Singapore duo Amraan Gani and Joel Chew top Fifa20 Stay And Play Asian Series

SINGAPORE – The Republic has emerged victorious in the Fifa20 Stay and Play Asian Series, an e-football tournament.

Team Flash professional e-sports player Amraan Gani held Aoki Taichi, a representative from the Japan Football Association’s inaugural eFootball national team 0-0, while Tampines Rovers midfielder Joel Chew beat Premier League winner Shinji Okazaki 4-0 on Friday (April 24).

It was their third consecutive win. They had previously beaten Chinese Taipei 5-2 and Malaysia 7-0.

After three days of action, the Singaporeans emerged champions in the four-nation tournament, scoring 16 goals and conceding just two.

In the first match between Amraan and Taichi, who currently plays under the banner of J-League club Kashima Antlers and recently earned a top-16 finish at the FUT Champions Cup, both had many opportunities to score but were not able to capitalise.

Chew, on the other hand, managed to put four goals past Okazaki, exposing his opponent’s weak defence in the second match. The Japanese, who claimed the Premier League title with Leicester in 2016, now plays for Spanish side Sociedad Deportiva Huesca.

“I am really proud that we won the Cup for Singapore. It is really a great feeling to represent Singapore and finally win it. We are really happy,” said Amraan after the tournament.

Of his team-mate, he added: “I expected Joel to win. He can take the pressure.

“He does have what it takes to be a professional e-sports player. He is really good.”

Chew, who felt that the match was extremely stressful, added: “I needed to get this done as Amraan had put all the pressure on me but it is good to end the tournament as champions.

“I want to thank everyone for coming to support us. Even though it is not like real football, it is something to entertain us for the time being.

“As soon as the circuit breaker is over, we can go back to our normal lives. We are glad to bring home the win for the country.”

The quadrangular was organised by the four federations, including the Football Association of Singapore, after the last-minute cancellation of the inaugural Fifa eNations StayAndPlay Cup. It was a global initiative between EA Sports and world governing body Fifa to entertain fans following the Covid-19-enforced hiatus that has affected many leagues around the world.