'Should have been more respectful': David Neo retracts remarks on Hong Kong football team, fans

Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo has admitted that he "probably should have been more respectful" after calling Hong Kong football fans and players "idiots".

Neo was heard making the remarks during a livestream by Lions striker Ikhsan Fandi on Tuesday (Nov 18), following the Lions' historic 2-1 win against Hong Kong which secured Singapore's first Asian Cup qualification on merit.

A clip from the livestream circulating online shows the Lions and Neo in high spirits, excitedly celebrating the win in the locker room.

While congratulating the team on their efforts, Neo can be heard saying: "You kena (were) pressured by them, all the fans were bloody idiots, and the players, they also played like idiots... but you all played like Lions!"

His comments were met with rousing cheers from the team, but have since drawn flak from some netizens who said that they were "totally out of order".

"Indeed I probably should have been more respectful. I take back what I said," replied Neo to the Instagram user, saying that "the Hong Kong team were really tough and their fans were fully behind them". 

While some netizens criticised his behaviour, others came to his defence and said that such comments were merely locker room talk that should not be taken so seriously.

The Lions returned to Singapore on Wednesday to a crowd of some 100 cheering fans at Changi Airport following their milestone victory that earned their spot in the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

Singapore's only appearance at the Asian Cup came in 1984, when they took part automatically as hosts.

While it was previously reported that each player could receive up to a $40,000 bonus from the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) for qualifying for the major tournament, FAS president Forrest Li told reporters on Wednesday that the amount will be "more than that".

"Our entire team well deserved it. There will be a big reward," he said, estimating that the whole team "will probably get around $2 million" for the qualification campaign.

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dana.leong@asiaone.com