Tears and smiles, love and hate, the National Stadium has witnessed them all since 1973

By Wilfred Yeo
Jun 30, 2007
The Straits Times

THE first time I went to the National Stadium, I saw a man cry.

It was Robert Sim, the son of a detective, and my old friend from the tough neighbourhood of Tanglin Halt.

It was the Robert whose scything tackles sometimes reduced opponents to tears, or sent them to hospital.

But, back in 1973 on the spanking-new National Stadium pitch, it was he who wept on the shoulders of Singapore teammate Quah Kim Song.

Singapore had just lost to South Vietnam on penalties (after 1-1 in extra time), and many in the stadium were misty-eyed too.

More than 55,000 people had gathered there - shouting, cheering and singing. The cheering came to be known as the Kallang Roar.

The collective voices of people shouted together like kindred spirits, despite having met just before the kick-off. In subsequent years, rising up to the Mexican Wave, the Roar was an extension of the kampung spirit - the Kallang Kampung, if you like.

The macho creed that sportsmen swore by those days was that, no matter what, a man would not cry - especially not a footballer. And certainly not in front of so many people.

'I cried because it was the first time Singapore had reached the SEAP Games semi-finals, and we were playing in the stadium, in front of such a huge crowd,'' the father of two recalled yesterday.

'We wanted to win it so badly for Singapore. But losing it by penalties was so heart-breaking. At that moment, I didn't care that so many people were watching. I just cried.''

Robert was to cry again, but it was on a different shoulder, at a different place, with a different emotion - on Nasir Jalil's shoulders, at Kuala Lumpur's Merdeka Stadium in 1977, after Singapore beat Penang 3-2 in the Malaysia Cup final.

There have been other occasions when tears were shed: notably, on May 13, 1977, when a stampede at the ticketing booths before a Malaysia Cup match between Singapore and Selangor resulted in a man dying and 44 others being injured.

Many children have experienced the pain of losing - a schools' soccer final, an athletics race, or a school-band competition. But, hopefully, they gained from it too.

There were also two fires: one in the media room (2001), and the other on the main stage for the National Day Parade (2002).

Both, perhaps, account for why the Grand Old Lady looks a little older and more tired than her 34 years.

Happily, the National Stadium has mostly been what today's Closing Ceremony has labelled: A Field Of Dreams.

One person, more than others perhaps, lived his dreams on that field: Fandi Ahmad.

The kampung boy from Kaki Bukit made it his stage. It was a springboard from which he went to enhance his reputation in Indonesia, the Netherlands, Greece and Malaysia.

He ended up being such a Singaporean icon that, on his occasional returns, an extra 10,000 spectators would turn up at the stadium.

Others dreams also materialised at the Kallang Kampung. There, people saw and heard, in person, celebrities like Michael Jackson, Elton John, Billy Joel, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, and even Pope John Paul II.

Jackson's concert in 1991 drew the stadium's biggest crowd of 90,000. That figure could well have been surpassed for National Day parades - if only the stadium could accommodate so many people.

Such was the demand for the free parade tickets that many have ended up being auctioned on websites in recent years.

The lucky ones who managed to get those tickets will long remember the spirit of the parades: One People, One Nation, One Singapore.

I was never one of the lucky ones. But I'm sure Pak Ali, his wife and their children, Malcolm de Souza and his girlfriend, the Rajachandrans, and Mr Tan and his grandchildren from down the corridor of our block, will cherish the special Aug 9 they spent at the stadium.

They have their own memories. Ditto for the participants.

In fact, I'm sure some of them will be there today. It may be essentially a sports event, but it is their last chance to be among 40,000 like-minded people, to be part of the Kallang Kampung and Kallang Roar, and say goodbye to not just a landmark, but also an old friend.

Some people who will certainly be there are those for whom the stadium is their office - the Singapore Sports Council staff.

You might have heard of Zaleha Jaafar, who has been working there since the stadium opened.

You might also have heard her; she is the receptionist who answers calls to the SSC.

Her abiding memory is of Muhammad Ali fighting his sparring mate Tony Doyle at the stadium in 1973, and then being punched playfully by Singapore boxer Syed Abdul Kadir for a photo opportunity.

It just so happens that Syed Kadir is her husband.

While she and her hubby do not share the same workplace, many of Zaleha's colleagues are married to each other. In fact, there are at least 10 couples in the SSC, with another two getting married soon.

Edmund Lim, whose wife used to be his colleague, swears that whatever passion they felt for each other was kept outside of the stadium, despite its many nooks and crannies.

She has since left the SSC, but will be at the stadium today to say goodbye.

My old friend Robert will be there, with his other old friends - the Singapore Ex-Internationals.

They will face their old enemies - the Malaysia Ex-Internationals, who have since become friends - in the curtain-raiser.

