The Lion City Sailors were officially awarded a 3–0 victory over BG Tampines Rovers in the 2025/26 Singapore Cup Final after their substitution fiasco which saw them have eight foreign players on. the pitch at the same time.
Regulations meant that they needed to have four local players on the field of play at all times but a substitution fiasco in about the 81st minute saw Rovers in breach of the rules.
The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said in a statement that a post-match review was conducted following the final.
The review determined that Tampines Rovers had contravened Article 19.2 of the Singapore Cup 2025/26 Regulations by failing to maintain the mandatory minimum of four Singaporean players on the pitch.
The infringement occurred in the 81st minute when Japanese national Yuki Kobayashi was introduced as a substitute for Singaporean Joel Chew, reducing the number of local players below the required threshold.
As a result, the club was also found to have breached Article 4.2.4 of the Regulations, which subsequently triggered Article 4.3.
Therefore, the match was declared lost by forfeit by Tampines Rovers, with the score amended to 3–0 in favour of Lion City Sailors.
FAS clarified that while the match was allowed to run its natural course on the sporting front, the incident was reviewed and addressed after, in line with established competition regulations.
The association reiterated its commitment to safeguarding the integrity of its competitions and ensuring strict compliance with all tournament rules.
MAIN PHOTO: FAS