Balestier Khalsa FC
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| Full name | Balestier Khalsa Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Tigers | ||
| Founded | 1898 | ||
| Ground |
Toa Payoh Stadium Toa Payoh, Singapore | ||
| Capacity | 3,896 | ||
| Chairman | Thavaneson Selvaratnam | ||
| Head Coach | Marko Kraljević | ||
| League | S.League | ||
| 2014 | 6th | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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Balestier Khalsa Football Club is a professional football club which plays in Singapore's S.League. The club's logo depicts a Tiger, the nickname of the club, on top of a pair of Kirpan. The logo is made up of key elements from the two clubs it was merged from. The Tiger is the mascot of the Balestier half of the merged entity while the kirpan is a religious dagger worn by members of the Sikh faith, who were a major backer of half of the merged entity through the Clementi club. [1]
History
Tracing their origins all the way back to 1898, the club was formed as Fathul Karib and based in Farrer Park. One of the highlights over the following half century, before the side was renamed Balestier United Recreation Club in the 1970s, was providing nine players to the Singapore side which competed in the 1958 Asian Games, losing 2-1 to both continental heavyweights South Korea and Israel.[2]
Balestier United Recreational Club
The club's name was changed to Balestier United Recreation Club[3] in April 1975, when it joined the inaugural National Football League. The team captured the Singapore Cup in 1958 and 1992. The club played in the Singapore Premier League (the forerunner to the S.League) from 1988 to 1995. The club became the first club in Singapore to bring in foreign players when they signed two Yugoslavian players, Josko Spanjic and Boris Lucic, for the 1989 season.
Balestier Central FC
In 1996, Balestier United Recreational Club became a founder member of the S.League and changed its name to Balestier Central FC.
Clementi Khalsa FC
Clementi Khalsa FC was formed as a club to represent Singapore's Sikh community and joined the S.League in 1999. Prior to the merger with Balestier Central, the club was based in the Clementi area of Singapore and played its home games at the Clementi Stadium.
Merger
The club is an amalgamation of Balestier Central Football Club and Clementi Khalsa Football Club who merged at the end of the 2002 S.League season. Due to its link with Clementi Khalsa, the club is very popular amongst Singapore’s Sikh community.
Balestier Khalsa FC
On August 10, 2012, Balestier Khalsa won the first League Cup Plate Final as the team defeated Courts Young Lions in the at Jalan Besar Stadium. On 14 September 2013, The Tigers went one level higher by scoring a huge 4–0 win over Brunei DPMM in the League Cup Final and clinched their first ever silverware. Balestier Khalsa signed former U-21 Croatian international Goran Ljubojević on February 11 2014 as their first ever marquee signing.[4] The Tigers won their first ever Singapore Cup on 7 November 2014.[5]
Seasons
As Balestier Central / Balestier Khalsa
| Season | S.League | Singapore Cup | Singapore League Cup | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |||
| 1996-1 | 3rd* | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 22 | 18 | 24 | ||
| 1996-2 | 3rd* | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 25 | 19 | 24 | ||
| 1997 | 4th | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 43 | 26 | 28 | ||
| 1998 | 4th | 20 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 47 | 43 | 31 | Group Stage | |
| 1999 | 7th | 22 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 25 | 27 | 26 | Semi-finals | |
| 2000 | 12th | 22 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 16 | 42 | 14 | Round of 16 | |
| 2001 | 7th | 33 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 43 | 57 | 35 | Group Stage | |
| 2002 | 11th | 33 | 6 | 5 | 22 | 50 | 103 | 23 | Group Stage | |
| 2003 | 11th | 33 | 5 | 2–6 | 20 | 37 | 76 | 25 | Quarter-finals | |
| 2004 | 8th | 27 | 6 | 2 | 19 | 36 | 73 | 20 | Quarter-finals | |
| 2005 | 7th | 27 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 45 | 52 | 36 | Preliminary | |
| 2006 | 7th | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 50 | 61 | 37 | Semi-finals | |
| 2007 | 9th | 33 | 7 | 8 | 18 | 44 | 63 | 29 | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals |
| 2008 | 12th | 33 | 3 | 8 | 22 | 26 | 60 | 17 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 |
| 2009 | 11th | 30 | 4 | 6 | 20 | 22 | 58 | 18 | Round of 16 | Group Stage |
| 2010 | 8th | 33 | 10 | 7 | 16 | 26 | 40 | 37 | Quarter-finals | Preliminary |
| 2011 | 10th | 33 | 7 | 5 | 21 | 28 | 63 | 26 | Round of 16 | Preliminary |
| 2012 | 6th | 24 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 23 | 20 | 39 | Round of 16 | Group Stage |
| 2013 | 4th | 27 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 38 | 28 | 43 | Runners-up | Winners |
| 2014 | 7th | 27 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 46 | 34 | 40 | Winners | Group Stage |
| 2015 | 4th | 27 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 39 | 35 | 44 | Quarter-finals | Runners-up |
As Clementi Khalsa
| Season | Pos | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Singapore Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 11th | 22 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 29 | 55 | 15 | Round of 16 |
| 2000 | 8th | 22 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 33 | 46 | 25 | Round of 16 |
| 2001 | 9th | 33 | 7 | 9 | 17 | 43 | 76 | 30 | Group Stage |
| 2002 | 10th | 33 | 7 | 4 | 22 | 45 | 84 | 25 | Group Stage |
- The 1996 season of the S.League was split into two series. Tiger Beer Series winners Geylang United defeated Pioneer Series winners Singapore Armed Forces in the Championship play-off to clinch the S.League title.
- 2003 saw the introduction of penalty shoot-outs if a match ended in a draw in regular time. Winners of penalty shoot-outs gained two points instead of one.
Last updated on 15 May 2014
Sponsors
- Main Sponsors: Civic Ambulance, FTMS Global
- Kit Supplier: Umbro
Honours
Domestic
Cup
- 1992
- 1958
Performance in AFC competitions
Players
Current Squad
- As of 11 March 2016 [6]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Prime League Players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Managers
Bogdan Brasoveanu (2001–02, 2003–04)
Jang Jung (Jan 2004 – Dec 05)
Abdul Karim Razzak (Jan 2005 – Dec 07)- Nasaruddin Jalil (Jan 2008 – Dec 10)
- Salim Moin (Jan 2011 – Dec 11)
Darren Stewart (Jan 2012 – Dec 13)
Marko Kraljević (Jan 2014–present)
References
- ↑ http://www.fourfourtwo.com/sg/features/untold-stories-southeast-asian-clubs-balestier-khalsa?page=0%2C1#8rShuRSWWPIyw1zv.99
- ↑ "Untold Stories, Southeast Asian Clubs: Balestier Khalsa".
- ↑ "History and Tradition of Balestier Khalsa FC". Balestier Khalsa. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
- ↑ http://www.goal.com/en-sg/news/3880/singapore/2014/02/12/4611559/25-goal-target-for-balestier-marquee-signing-ljubojevic
- ↑ http://www.espnfc.com/blog/football-asia/153/post/2133461/balestier-khalsa-with-first-ever-rhb-singapore-cup-win
- ↑ http://www.sleague.com/clubs-profile/balestier/team-profile
External links
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