Hasnim Haron’s Aborted Move to Belgium in 1992
| Hasnim Haron in action for Singapore (as credited) |
With the ball at his feet near the corner flag, the conventional move would have been for Hasnim Haron to pass it to a teammate in a better position to deliver a cross into the box.
Nonetheless, the nippy Singapore winger had other ideas. He slightly rolled the ball backwards with the sole of his boot before flicking it up and whacking it into the penalty area during a Liga Semi-Pro (the Malaysian League) match at the old National Stadium.
Such unorthodox trickery sent the thousands at Kallang into a state of frenzy. I will never forget the moment I saw that play on a delayed telecast back in 1990.
The start of the last decade of the 20th century marked the rise to prominence of a man touted to fill the void vacated by both Fandi Ahmad and V. Sundram moorthy.
| (L-R) Hasnim and V Sundram moorthy in 1987 (source) |
With the exodus of the aforementioned duo overseas in the 1980s, the island republic was in desperate need of a new football poster boy. This pacey midfielder gradually found himself thrust into that role after earning his first senior call-up from Seak Poh Leong in 1986 (source), following an impressive display in a FAM (Football Association of Malaysia) U21 tournament.
Whenever he had the ball, adrenaline would surge through the crowds at the Kallang terraces as Hasnim raced along the flanks to lead another attack into the opponent's half.
Whenever he had the ball, adrenaline would surge through the crowds at the Kallang terraces as Hasnim raced along the flanks to lead another attack into the opponent's half.
OFFER FROM BELGIUM
With such eye-catching performances on the field, it wasn't long before an offer to venture out of "The Little Red Dot" came knocking on his door in October 1991.| News report on offer from Belgium for Hasnim (as credited) |
S.Thavaneson, the president of Hasnim's club Balestier United, first revealed to The Straits Times (ST) that an unnamed Belgian club had tabled a 10-month contract for the then 24-year-old. Additionally, the same report mentioned that three Malaysian state teams—namely Selangor, Pahang, and Johor—alongside an unnamed American club, had indicated their interest as well.
The late Joe Dorai, who first broke the news of these offers via the broadsheet, shared further details in a follow-up a month later. He identified SC Lokeren as the Belgian club and outlined the proposed one-year deal, which included a signing-on fee of US$80,000 and a monthly salary of US$6,500.
"$72,000-A-YEAR"
In the meantime, Hasnim offered his services to the Football Association of Singapore (FAS). He hoped they would accede to his request for a $72,000 one-year contract, which would allow him to continue representing them in the Liga Semi-Pro 1992 season.However, the offer was rejected by the local governing body. Not only did they decline to provide a counter-offer, but they also stated they would not stand in his way if he received better offers elsewhere.
The rejection of the winger’s offer was criticised by the then ST sports editor, Godfrey Robert, who lambasted the FAS for being "myopic" at a time when Liga Semi-Pro was becoming more competitive.
The veteran journalist wrote: "The FAS must realise that Singapore cannot afford to lose Hasnim. He is its hottest football property today. He is immensely skilful, a strong dribbler, and he has sound vision."
| Hasnim trying on his pair of "Hasnim King" boots (as credited) |
This came amid intense interest in a player who earned the distinction of being the first Singaporean footballer to have boots named after him.
"In short, Hasnim is Singapore soccer's best entertainer who commands a massive following. And is not soccer also about entertainment?" argued the man, who was also the author of the book "The Malaysia Cup", in his commentary for the morning daily.
Despite their rejection of his wage demands, the FAS maintained that their negotiations with Hasnim, via Balestier United, were still ongoing.
Steven Tan, the executive secretary of the FAS, reiterated that they would not stop Hasnim should he receive better offers elsewhere. Tan went on to clarify that the earlier statement should not be interpreted as meaning the player was not wanted by the Singapore team for their upcoming Liga Semi-Pro campaign.
Such a stance did not soften Hasnim's resolve. He stood his ground and refused to lower his demands, setting an ultimatum for 15 January. He made it clear that if no firm offer was made by then, he would finalise arrangements to sign for one of the aforementioned Malaysian states or take up the offer from SC Lokeren.
