Tengah Football Club players suspended after Toa Payoh coffee shop brawl

A club in the top level of amateur football here has confirmed that several of its players were among 11 men arrested for rioting with a deadly weapon on Aug 24.

In a post on Instagram on Sept 1, Tengah Football Club said: "Upon being informed of their involvement, the players were immediately suspended from all club activities pending the outcome of the police investigation.

"As a club, we maintain a zero-tolerance stance against violence, gangsterism, or any conduct that brings disrepute to the sport or our community."

According to the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) website, Tengah FC is among eight teams in Division 1 of the Singapore Football League (SFL). There are four tiers in men's football here - the Singapore Premier League (SPL), which is for professionals; Division 1 and Division 2 of the SFL; and the Island Wide League. The latter three are for amateurs.

In February 2024, Tengah FC announced it had received in-principle approval from FAS to join the SPL ahead of the 2024-2025 season. But the club later said it had decided to focus on making preparations to join the professional league at a later time.

The police had earlier said they were alerted to an incident at Block 10B Lorong 7 Toa Payoh at about 10am on Aug 24, and found that a fight had taken place there.

The police arrested 13 suspects -12 men and one woman - aged between 21 and 34. Eleven men have been charged with rioting while armed with a deadly weapon.

The cases involving most of the men will be mentioned again in court on Sept 3.

In its post, Tengah FC said the affected players were informed of their suspensions through formal letters, and that it would wait for ongoing police investigations to conclude before taking further disciplinary action.

Tengah FC also said the club was built to provide opportunities for people from disadvantaged backgrounds, including former convicts seeking rehabilitation. It added that its mission is to reintegrate them into society through football, while offering avenues for gainful employment.