1. 8 TELESCOPE AUGUST 2013
C O V E R
S T O R Y
A Double in
the Making?Having won the 2013 Malaysia Super League, the LionsXII will
once again cross the Causeway as the Malaysia Cup kicks off this
month. Sham Majid enters the lions’ den to find out how they feel
about their chances of pulling off a double. He also goes on to give
on overview of three European leagues available on StarHub: the
German Bundesliga, the Spanish La Liga, and the French Ligue 1.
Class of 2013 vs
Dream Team
The comparison was inevitable.
Indeed, the question on
everybody’s lips was whether the
class of 2013 can emulate the
staggering achievements of 1994’s
Dream Team.
After all, the LionsXII recently
won the Malaysian Super
League (MSL), so they appear to
already have one foot in the
door to replicate the feat
achieved by their 1994
counterparts. However,
suggest that to LionsXII
coach V (Sundram)
Sundramoorthy and you will
likely be given short shrift. “We
have a very young squad and we
never expected to win the league
title,” he confesses in an exclusive
interview. “But along the way, we
managed to beat the bigger teams
and we grew in confidence to put
ourselves close to the title, and
things worked out well in the end.”
The LionsXII’s 4-0 victory over
Felda United FC at the Jalan
Besar Stadium on
2 Jul 2013 created a
new chapter in the
history books of
Singapore football,
making them the first foreign outfit
to win the MSL. The last time
Singapore topped the Malaysian
league was in 1994, when the
much-revered Dream Team—
comprising the likes of Fandi
Ahmad, Abbas Saad and Malek
Awab—captured a historic league
and cup double.
The LionsXII’s recent victory
marked the fifth time that
Singapore has lifted a Malaysian
domestic title, having won it in
1979, 1981, 1985 and, of course,
1994. “Winning the title for
Singapore is a very satisfying
feeling for me personally,” reveals
Sundram, who is also fondly
known as ‘Dazzler.’ “The fans
turned up to support us in every
game, everybody was glued to
the television, and the support we
received was really amazing.” As
the whole of Singapore continue
to bask in the jubilation of league
glory, Sundram and his LionsXII
charges have now turned their
attention towards the upcoming
Malaysia Cup competition, which
begins this month.
Unfinished Business
One gets a sense of unfinished
business when Sundram reflects on
his side’s heartbreaking second-leg
semi-final 5-4 penalty shoot-out
defeat to ATM FA last October.
Having battled to a 1-1 draw
during the first-leg encounter at the
Jalan Besar Stadium, the LionsXII
were seconds away from marching
on to the Malaysia Cup final
during the second-leg when ATM
forward Marlon James’ incredible
97th
-minute equaliser meant both
sides had to settle for the lottery of
penalty kicks. Sundram’s distraught
troops eventually bowed out of the
competition after a 5-4 shootout
loss. “I was devastated last season,”
Sundram frankly admits. “The
team worked very hard and we all
thought that we were in the final.
But the boys have now learnt that
the game is not finished until the
90 minutes plus injury time is up.
We have learnt to stay focused for
the whole match.”
That’s why Sundram is not
buying the notion that his 2013
AUGUST 2013 TELESCOPE 9
V Sundramoorthy

2. 10 TELESCOPE AUGUST 2013
C O V E R
S T O R Y
WHEN?
Malaysia Cup
Premieres17Aug
SuperSportsArena
(CH201/CH112)
confidence boost.” Baihakki would
love to match the 1994 batch’s double,
but feels that the team shouldn’t
obsess over it.
Now that the MSL trophy has
been snatched from their backyard,
the Malaysian teams will be even
more alert to another raid, this time
on the Malaysia Cup, says LionsXII
custodian Izwan. “The Malaysia Cup
is a whole new competition, and it’s
one of the most prestigious cups in
Malaysia,” Izwan notes.
Judging from the cautious
stance of Sundram and his troops,
it appears that the LionsXII
have their feet firmly planted
on the ground. Staying humble,
disciplined and hardworking
has already worked wonders
for the LionsXII in the MSL,
and should stand them
in good stead for their
impending Malaysia
Cup foray across the
Causeway starting
this month.
AUGUST 2013 TELESCOPE 11
pride of lions are fated to match
the Dream Team’s double
achievements in 1994. “We
always go out and try to win every
game we play,” Sundram says
diplomatically. “Our Malaysian
counterparts will be especially
determined to stop us from doing
well in the Cup. This competition
is something every state wants
to win and it’s an exciting
tournament with good teams
and full stadiums. Players
feel good when there is
such an atmosphere, and
they will be pumped up
to do well.”
