KWEH ALL BUSINESS ON THE PITCH

After earning his degree, Lions winger is focused on football as Timor-Leste await

- Deepanraj Ganesan

Since he picked up the sport aged just five, national winger Glenn Kweh had constantly been reminded by his mother that if his academics were not up to scratch, there would be no football.

To realise his dream of becoming a professional footballer, Kweh decided to play the long game and put aside his passion temporarily to ensure he would do well enough in his A-level examinations at Victoria Junior College to make it to a local university.

It meant that at 16, he left the National Football Academy and returned to regular football training only five years later when he joined the Young Lions in 2021 after completing national service.

While a decision to put sport on hold may have seen him fall through the cracks, Kweh has gone on to juggle studies and football with aplomb.

After graduating from the National University of Singapore with a degree in business administration in May, the 24-year-old is fully focused on football and has become a key player under Lions coach Tsutomu Ogura.

His contributions from the flanks could be crucial as world No. 161 Singapore target a win and a flurry of goals against 196th-ranked Timor-Leste in their Asean Championship Group A match at the Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi on Dec 14.