SINGAPORE, April 19 — Lion City Sailors FC has called on the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to hold the AFC Champions League Two Final in Singapore, amid questions over the suitability of the Jalan Besar Stadium (JBS) as a final venue.
In a statement today, the Singapore Premier League side emphasised that the republic is the rightful host and the club has earned the right to host the match on home ground.
“We want to state our position clearly: this final must be played in Singapore,” it said in a statement here.
“This is our home, and as the club that has earned the right to host the final, we believe it is only fair and proper that it takes place on Singaporean soil.”
The club said JBS has been a certified AFC Champions League Two venue that meets AFC’s regulations and requirements throughout the competition, successfully hosting six home matches in this tournament alone.
The club also said it appreciated the “strong backing” of Sport Singapore and FAS, both of which had shown “clear intent and commitment” to hosting the final in Singapore.
The Sailors’ final opponent Sharjah FC had criticised JBS’ pitch on Thursday, saying it had submitted a letter to the AFC requesting the allocation of “an appropriate stadium”.
The UAE club claimed that JBS’ artificial pitch is unsuitable for the contest, and insisted that it is ready to host the final match.
Questions over where the final will be played arose following the Sailors’ shock qualification to the final after defeating Sydney FC with a 2-1 aggregate in the semis.
The May 18 final is scheduled to be hosted by the club from the East region this year — meaning Sailors would be the home team.
Ordinarily, a match of this scale would be played at the 55,000-capacity National Stadium in Kallang. However, the venue has already been booked for the Asia stop of Lady Gaga’s The Mayhem Ball tour on May 18, 19, 21, and 24.
JBS can only accommodate just over 7,000 spectators. Bishan Stadium — the Sailors’ home ground since 2023 — is also under consideration, although it holds just over 6,000 fans.
