Pennant to leave Tampines, dealing blow to S.League’s hopes of revival

SINGAPORE — He arrived to great fanfare and was almost single-handedly given the task of reviving the ailing S.League.

But just nine months on, Jermaine Pennant has called time on his Tampines Rovers career, after initial contract discussions came to nothing, leaving the club and the S.League’s hopes of a revived fanbase in tatters.

The 33-year-old winger, who has played for English Premier League giants Arsenal and Liverpool, is also exiting without having quite made that indelible mark on the league that had been expected of him.

An initial spike in interest in Tampines’ games that saw crowds of more than 4,000 at some of its matches, and which led to hopes that this would reverberate throughout the S.League, soon dwindled, as injuries affected his performances and limited his playing time.

The grand experiment to kickstart interest in the S.League, observers say, is all but over, and gives rise to questions over whether the competition is on life-support. Flagging interest in it was further highlighted by scores of empty seats when Albirex Niigata (S) clinched the title just two weeks ago. On- and off-field controversies have further diluted the brand.

Former Singapore international R Sasikumar, who owns PR company Red Card and helped to broker the deal between Pennant and Tampines, said it was a shame that the initial buzz that the player brought was not built upon. "We tried to put a bit of glamour and spark into the S.League, and it helped initially," he told TODAY.

"But nobody really took advantage of his signing to take the league to the next level. He was an asset that was available for the league to leverage, but they failed to do it. Tampines tried, but they can only do so much. It should have been a concerted effort.

"And now, after 21 years of the S.League, we have to ask the hard question if this model works.

"My opinion is that however you look at it, it doesn’t work, so we need to start finding better solutions. A major overhaul of the league is needed."

An S.League club official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, agreed. "It says a lot that even with a high-profile player like Pennant, the interest lasted only for a while," he said. "It shows the league needs more than just a Pennant to revive itself, and everyone must work together to tackle the root of the problem."

When Tampines signed Pennant — and nine ex-LionsXII players — there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth among other S.League clubs, who feared being sidelined in the competition.

But the Tampines bubble soon burst. TODAY reported in April that the club was facing cash-flow problems.

Earlier this month, club chairman Krishna Ramachandra confirmed that the club would slash the wage bill and adopt a more sustainable financial model, one that steers away from relying on clubhouse jackpot machines for revenue.

It did not help that Tampines also faltered on the pitch. While they reached the quarter-finals of the AFC Cup, they failed to win the S.League title. Their only chance of silverware now is in the Singapore Cup. They meet Albirex in the final on Saturday (Oct 29).

After that, they face a post-season exodus of players, including Pennant, who has opted to leave after learning he will earn much less than his current monthly S$20,000 wage.

"It’s just sad that things have ended in this way after starting so well. When I joined, there was a big hype, we had a vision, we were setting ourselves up for big things and it was going good," said Pennant, who scored six goals in 21 league appearances, and is planning to return to the United Kingdom.

"But when you’re hearing things happening off the field, about what’s going on with the club, with players worried about money and bonuses, it does affect the players. You try to be as professional as you can, but you still have bills and a family to look after.

"These things didn’t help. All we could do as players was to try and perform as best as we could.

"But I think I’ve done well, and the statistics can back me up. There’s only so much one player can do, but overall I hope I’ve (made) a good impact on the team and the league. I’m sure I’ll find out if that’s true or not when I leave."

Despite Tampines’ financial problems, Mr Ramachandra has no regrets over splashing the cash on Pennant, and insists the future of the S.League is brighter than many might think. "Pennant has impacted the club and Singapore football very positively," he said.

"Of course the buzz he created when he signed would have naturally died down, because after a while, it is old news. But to say that the league has died with his departure would be inaccurate.

"The whole Singapore football community needs to share the burden of lifting the league. It can still be done, but we must all work together to do that."