He is not sure, though, if he will cry.

But it will be a crying shame if the National Stadium is not filled today to get the send-off it deserves.

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THE 12TH MAN
'The atmosphere was electrifying. The fans were really our 12th man, and all that noise gave us confidence, and struck fear into our opponents.
'The National Stadium was our fortress. Hardly anyone beat us there in the 1970s. It was the stage for our stardom.'
DOLLAH KASSIM, ex-national striker, known as the 'Gelek King', 1970s

JUST SO LOUD
'The atmosphere was amazing, and the crowd was so loud - louder than an aircraft flying directly over your head. When the players shouted at one another on the field, we couldn't even hear one another. Not a good thing, especially if we were attacking.'
SEAK POH LEONG, ex-national coach, and captain in the 1970s

THE GOALS CAME
'I felt proud putting on the Singapore jersey and walking onto the field. The highlight for me was the 1973 Seap Games.
I scored four goals and was top scorer. Another good memory was my swan song in 1977, when I played for the Singapore Chinese against the Perak Chinese. We won 8-0, and I scored six.'
QUAH KIM LYE, ex-national striker, 1960s and 1970s

GREAT ATMOSPHERE
'My hair would stand up when I walked onto the pitch. I remember the famous stamping on the terraces. It was so powerful, that I saw cracks appear on the walls and ceilings of our dressing room.'
R. SURIAMURTHI, former international, 1970s and 1980s

COULD BE SCARY TOO
'It felt great playing in front of a full house then. But, being a goalkeeper, I was also afraid of making a mistake in front of the crowd. It was so bad that I couldn't sleep before a game at the National Stadium.'
LIM CHIEW PENG, ex-national goalkeeper, 1970s and 1980s

SPECTACULAR EFFORT
'My favourite memory is of a goal I scored against a Malaysia team in 1974. It was half-volley from 40m which The Straits Times' reporter Joe Dorai described as 'a picture-book goal'.'
SAMSUDDIN RAHMAT, ex-national midfielder, 1970s

THANKS UNCLE CHOO
'We owe this to the man who bought football alive in our country - the great 'Uncle' Choo Seng Quee. He alone ensured that we had a full house cheering us on each time we played.'
HO KWANG HOCK, ex-national striker, 1970s and 1980s

FUN TIMES
'The stadium brings back good memories because every Saturday, when there was a game, it was the biggest entertainment of the day. It was a stadium where we players brought much joy to Singaporeans.'
LIM TENG SAI, ex-national defender, 1970s and 1980s

KALLANG ROAR
'The National Stadium was the most modern stadium in South-east Asia at that time. There was the Kallang Roar, with all the cheering and booing, although the booing did not affect me that much. I had a great time playing there.'
SOH CHIN AUN, ex-Malaysian soccer captain (1975-1984)

TIME FOR CHANGE
'Whenever I was at the stadium, the memories came back. But it is time for a change. I cannot say I will miss it, because a new one will be built on the same spot. We have to keep ourselves up to date.'
COL (Retired) JOHN MORRICE, organiser of 1973 SEAP Games opening ceremony and first NDP at the stadium in 1976.

EXHILARATING CROWD
'The 2005 Singapore Rugby Sevens at the stadium held the greatest significance for me. I was part of the national rugby team then, and playing in front of a 30,000-strong crowd was just exhilarating. It will be a memory I can keep with me forever.'
AMOS SIOW, 23, Singapore Management University undergraduate

S-LEAGUE SUPPORTER
'I'm a supporter of local football, what I remember most was the time when I was supporting Tiong Bahru United. In 1998, the club won both the Singapore Cup and the Singapore FA Cup. Those were the best moments for me.'
SATIMAN SAIM, 27, property executive

BAND STAND
'In my younger days, I used to be in the school band. We'd always have performances at the stadium, and the whole school would be down to watch us perform. Having our schoolmates down to support us, it was like our hard work had paid off.'
LILY ONG, 42, manager

CHEERING FOR COLLEGE
'My fondest memory was during my junior college days, when I cheered on my junior college at the Schools National Track and Field meet in 1990. The atmosphere was so festive, and the noise and energy from everyone that made it so memorable.'
PAUL THAM, 35, teacher

FAN TURNED ATHLETE
'Representing my school in track and field in 1979, I set foot on the National Stadium track for the first time. It was like looking at the stadium from a different perspective. I felt just like the soccer players that I had cheered from the terraces. It was really fantastic.'
GERARD STEWART, 43, civil servant

RECENT CONVERT
'The Asean Cup final first leg between Singapore and Thailand, which we won 2-1, was special because it was the first time I watched a soccer match at the stadium. Everyone was cheering in unison for Singapore.'
HAN YUNHAO, 22, undergraduate

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