toop Abdul Manaf was sceptical when Jesse Marsch took over from Marcelo Bielsa in February, but she has grown to love the American, whom she believes will help the football club stay in the English Premier League.

Leeds fan Azura Toop Abdul Manaf was sceptical when Jesse Marsch took over from Marcelo Bielsa in February, but she has grown to love the American, whom she believes will help the football club stay in the English Premier League.
It doesn’t matter what time a match is played, as true football fans will continue to flock the stands and enjoy the post-match lepak sessions, writes Muhammad Yunus Zakariah.
Rather than wait for UiTM FC to fall into financial ruin, and hope for the Higher Education Ministry or the university to bail it out, management should come up with an investment prospectus that is capable of encouraging the rich to become richer through the acquisition of its club, writes Muhammad Yunus Zakariah.
The Fan Club Futsal League in Singapore has shown the different attitudes of S-League clubs towards their fans. Some show support by attending futsal matches, while others seem to shy away, writes Singapore-based podcaster, Rasvinder Singh.
Football clubs in Malaysia, generally, are not bothered to invest in sponsorship work. Most clubs feel they are “big” enough, to the point that someone will, one day, walk through their gates and acquire them, writes Muhammad Yunus Zakariah.
Vincent Kompany’s appointment as Burnley manager has raised the club’s spirits after the disappointment of relegation from the English Premier League.
The guardians of football in Singapore must pay attention to grassroots and community leagues, give bad players the boot, and create a stronger football culture to beef up the men’s and women’s football and futsal teams, writes Rasvinder Singh.
The cold reception by certain quarters following Harimau Malaya’s success in qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup on merit after 42 years, is presumably the result of a loss of trust following the systemic decline in Malaysian football over the decades. Such negativity may result in more people losing interest in the domestic scene.
Nottingham Forest’s return to the Premier League means there will be five former European champions in the English top-flight for the first time in history, but it needs to hold on to a quintet of loan stars if it is to stay in the top division.
Certain quarters are calling for the resignation of Malaysia’s Under-23 football coach, Brad Maloney, following the team’s premature exit from the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup. Yet, many choose to remain silent over the lack of game time by the footballers on the domestic front and development programmes, despite the huge investments made.
The women’s Premier League in Singapore not only marks the return of women’s football in the republic but also features inspiring individuals, one of whom is Mastura Jeilani, a national footballer and mother of two who just recovered from two bad knee injuries.
Apparently, being rich and giving your money away to other needy clubs makes you a “shrine”, and therefore, to be sneered at. Having sudden episodes of impulsive or mindless verbal outbursts is just plain silly, more so when one is a politician, writes Muhammad Yunus Zakariah.
Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal, Burnley and Leeds will find out their fates on the final day of the English Premier League season.