What the
Players Say
Sundram’s lieutenant, LionsXII
skipper Shahril Ishak, is under
no illusion either. “The whole of
Singapore wants us to do the
league and cup double but we know
it is going to be tough for us,” he
insists. “We have been putting in
110% effort during training and in
matches, and we just want to do
our best.”
Central defender Baihakki
Khaizan, who, along with of Shahril,
goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud and
midfielders Isa Halim and Hariss
Harun, was part of the side that
succumbed to ATM in last season’s
semi-final clash, plays down their
chances. “Of course there are
objectives to strive for, but I think
the process of how we became MSL
champions is very important,” he
comments. “We don’t really like to
predict the future and we always
take it one game at a time. Last year
was really our first year in terms of
getting back to the Malaysian scene.
Winning the league will be a major
Baihakki Khaizan
Izwan Mahbud
Shahril
Ishak
It came as an unexpected shock
to thousands of football fans in
Singapore.
As the Lion City celebrated
Singapore’s emphatic 4-0
walloping of Pahang FA in the
1994 Malaysia Cup, the Football
Association of Singapore
(FAS) suddenly announced
the Lions’ exit from Malaysian
competitions. The main reason
was because the FAS wanted to
develop Singapore’s footballing
landscape, but also playing a
part in this breakaway decision
was a dispute over gate receipts
with the Football Association
of Malaysia.
Regularsparringmatcheswith
teamsacrosstheCausewaybecame
nothingbutafadingmemory.
Eighteen years after that
fateful announcement, Singapore
football made a foray back into
Malaysia with the participation of
the LionsXII in the Malaysia Cup
last season.
Renowned for its
passionate supporters, intense
Malaysia
Cup
How Singapore has
performed at this tournament.
state rivalries and thoroughly
entertaining football, the Malaysia
Cup has long been an icon of the
sport in the country. It is Malaysia’s
most prestigious football cup
competition. Started in 1921, the
tournament commences at the
end of the respective football
campaigns, with the top 16 teams
in Malaysia’s leagues for that year
earning the right to participate
in the showpiece event. The 2013
Malaysia Cup will begin in August,
and also comprises 16 teams.
Kelantan FA are the reigning
champions, having overcome
ATM FA 3-2 in an enthralling
encounter last season.
Singapore was champion a
staggering 24 times, second only
to Selangor FA, who have won
the cup a record 32 times. Led
by legendary coach ‘Uncle’ Choo
Seng Quee in 1977, attacking
wizard Quah Kim Song netted the
winner as Singapore edged out
Penang FA 3-2 in an absolutely
absorbing clash to claim the
Malaysia Cup. Three years later,
a precocious 17-year-old forward
named Fandi Ahmad announced
his arrival to the big-time when
he grabbed the all-important goal
that saw Singapore stun defending
champions Selangor 2-1 in the
final to wrestle back the cup to
Singapore shores.
Singapore’s finest hour in
football perhaps came in 1994,
when their Dream Team tore
Pahang FA to shreds in the cup
final as forward Abbas Saad’s
incredible hat-trick and a Fandi
strike saw the Lions coast to a 4-0
victory, the last of their Malaysia
Cup haul.
With the LionsXII having
been in the mix since 2012, the
rivalry has now stretched across
the Causeway, and Sundram and
company will be aiming to end a 19-
year hiatus and match the exploits
of their 1994 counterparts.
Sundramandcompanywillbeaiming
oftheir1994counterparts.
toenda19-yearhiatusandmatchtheexploits

3. 12 TELESCOPE AUGUST 2013
C O V E R
S T O R Y
Between 1970s and 1990s,
Germany stormed their way to
World Cup success and three
European championship crowns;
Die Mannschaft at times brutally
marched their way past opponents
with frightening efficiency.
However, since their breakout
2006 World Cup campaign, that
workman-like style of football,
although it served them well, has
been discarded. Instead, a dynamic
and robust brand of attacking
football has been adopted in recent
years by both the national team
and the Bundesliga, the country’s
premier football division.
