{
  "id": 1259655,
  "title": "'Never give up': President Tharman cheers on S'pore Lions taking on Thailand",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/never-give-up-president-tharman-cheers-on-spore-lions-taking-on",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-16T10:46:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mothership",
    "slug": "mothership",
    "url": "https://mothership.sg/2026/08/never-give-up-president-tharman-lions-football/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "President Tharman Shanmugaratnam offered words of encouragement to Singapore's national football team, the Lions, ahead of their crucial match against Thailand in the Asean Championship. The Lions suffered a 1-3 defeat to Thailand, the top-ranked team in the region, in the first leg of the semi-finals on August 15. The match took place at Jalan Besar Stadium, with the Thai team taking an early lead. Singapore's Ilhan Fandi scored a goal in the 84th minute to provide the Lions with some encouragement.\n\nPresident Tharman and his wife Jane Ittogi were present at the stadium, singing along to \"Home\" alongside the supportive crowd. Following the match, President Tharman shared his thoughts on Facebook, acknowledging the Lions' fighting spirit and determination. He noted that while the Thai team had the upper hand in finishing, Singapore had equal command of the game. The President expressed his best wishes for the Lions in the second leg of the Asean Championship semi-finals, taking place in Bangkok the following Tuesday. He urged the team, \"Never give up!\"\n\nThe teams are scheduled to face each other again in the second leg of the semi-finals on August 18 in Bangkok. Thailand has won the Asean Championship seven times, while Singapore has lifted the trophy four times. In a post-match interview, Lions head coach Gavin Lee commended the team's performance and the unwavering support from the fans. He acknowledged that the fans' steadfast spirit helped the team cope with the scoreline, and the players will use this defeat as motivation to perform better in Bangkok, aiming to rectify the outcome.",
  "summary": "Singapore will play Thailand again on Aug. 18.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}