SINGAPORE: My first encounter with football was in the early 1990s when my grandfather took me to the old National Stadium to catch a Malaysia Cup match between Singapore and a team from across the Causeway.

Was it Kedah? Or Selangor? Or perhaps Pahang? I can't remember the exact details - this was about 30 years ago - but I do remember it was supposedly an important match against a tough opponent.

The experience was a memorable albeit unnerving one. The cavernous stadium was packed to capacity, making it ...