At the Top
Armed with an intensive and well-
structured football syllabus at all
levels, Germany’s obsession with
youth development has culminated
in the rise of numerous polished
gems now plying their trade in the
Bundesliga, who also pull double duty
on the national team. For proof of this
incredible transformation, one needs
to look no further than how Bayern
Munich and Borussia Dortmund
steamrolled their way to the UEFA
Champions League final in May:
Bayern crushed Barcelona in the
semi-final with a jaw-dropping 7-0
aggregate, while Dortmund beat Real
Madrid 4-1 in a pulsating semi-final
first leg. In the final, Bayern edged
out Dortmund 2-1, but the chapter
between the hated rivals is anything
but finished.
Having wrestled the Bundesliga
title back from 2012 champions
Dortmund by a whopping 25
points, Bayern have wasted little
of teaming up with Gotze,
regarded as Germany’s equivalent
of Argentina’s Lionel Messi.
Nevertheless, Guardiola will have
his hands full in trying to replicate
the success of his predecessor
Jupp Heynckes, the man who
guided Bayern to the Bundesliga,
Champions League and the DFB-
Pokal crowns, the first-ever treble
secured by a German outfit.
Dortmund manager Jurgen
Klopp, who earned plaudits for the
way his side stylishly slalomed their
way to the Champions League final,
will be hoping Gotze’s depature
will not cause an exodus of players
from Signal Iduna Park, and that he
can find a new playmaker to pull
the strings in midfield. Although
Dortmund surrendered their back-
to-back Bundesliga championships
to Bayern, the wily Klopp will
definitely have a few aces up his
sleeve as he prepares to do battle
with Guardiola.
New Blood
The Bundesliga teams are not always
a roster of brand names.
Among the 18 teams getting
ready for the big kick-off in
August, a founding member of
the German Football Association
will be welcomed back into the
fold of top-flight clubs: two-time
German champions Hertha Berlin
were recently promoted. Joining
them in the big-time is Eintracht
Braunschweig, who were runners-
up in the second division. After 28
years in the second and third tiers
of German football, Braunschweig
will finally get the opportunity to
rub shoulders with the top dogs in
the Bundesliga. The last team to
confirm its place at the top is 1899
Hoffenheim after they secured
a 5-2 aggregate win over FC
Kaiserslautern in May. Hoffenheim,
who finished third from bottom in
the Bundesliga last season, had
to settle for a nervy two-legged
playoff against Kaiserslautern
after the latter finished third in
2 Bundesliga last campaign.
The 2013/14 season will also
usher in a new era for Werder
Bremen after the club dispensed
with the services of 14-year
manager Thomas Schaaf at the end
of last season. The Bundesliga’s
longest-serving manager spent
more than 40 years with Bremen
as a distinguished player and
coach. During his illustrious 14-
year spell on the sidelines, Schaaf
masterminded a league and cup
double for Bremen in 2004. He also
guided the club to German Cup
wins in 1999 and 2009. But after
Bremen finished last season in a
lowly 14th
spot, they asked former
SC Freiburg and Bayer Leverkusen
boss Robin Dutt to help take the
team back into the upper echelons
of the league table.
Having also endured
disappointing campaigns last
season, Hamburg, Wolfsburg,
WHEN?
German Bundesliga
from 9 Aug
FootballChannel
(CH222)
More Than
Efficiency
German Bundesliga
time in earning the ire of their
Rhine counterparts, poaching
Dortmund’s midfield wizard Mario
Gotze. The 21-year-old attacking
midfielder, a product of Dortmund’s
youth academy, was said to have
been singled out by Bayern’s new
tactician, none other than former
Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola.
While his transfer to the
Allianz Arena sparked a war of
words between Dortmund and
Bayern, Guardiola will be rubbing
his hands in glee at the prospect
Stuttgart and Borussia
Monchengladbach will be looking
to push on this season and jostle for
the coveted European spots.
All Business
The vitality and competitiveness
of the German Bundesliga is well
established. Besides being blessed
“Besidesbeingblessedwithmajestictechnical
brandofflowingfootball,theBundesligais
fineonthebackend,too.”
with majestic technical qualities
and armed with their own brand of
flowing football, the Bundesliga is
fine on the backend, too. According
to Charles Sale from the Daily
Mail, the average attendance of
the Bundesliga in 2012 stood at
44,293, compared to the Barclays
Premier League’s 34,601. In addition,
German clubs have robust financing,
burgeoning youth academies and
frenzied membership figures,
which contribute to the increased
competitiveness of the Bundesliga.
