Sports Minutes with Zia-ul Raushan

Having started the season with just 2 points from their opening six games, Hougang United were under scrutiny for floundering under Marko Kraljević. But after a run of 1 loss in 6 games, and 3 wins in their last 4 - the Cheetahs are suddenly on the prowl - climbing to 5th in the Singapore Premier League standings. What has contributed to their reverse in fortunes? Deepanraj Ganesan weighs in on Sports Minutes! Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! raushan@sph.com.sg

Nur Muhammad Asis became a history maker when he signed a one-year loan deal to join Portugal's Estrela da Amadora. The deal made Asis the FIRST Singaporean to sign a professional contract with a top-flight club in Portugal. Long touted as a prodigious talent, how did the 20-year secured his "dream move" to Europe? And how is he coming to terms with his adventure? Asis joins Sports Minutes from Portugal to tell us! READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/nur-muhammad-asis-becomes-first-singaporean-to-join-a-portuguese-top-flight-football-club Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! raushan@sph.com.sg

1 place and 1 point, that is all that separates the top two in the Singapore Premier League - with Tampines Rovers and the Lion City Sailors going toe to toe in their quest to be crowned champions. With Geylang suffering their FIRST loss of the season, is a two-horse race emerging? And which way will the pendulum swing? Deepanraj Ganesan is on the Sports Minutes hot seat to cast his expert gaze! Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! raushan@sph.com.sg

10 matches into the Singapore Premier League season, the contenders are emerging from the pretenders in the quest to be crowned champions. And leading the chasing pack is a Tampines Rovers team that remain unbeaten, and are seemingly growing from strength to strength. So could the stags finally end an 11-year wait for the league title? Syazwan Buhari, goalkeeper and club captain, is certainly bullish - as he spoke to Sports Minutes about the club's ambitions as well as his own!  Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! raushan@sph.com.sg

Could Ilhan Fandi’s move to Thailand's BG Pathum and Izwan Mahbud’s return to first team action with the Lion City Sailors spark revivals in their respective careers? And having caught our breaths, we recap and review the goal-fest of a Singapore Premier League weekend that saw 26 goals scored across 4 matches. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! raushan@sph.com.sg

Scoring a worldie on your national team debut? Check. Ending a rival team's 2-year long unbeaten streak? Check. Unleash the roar scholarship? Check.  At just 18 years of age, Kyra Elise Taylor already has a stellar list of achievements that maybe the envy of most. Having recently made her international bow for the Lionesses in their 9-0 win over Macau, the sky seems to be the limit for Kyra. She sat down with Sports Minutes to tell us about how she first fell in love with the beautiful game, her ambitions as she embarks on university education and her decision to represent Singapore despite being of mixed-heritage. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! raushan@sph.com.sg

Having capped a stellar 2023 with an historic Asian Games gold, you'd think the 2024 Olympic games would see Singapore's Shanti Pereira scale even greater heights. But it hasn't proved to be as straight forward for the Lion City's sprint queen. Sidelined through an injury in the first half of the year, Shanti's preparations for Paris have been hampered. Nonetheless, buoyed by her recent engagement, the 27-year old remains up beat ahead of her second Olympics participation - as revealed on this special episode of Sports Minutes! Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! raushan@sph.com.sg

Does the name Firdaus Kassim ring a bell? I’m guessing it does, as he’s the head coach who guided Hougang United to their only piece of silverware to date - and that’s the Singapore Cup in 2022. Since then though, he’s departed the Cheetahs and turned blue! That’s right, he’s recently been appointed as the head coach of the Lion City Sailors U21 team. So what was it about the Sailors project that attracted him? And how hands on is Luka Lalić, the team’s technical director? What does he make of his departure from Hougang, and does he bear any grudges considering how it all ended? Firdaus sat down with Sports Minutes to answer this and more Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! raushan@sph.com.sg

Now you’d think that on a weekend that saw 24 goals across 4 games - football would take centre stage on this episode of Sports Minutes, but alas it’s not…because it was marred by an unsavoury incident - with allegations of racial abuse by fans targeting French forward Salif Cisse emerging.  The two clubs that are involved have since released statements on social media, stating their zero tolerance stance towards racism - and the Football Association itself has said investigations into the matter have commenced. Deepanraj Ganesan, who broke the story for the Straits Times, has the latest on Sports Minutes. READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/monkey-chants-allegedly-directed-at-tanjong-pagar-s-salif-cisse-during-singapore-premier-league-game https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/from-the-sidelines-to-stardom-footballer-nur-ain-salleh-14-aims-to-make-her-family-proud Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! raushan@sph.com.sg

In 2021, Loh Kean Yew garnered the adulation of a nation when he won the BWF World Badminton Championships. Since then, the Singaporean shuttler has clinched three BWF World Tour wins - propelling himself into the public eye with his blend of hunger and humility. So how will he fare at the upcoming Paris Olympics? Sports Minutes checks in with 27-year old to find out how he's preparing for his second appearance at the Olympics. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! raushan@sph.com.sg