WE HAVE to thank the late Freddie Mercury, former frontman of Queen, for leaving us with song titles that make great football headlines.
Rafa Benitez is a manager “Under Pressure”.
Manchester United, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Singapore Armed Forces FC can all blare “We Are The Champions” on the PA systems at their stadiums.
But today, it is a case of “Another One Bites The Dust” as Dalian Shide were shown the door after their maiden voyage in the S-League turned into a hopeless wreck.
They will be replaced by Bruneian outfit Duli Pengiran Muda Mahkota Football Club, or DPMM for short, for the 2009 campaign.
Foreign team arrives in blaze of publicity but leaves Singapore with tail between their legs.
Sound familiar? That’s because this has happened to four teams so far who have tried their luck in the S-League, which has been accepting overseas clubs since 2003 in an attempt to spice up the competition.
Sinchi (poor discipline on the pitch), Sporting Afrique (ill-treatment of players), Liaoning Guangyuan (match-fixing) and Dalian (abysmal performance) have come and gone.
None of them finished higher than seventh in the S-League, which usually has 11 or 12 teams competing.
The Super Reds enjoyed some success, finishing third last year, after a $2 million cash injection by chairman Charlie Yoon but with the economy in a tailspin, the Korean club is unable to attract players with K-League experience again.
Only Albirex Niigata, a mid-table outfit with strong connections to their Singaporean fan base, enjoyed success here.
DPMM, who announced a target of a top-three finish, should at least replicate Albirex’s success. If not, there is little point in having them here.
They have deep pockets, no doubt. For starters, they are owned by crown prince Al-Muhtadee Billah, heir to the sultanate.
They will play half their matches at home in Bandar Seri Begawan and they have offered to subsidise the travelling expenses of the S-League teams.
And they do have a track record when they played in Malaysia.
In 2006, they won promotion to the Super League when they finished third in the second-tiered Premier League. A year later, they ended up third in the top flight.
But they have failed to make any impact in Singapore, where they were invited to play in the Singapore Cup from 2004 to last season.
In five attempts, they have never made it past the first round, leading to the likelihood that they will be steamrolled by powerhouses SAFFC, Home United or even teams like Gombak United.
With so little time to prepare for the new season, which kicks off next Monday, it remains to be seen how the Bruneian newbies can impress on the pitch.
That is the cold hard truth facing the S-League’s latest guest.
Cue the opening bass riff of “Under Pressure”.