Pep Guardiola
Mario Gotze Hertha Berlin
Robin Dutt
For a long time now, Germans have been known for
their quality and efficiency, from luxury automobiles
to precision engineering. It’s a similarly story with
the German football team. qualitiesandarmedwiththeirown
AUGUST 2013 TELESCOPE 13

4. 14 TELESCOPE AUGUST 2013
C O V E R
S T O R Y
Vilanova can accommodate both
superstars in the starting 11.
Neymar insists that his arrival
doesn’t threaten Messi’s numero
uno status at Barca. “I want to help
the team,” he was quoted on The
Guardian website. “I have come to
add my part so that Lionel Messi
continues to be the best player in
the world.”
The Special One
Leaves
Over in the capital, a revolution of
sorts has quietly been taking place
at Real Madrid. Having surrendered
their league crown to Barca by a
whopping 15 points, the club parted
ways with the controversial Jose
Mourinho, who has since been
reunited with former employers
Chelsea, and raided moneybags
side Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for
manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Ancelotti, who garnered two
UEFA Champions League titles as
the coach of AC Milan, last season
delivered PSG’s first French Ligue 1
crown in 19 years. Renowned for
his calm demeanour, Ancelotti
contrasts starkly against the volatile
Mourinho. Having attained league
success in Italy and also England
during his two-year spell as Chelsea
coach, Ancelotti will be tasked with
wresting the La Liga crown back
from Barcelona as well as guiding
Madrid to their first Champions
League title since 2002.
Madrid have also moved swiftly
to reinforce their squad, spending
¤27m to capture Malaga playmaker
Isco. Regarded as one of Spain’s
most promising midfielders, Isco
will boost Madrid’s armada of
attacking capabilities that already
includes the likes of Ronaldo,
Mesut Ozil, Luka Modric and
Karim Benzema.
Familiar Faces
in the Middle
Last season’s third-place finishers,
Atletico Madrid, may find the new
season tough without the services
of hotshot forward Radamel Falcao.
The Colombian goal-machine netted
an incredible 28 goals in 34 La Liga
encounters last season—that’s
nearly half of the team’s 65 goals in
total. Led by manager and former
Argentina captain Diego Simeone,
Atletico surged to third place last
season, ensuring they feature in the
Champions League this campaign.
But now that Falcao has moved to
French side AS Monaco, Atletico
could be hampered by a distinct
lack of firepower up front. However,
with Simeone at the helm, Los
Rojiblancos will continue to play
their high-octane passing football
that captivated ardent La Liga
followers last season.
Meanwhile, unfashionable
Basque outfit Real Sociedad, who
stunned everyone with their fourth-
place finish last campaign, will be
participating in the Champions
League for the first time since the
2003/04 season. Having been in
the top league only since 2010,
Sociedad’s transformation is all
the more remarkable. Under new
manager Jagoba Arrasate, they
will be looking to leave their mark
in Europe as well as replicate last
season’s success.
Another familiar face will return
to the technical dugout this season
after Malaga appointed former Real
WHEN?
La Liga
from 17 Aug
STARSports(CH209)
Brazilian Star Arrives
La Liga has just nabbed another
jewel to complement Lionel Messi
and Cristiano Ronaldo. Defending
champions Barcelona have raided
Brazilian outfit Santos for samba
football’s most coveted talent:
Neymar.
The 21-year-old Neymar, one of
football’s hottest properties for a
number of years, finally joined the
Catalan giants in June in a massive
£48.6 million, five-year deal after the
Brazilian forward chose Barca over
hated rivals Real Madrid. While most
of the footballing world are eagerly
anticipating the mouth-watering
prospect of Neymar and Messi
slaloming together, some dissenting
voices doubt that manager Tito
Madrid manager Bernd Schuster
as their new coach. Schuster, who
had a one-year spell at the Santiago
Bernabeu from 2007 to 2008, will
take over the reins of a team that
finished a disappointing sixth last
season despite their Champions
League quarter-final exploits.
Promotions
A team that didn’t disappoint was
Elche CF. Having spent the past
14 years in the Segunda Division
(second division), they celebrated
their return to La Liga in style by
becoming champions of Segunda
Division. 2011/12 Champions League
participants Villarreal have also made
it back to La Liga after they were
relegated to the Segunda Division
in 2012. The final La Liga spot was
claimed by Almeria after they coasted
to a 4-0 aggregate win over Girona in
their promotion play-off fixture.
