Cardiff City footballer Perry Ng in Singapore for ‘familiarisation stint’ with Lions

SINGAPORE: Among the familiar faces during an open training session at Kallang Football Hub on Monday (Sep 2), was a figure whom local football fans have been hoping to see for quite some time.

Invited by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) for a “familiarisation stint” with the men’s national football team was Cardiff City footballer Perry Ng.

Under FIFA rules, Ng is eligible to play for Singapore via his late paternal grandfather James, who was born here, but later moved to Liverpool.

However, under Singapore citizenship rules, one can only qualify for a passport by descent if at least one parent was born in the country or is a citizen by registration.

“Ever since my grandfather passed away about 12 years ago, it’s always been a dream of mine to come here, represent him, represent my family that are still here, and to make them proud. My family here have never seen me play before, so to walk out to the National Stadium with them there will be a dream come true,” said Ng.

“I’m so excited for it to happen. And, yeah, this is the start.”

The right-back recently penned a deal which will keep him at the EFL Championship club till 2026. He has been Cardiff City’s player of the season for two years running.

The 28-year-old has started all four of the club’s league games this season.

“It’s nice to come and introduce myself to everyone, meet everyone, build relationships with the players, the coach, all the staff. Also to get some warm-weather training will be good for me, for my club career at home,” said Ng.

“And just to meet everyone, really, and get things going, and hopefully it can progress fast and we can get this completed soon.”

Ng added that while it is a "complex situation", he has spoken with people at his club, as well as an immigration lawyer.

"It's clear what we have to do now. Now it is just executing it," said Ng, who will be applying for Singapore citizenship this week.

Should he successfully become Singaporean, Ng will need to apply for a visa to play for Cardiff City, just like any other foreign player.

"This was another thing which I was worried about. But the club have been fantastic, they have supported me so far throughout the whole process and continue to do so," he said. 

Also present was BG Tampines Rovers midfielder Kyoga Nakamura. Japan-born Nakamura arrived in Singapore in 2019 and became a permanent resident earlier this year.

His next goal is to get citizenship and possibly turn out for the Lions at the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championship, he told CNA previously.

Both Nakamura and Ng have signalled publicly and privately their desire to become Singaporeans and represent the nation, said FAS president Bernard Tan.

“We have chosen to invite them and they have both responded ... showing the commitment to wearing the red jersey,” said Tan.

“What the FAS will do is to commence the proceedings of helping them get naturalised to Singapore so that eventually they will be able to wear the red jersey and represent our country,” he added.

Mr Tan added that Singapore treats citizenship seriously and that there remain some "submissions" to be done. Thereafter, FAS will "honour that process", he said.

"It's up to the authorities, but we have at least come through and checked that there is a pathway for him to be a citizen," he added.

Foreign-born players who are not eligible to play for a country via descent can represent the country by meeting FIFA’s five-year residency rule. This allows them to be naturalised if they live continuously in the country for at least five years after reaching the age of 18.

South Korea-born midfielder Song Ui-young met this requirement for Singapore, and was granted citizenship in 2021.

INTENSITY WAS "MAD"

Last week, FAS announced that the Singapore men's football team will play two home training matches in September.

The matches will be against BG Tampines Rovers and Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim on Sep 6 and Sep 7. Both matches will be played behind closed doors at the Kallang Football Hub.

Efforts were made to search for international sides that matched training objectives but none were available, said an FAS spokesperson.

The priority in September is a week of centralised training and bedding-in new players, said Singapore coach Tsutomu Ogura.

The Lions will head to Japan for a training camp the following month, with three friendlies against J1 League clubs lined up.

Speaking to reporters after training, Ng said that the intensity of the session was "mad".

"It shocked me to be honest. I didn't really know what to expect. I was really excited coming over," he added. "Seeing the facilities here, it's been brilliant. Training shocked me, the intensity, it was mad. I'll have to get ready for this week, especially in the heat.

"I'm really excited to get to know everyone and play with all the lads."