An overwhelming turnout is forecasted at the National Stadium for the upcoming football match between English Premier League heavyweight Liverpool and German titan Bayern Munich on Wednesday, August 2nd. This game is projected to draw to a close the Singapore Festival of Football, which forms part of Liverpool’s preparation phase ahead of their opening league match against Chelsea in a fortnight.
Last Wednesday, the Tottenham Hotspur versus Lion City Sailors match drew an impressive crowd of 25,000, whereas the Liverpool-Leicester City face-off on Sunday garnered an even larger audience at the National Stadium, attracting nearly 28,600 spectators. The impending Liverpool-Bayern Munich game is expected to fill all 55,000 seats at the venue.
Timothy Ho, the Managing Director at TEG Asia, the company responsible for organizing the festival, emphasized that the joy of witnessing fans experience the games was the motivation behind the event. “The primary aim is to offer a remarkable experience and contribute high-quality football content to Singapore’s sports ecosystem,” he conveyed in a conversation with CNA. He further acknowledged that managing unforeseen challenges inherent in any large-scale event was made possible through the unwavering support of his team, partners, and stakeholders.
Fans, some of whom have shown loyalty towards their teams for decades, are showing immense gratitude. One fan, who successfully got a banner signed, expressed, “Their visits to Asia are rare. I’m just thrilled that they’ve decided to visit in consecutive years.” A few devoted fans even spent the night at the hotel, securing limited spots to interact closely with the players.
The organizers disclosed that approximately a third of the spectators have journeyed to Singapore from abroad. This includes a visitor from Taiwan who arrived with her seven-year-old son. She shared “Singapore’s proximity makes it easy to travel here. We can bring our kids, fly here and witness this international game.”
Ho also anticipates that fans from neighbouring nations such as Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia would also attend the matches. However, the excitement is not confined only to the fans.
