Six departures in the course of the “reset”
Dubbed by many as the Singaporean “superclub,” the nouveau riche Lion City Sailors are facing serious financial problems. Funded by billionaire Forrest Li since 2020, his companies are currently grappling with economic slowdown, inflation, increased competition and a broader technology sell-off. The Singapore Premier League runners-up have now announced the departure of six players, including top performers Gabriel Quak, Faris Ramli, Shahdan Sulaiman and Hassan Sunny, who are regarded as Singapore’s top domestic players and together have 289 caps for their country.
Quak, 2020 Player of the Year, said he was very surprised by the decision: “It caught me a little bit unprepared to be honest. I expected changes. I’m disappointed and hurt, especially after the work I’ve done for the club on and off the pitch over the past three years.” Many club staff have also been sacked after agreeing to compensation payments. The foreign top earners, on the other hand, are still under contract with the Sailors.
Managing Director Chew Chun-Liang noted in a statement that while there were “positives to take from the 2022 season,” he emphasized that “2022 was a bad season for us. (…) After this reset, we are confident that next season we will see other – renewed and reinvigorated – Sailors.”
In 2021, the club invested league-wide record sums in transfers and salaries for newcomers and, with a squad value of 6.3 million euros, has a much higher value than the pursuers Tampines Rovers (1.9 million euros). In July of this year, a 10 million euro training center was opened. This year, at the end of the season, the Sailors strangely missed the chance to win the fourth league title in the club’s history (see news). Last Thursday Borussia Dortmund met the Lion City Sailors in the course of the Asia trip and won clearly with 7:2.
To home page