"U-TURN"
Days later, things took a different trajectory. Berita Harian (BH) reported that Hasnim was somewhat reluctant to move to Belgium, as he did not want to be away from his family.He was also wary after seeing what had happened to both Fandi Ahmad and V. Sundram moorthy (source: 1, 2) during their respective spells in Europe.
Later, in the 24 January edition of the local Malay daily, it was more or less confirmed that Hasnim had shelved his plan to ply his trade in Europe. The headline was definitive: "Hasnim tidak berminat main di Eropah" (Hasnim not interested in playing in Europe).
| "Hasnim not interested in playing in Europe" (as credited) |
The article mentioned that no specific reasons were given for his decision not to go, although he added that he would consider it for the following season should another opportunity arise.
Yet, days later, The Straits Times shed some light on why there was probably a change of mind by Hasnim when it reported that Balestier United had secured funding from an unnamed third party to ensure he remained in Singapore. This private backing was intended to be in addition to the "seed money" promised to local clubs by the FAS.
With this additional funding secured, Hasnim decided to shelve his plan to attend the trial with SC Lokeren.
"HASNIM WHO?"
While the private funding appeared to have settled Hasnim's future in Singapore, the sudden collapse of such a high-profile move left the media with lingering questions.Seeking to clear the air regarding the legitimacy of the Belgian interest, The New Paper (TNP) opened a Pandora’s Box by reporting SC Lokeren’s denial of any knowledge of the winger.
| TNP opened up the pandora's box on Hasnim's move to Belgium (as credited) |
In a fax reply to the afternoon tabloid's enquiries, Lokeren's club secretary Marc Tempels stated: "We never have had the intention to realise this transfert (sic) because this player (Hasnim) and the Club (Balestier United) to whom he belongs were totaly (sic) unknown by (sic) us."
Not only that, the Belgian club also denied they were looking for a player from this part of the world. On top of that, Tempels added that there were already five players from Africa on trial with the club, who were bound by Belgian league regulations stating they were only allowed to have three foreigners.
When prompted by TNP, Thavaneson was not surprised by Tempels' unawareness of the offer, explaining that the negotiation had been conducted on a personal basis between the club president and the agent.
However, Tempels backed his claims by checking with his colleagues at the club, all of whom responded by saying they had heard of neither the deal nor Hasnim himself.
| Thavaneson refuted SC Lokeren's Tempel' claims (as credited) |
Thavaneson countered by producing a fax from Lokeren to agent Ante Bekin, who was negotiating the deal, stating they were looking forward to having a Singaporean midfielder (Hasnim) on trial in January.
After Thavaneson revealed the fax from Lokeren to Bekin, Tempels backtracked slightly. He told The Straits Times that there might be a "possibility" of Bekin discussing the deal with F. Keepens, the club president, although Tempels maintained they were not interested in signing Hasnim, without giving any specific reasons.
Bekin backed Thavaneson's earlier statement, stating that he, too, was not surprised by Tempels' unawareness of the proposed move. He explained that such discussions would be treated with 'utmost confidentiality' until all details were finalised—something he suggested was beyond Tempels' level, as he was merely an administrative officer and not a decision-maker.
BEGINNING OF A NIGHTMARE
The whole saga came to an end when Hasnim became one of those who signed and committed himself to the 1992 Liga Semi-Pro season.However, little did the ace winger know that the year would turn out to be one of the lowest points not only of his career, but of the island republic’s too, in what was then the annual staple for football fans on both sides of the Causeway.
(P.S 1: Some images in this entry were reproduced from sources, as credited. Should anyone feel it's inappropriate to have any of the media shown, please kindly email me as soon as possible, and I will remove them upon request.)
(P.S 2: I stand to be corrected should there be any mistake in this entry, please feel free to email me if there is, thanks)
(P.S 2: I stand to be corrected should there be any mistake in this entry, please feel free to email me if there is, thanks)
(P.S 3: The blog post is based on publicly available sources, primarily from Newspaper SG. There is no attempt to speculate on or interpret the motives of any individuals or organisations involved. The aim is to present the findings matter-of-factly.)