Singapore's acting minister for culture, community and youth, David Neo, has apologised after he was caught in a video referring to Hong Kong football players and fans as "idiots."
The incident occurred following Singapore's 2-1 away win against Hong Kong on November 18, which sealed its qualification for the Asian Cup.
In a livestream posted by Singapore football player Ikhsan Fandi, Neo was shown telling the players in colloquial English: "It was fantastic, the team was fantastic. You kena pressured by them, all the fans were bloody idiots, end up players also played like idiots." He added: "But you all played like lions."
The video appeared to have been taken in a dressing room at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Stadium.
TriOn & Co. co-founder and corporate affairs lead Charu Srivastava said the remarks risk creating a narrative bigger than the match itself. “They divert attention from a historic win and taint the spirit of sportsmanship. In the social-media era, authority figures know every comment will be examined—and a minister’s words inevitably reflect on Singapore.”
Netizens on social media were quick to comment. One user remarked, the incident was "totally out of order," prompting the former Singapore Chief of Army to write back: “Indeed, I probably should have been more respectful. I take back what I said."
“The Hong Kong team were really tough and their fans were fully behind them. That’s something we should respect, and let’s also get behind our Lions," he continued.
In the match, Singapore overturned a first-half deficit with goals from Shawal Anuar and Ilhan Fandi to secure their first-ever Asian Cup qualification on merit. The result means Singapore cannot be overtaken and finishes first in group C, booking a spot at the 2027 tournament in Saudi Arabia.
Neo posted a clip of the Singapore team celebrating and chanting "c'est la vie" on his Instagram account. On that post, several comments expressed their outrage about Neo's remarks.
"This minister didn't respect the opponent and their fans, and obviously showed no sportsmanship," @chriskyip wrote, adding: "Won the match but lost the image for its country."
Another comment by @irene.l.l read: "The only bad egg is the minister. The Lions' victory is marred by the minister's idiotic remarks. How do we have such a minister?"
"We haven't won anything yet," @four_legger_good wrote.
Not everyone was apprehensive, with a handful showing support for Neo. @waypoint wrote: "The locker-room banter and that last burst of moto will always ben the finishing touch that brings everyone together."
It’s not the first time a politician has drawn criticism at sports events. Last year, Malaysia’s minister Hannah Yeoh faced backlash for 'fangirling' over a Thai badminton player following his win over a Malaysian player. In 2023, Singapore minister Edwin Tong drew criticism for describing the national football team's performance at the SEA Games as “poor."