Off the Pitch
On the managerial front, Barcelona
legend and former AS Roma chief
Luis Enrique will return to La Liga
after being appointed coach of Celta
Vigo, replacing Abel Resino in the
process. Former Real Valladolid
manager Miroslav Djukic has also
jumped ship to Valencia, with Juan
Ignacio Martínez now taking over the
Valladolid hotseat. Ex-Athletic Bilbao
coach Marcelo Bielsa has also stepped
down from his post, with Ernesto
Valverde returning to the Basque-
based side where he has previously
served as assistant and head coach.
With an exciting ensemble of
playing and managerial cast lined
up for the coming campaign, this
is certainly going to be no walk in
the park for the so-called giants
of La Liga. The big boys have
been warned!
tobenowalkintheparkfortheso-called
giantsofLaLiga.
If you’ve always had the notion that the Spanish
La Liga was nothing more than a two-horse race,
it’s time to have a rethink. After all, last season
saw Spain’s premier football division navigating
its way through several twists and turns, with
unfashionable teams toppling their more
illustrious counterparts.
No Longer
a Two-Horse
Race
Spanish La Liga
Withanexcitingensembleofplaying
andmanagerialcast,thisiscertainlygoing
Neymar and Isco
Diego
Simeone
AUGUST 2013 TELESCOPE 15

5. WHEN?
French Ligue 1
Saturdays 11pm
TV5MondeAsie(CH152)
16 TELESCOPE AUGUST 2013
PSG’s injection of money was
even earlier than Monaco’s. Qatar
Investment Authority bought a 70%
controlling stake in the club in May
2011. And the new Qatari owners
wasted little time in signing Argentine
attacking midfielder Javier Pastore
from Palermo, fullback Maxwell from
Barcelona and Thiago Motta from
Inter Milan. They also appointed
former AC Milan and Chelsea
manager Carlo Ancelotti as coach in
Dec 2011. However, the expensively
assembled team finished the 2011/12
campaign in second place.
Determined to go one better in
the 2012/13 campaign, PSG fully
flexed their new-found wealth,
snagging the likes of Swedish
forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic,
Brazilians Thiago Silva and Lucas
Moura, and Argentine playmaker
Ezequiel Lavezzi for a cool ¤146
million. Boasting a formidable squad
from back to front, PSG steamrolled
their way to the club’s maiden league
title since 1994, finishing a whopping
12 points ahead of second-placed
Olympique Marseille.
PSG will have to defend their
Ligue 1 crown without Ancelotti
after the Italian was poached by
Real Madrid. Taking his place will
be former French boss Laurent
Blanc after he agreed to a two-year
contract at the Parc des Princes.
The French Ligue 1 has produced
many of the country’s most
precocious young talents over the
years. However, the likes of Karim
Benzema, Eden Hazard and Franck
Ribery have been poached by other
European powerhouses as the French
teams were never able to match the
astronomical wages they offered.
It appears those days are over,
if the buying spree displayed by
these two clubs are adopted by the
other teams.
AS Monaco
AS Monaco fought off top teams
such as Real Madrid, Chelsea and
Manchester City to sign Atletico
Madrid forward Radamel Falcao
on a five-year contract in May.
That the Colombian would turn
down more illustrious clubs in
England and Spain to join a French
outfit was not lost on an amazed
footballing world. Besides paying
between ¤45 million and ¤60
million for one of the world’s
most sought-after goal predators,
Monaco also dug deep to sign
Porto’s Joao Moutinho and James
Rodriguez, and Real Madrid’s
Ricardo Carvalho. Not too shabby
for a club that was hovering in
Ligue 2 mediocrity two years ago.
The man behind Monaco’s
ascendancy is little-known Russian
billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev. In
Dec 2011, he led an investment
consortium to acquire two-thirds
of AS Monaco. Now that the team
has risen to the top league of French
football, Rybolovlev will expect
manager Claudio Ranieri to mould his
new signings into a cohesive unit that
can make a decent assault on the
Ligue 1 crown at the very least.
Paris Saint-Germain
(PSG)
That is easier said than done, as
there’s another sugar daddy in
the picture.
French Ligue 1
They were once regarded
as the poor cousins of
the German Bundesliga,
Spanish La Liga and the
Barclays Premier League.
Coughing
up the
Cash
AUGUST 2013 TELESCOPE 17