Geylang International Football Club (known as Geylang United from 1996 - 2012)[1] is a football club based in Singapore. The club was founded in 1974 and they are now playing in the S.League. The club is based at Bedok Stadium and is coached by Vedhamuthu Kanan.
History
Established in 1974 [2] as International Contract Specialists, the club changed its name to the famed Geylang International in 1975. Since the S.League was not yet started, the club took part in various competitions. The club have won three back-to-back titles in the National Football League from 1975 to 1977, six back-to-back titles in the FAS Premier League from 1988 to 1993 and another five titles in the President's Cup in 1976,1978,1990,1991 and 1995. Apart from local domestic league, the club also qualify for the Asian Cup Championship in 1989, 1990, 1991 & 1998 and Asian Cup Winners Cup in 1990/91 and 1991/92. However, their performance in these two competitions only was not impressive as they were eliminated either in the Qualifying Round or Group Stage. The club changed its name to Geylang United in 1996 with the S.League established on the same year. On November 9, they became the first team to win the league title after beating SAFFC 2-1 in the Championship Play-off spot. They also beat the same team in the FA Cup final on penalties, earning the praise from the warriors coach, Vincent Subramaniam identify them as the Manchester United of Singapore. The victory in the Championship Playoff also saw them qualify for the 1997-98 Asian Club Championship. However they were comfortably defeated by 1996 J. League champions Kashima Antlers in the first round of the competition, losing 8-2 on aggregate. In 1997 season, they failed to defend both the S.League & FA Cup title, finishing fifth in the overall league table and losing in the cup final respectively. They won their second S.League title in 2001, where they qualify for the 2002–03 AFC Champions League Qualification. They beat DPMM Brunei 7-0 on aggregate in the first round but were eliminated after losing to China's Shanghai Shenhua 5-1 on aggregate in the next round.
Despite finishing runners-up in 2003 S.League, they qualify for the 2004 AFC Cup after Home Uniited won both the S.League and the Singapore Cup title. They lost East Bengal in their opening match but manage to collect 13 points in their next five games. They qualify for the quarter-finals and beat Perak FA 5-3 on aggregate to book a place in the semi-finals, where they lost 2-1 on aggregate to Al-Wahda. Despite that loss, both the team & Home United created history, becoming the first two Singaporean team to qualify for the semi-final in that same competition. The Eagles won their first Singapore Cup in 2009 after beating Bangkok Glass FC 1-0 at the Jalan Besar Stadium. The winning goal was scored by Hafiz Rahim in the 82nd minute from a rebound after the ball struck the goal post twice. In 2012, two weeks before the start of the S.League season, former Singapore international Leong Kok Fann took over as the chairman of Geylang United, replacing the out-going Patrick Ang. On March 13, 2012, two days after their 7-1 humiliation at the hands of Home United, Coach Mike Wong was replaced by Geylang United Prime League Coach Kanan Vedhamuthu with immediate effect. V.Kanan's team almost won the Singapore League Cup after beating Albirex Niigata (S), Balestier Khalsa and Tampines Rovers in the previous stage of the competition but they lost 2-0 to Brunei DPMM in the final with Jozef Kaplan becoming the 'MVP' in the tournament. On May 4, 2012,two former players were jailed on Friday for trying to fix the football club's game against Harimau Muda A. According to [3] Asiaone, both South Korean Jeon Byungeuk, 24 and Kim Jae Hong, 27, had tried to bribe Geylang United mid-fielder and fellow South Korean Mun Seung Man, to not score against the Malaysian team. Jeon had told Mun that someone would give him $3,000 for not scoring in the match. Both pleaded guilty to charges of match-fixing, with Kim admitting to another charge of giving a $4,000 bribe to goalkeeper Yazid Yasin on April 10 to lose the game. Both Yazid and Mun were fielded in the match, in-which Harimau Muda A won 2-0. Jeon was sentenced to five months in prison, while Kim was jailed 10 months.
In 2013 The club change its club logo and name to the old-famed Geylang International FC during a Pre-Season Conference held in Marina Bay Sands.
Players
First Team
- As of 30 January 2014
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Home Stadium
Bedok Stadium, which is located in the eastern part of Singapore is the home ground for the eagles. It is used mostly for both football matches and jogging. Besides that, the pitch is also used by the club for their training sessions. The stadium had a grass football pitch, a 8-lane running track and partial athletic facilities. The stadium is closed to the public during S.League matches. The stadium can hold up to 3,800 spectators. The stadium is currently managed by the Singapore Sports Council.
Official Clubhouse
The clubhouse is located at level 2 of Bedok Sports & Fitness Center, which located beside the stadium. Members will get to enjoy facilities like fruit machines, home theater system for movie screenings, a pool table and a dart board. Fans are also able to purchase club Official Merchandise there. Also on display are some of the major trophies that the club have won over the years.
Honours
Sponsors
Main Sponsor
Kit Sponsor
Club Officials
Management
- Chairman: Leong Kok Fann
- Vice-Chairman: Lau Kok Keng
- Honorary Secretary: William Tan Ong Huat
- Honorary Treasurer: Dr Kong Chee Seng
- Club Advisor: Lee Yi Shyan
- Club Patron: Othman Haron Eusofe
Technical Staff
- Head Coach: Kanan Vedhamuthu
- Prime League Coach: Mohd Noor Ali
- Sports Trainer: Rebekah Marie
- Equipment Officer: Abdul Halim Yusop
- Goalkeeper Coach: Kumar Krishnan
Club Committee
- Club Manager: Maureen Chia
- Finance Manager: Adelene Wee
- Marketing & Community Engagement / Principal Partners: Andrew Ang & Ralph Aeria
Team Manager
Coach
Haji Ahmad Bakri Fahrin (1974–1976)
Dennis Bent (1977–1978)- Cheng Meng Sak (1979)
Zayid Ramsay (1980–1988)- Sulaiman Karim (1989–1991)
- Subhash Singh (1991–1994)
- Amri Khaizan (1995–1999)
- Jakbir Khalil (2000–2001)
- Dhalil Hainan Ibrahim (2002–2007)
Jozef Herel (2008)- Mike Wong (2009–March 2012)
- Kanan Vedhamuthu (March 2012–present)
Performance in AFC competitions
- 2002-03: Qualifying East - 3rd Round
- Asian Club Championship: 4 appearances
- 1989: Qualifying Stage
- 1990: Qualifying Stage
- 1991: Qualifying Stage
- 1998: First Round
- 2004: Semi-Finals
- 2010: Group Stage
- Asian Cup Winners Cup: 2 appearances
- 1990/91: First Round
- 1991/92: First Round
References
- ↑ "Geylang set for 2013 season". TODAYonline Sports.
- ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BCmwrFD1ZA History on Geylang International FC
- ↑ http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20120504-343938.html#sthash.TWBvglCk.dpuf
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Hitachi
EVA Air, 
Attaphol Buspakom (2006)