*Update: Italian club Roma has withdrawn from the Singapore Festival of Football, and will be replaced by Lion City Sailors in the Tiger Cup on Jul 26.
“Entertaining football and goals!” declared former Leicester City forward Emile Heskey at the press conference unveiling the inaugural Singapore Festival of Football driven by CDG Zig.
That’s what fans can expect, and more, at the festival happening from Jul 26 to Aug 2, 2023.
Football fans will get to see top clubs in action ahead of the 2023/2024 football season – Liverpool FC, Leicester City FC, FC Bayern Munich, Tottenham Hotspur and AS Roma – at the National Stadium. With five clubs from Europe’s top leagues, look forward to an electrifying atmosphere and thrilling action on the pitch.
The press conference was also graced by four other football legends – former AS Roma fullback Marco Cassetti; former FC Bayern Munich striker Giovane Elber; former Liverpool FC player John Barnes; and former Tottenham Hotspur captain Gary Mabbutt.
On how players treat such matches, Mabbutt explained that this is unlike an end-of-season tour where it is more like a “relaxing holiday” for them. “The preseason tours are very different. They are totally focused on getting ready for the start of the season,” he said. “So it’ll be a very, very important trip for us.”
Barnes agreed that these tours are now taken very seriously unlike during his time in the club. “What they [fans] can look forward to are games of intensity and games of quality, and to be exactly the same as if they [clubs] are playing in the Premier League,” he said.
The week-long fiesta will be opened by the Tiger Cup, with Tottenham Hotspur FC facing AS Roma on Jul 26. Premier League giants Liverpool FC will return to the National Stadium at the Singapore Sports Hub for a second straight year. They will defend their Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy, presented by Standard Chartered, when they take on Leicester City.
On Aug 2, they return to the pitch to contest the Singapore Trophy, presented by Audi and Standard Chartered, against Bundesliga leaders FC Bayern Munich, who are making a much-anticipated return to Singapore since their last visit in 2017.
Spurs, Liverpool FC and FC Bayern Munich will also hold open training sessions. The two English clubs will hold their sessions at the 55,000-seat National Stadium while FC Bayern Munich are expected to announce details of their open training session in the coming weeks.
But that’s not all. Besides world-class football action, It will be an fun-filled week with fan engagement activities and opportunities for the public to catch a glimpse of the teams and players. The Football Fan Interactive Festival Village will offer a wide range of engagement activities, as well as food and beverage options to give local and foreign fans the complete festival experience.
Tickets for all the events for the Singapore Festival of Football Driven by CDG Zig will go on general sale via Ticketek Singapore from 22 May, 10am. Tickets can be purchased at premier.ticketek.com.sg.
