The illustrious 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar saw around five billion people following the coveted event across the media universe and over 3.4 million spectators showed up to watch the historic games before their very eyes.
One of the lucky millions present was Singapore’s finest Ash Hashim, a FIFA Players’ Agent, a FIFA-accredited journalist and founder of football-related content platform Futbolita.
The entire World Cup experience late last year still feels like a “childhood dream come true” and very much like being on a crazed “football island” for a month, she told Coconuts recently.
Her FIFA-accredited journalist pass scored her a chance to fly over and cover the games for a month. At the same time, she was also churning out content for her Futbolita platform as well as brands and clients who requested first-hand and behind-the-scenes coverage in Qatar.
I fell in love with the emotions that come from watching a game, the highs and lows of it, the passion. Those 90 minutes in football transport you into a different world of dreams and sheer, unbridled joy.
Ash Hashim, Founder of Futbolita
Did she meet football superstars and idols? You bet.
The World Cup’s Best Player Lionel Messi, Top scorer Kylian Mbappé and Brazilian aces Casemiro and Neymar were the famed lot she met after covering Brazil and France teams extensively.
“These are highly respected players, of course, and it was no doubt amazing to be able to be in the same rooms or places as them,” she said.
Ash and her team of four would bounce off from one press conference to another, attend media events, games, training sessions as well as interview fans and players. And the cycle would repeat daily.
“Hectic” was an understatement, she said.
When the Japan and South Korean teams scored their way into the Round of 16, Asians beamed with pride, especially Ash who was one of the few Asian reporters present during the intense Japan vs Spain match where the Japanese won 2-1.
“All of us were standing at our tables with our hands to our head because it was so crazy. At the end, a few of the European journalists shook my hand and said “Asian football deserves this victory, congratulations!”,” she recounted.
The dark side of sports journalism
But covering a mega sports event like the World Cup is not all glamorous. According to Ash, the stress was immense covering a 30-day event.
“Confirmed schedules are sometimes rescheduled to few hours later and sometimes days later or worst, its canceled. On a daily basis, everything is happening at the same time – matches, training sessions for all the countries, media events, press conferences, just to name a few,” she shared.
On top of mental endurance, the journalists – like the players – had to adjust to scorching temperatures during the day and cold snaps at night in Qatar.
The nonstop back-to-back coverage of the games also could take a turn for the worst when it was reported that three sports journalists, including highly respected sports writer Grant Wahl, had collapsed and died mid-game.
Let’s kick it back to the start
Ash played football for fun when she was younger and supplemented that with a whole lot of live football coverage from watching the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League and going to see the Singapore national team matches with her father.
“I fell in love with the emotions that come from watching a game, the highs and lows of it, the passion. Those 90 minutes in football transport you into a different world of dreams and sheer, unbridled joy,” she said.
Her passion launched Futbolita in 2010 when it started out as a blog to reach alike fanatics globally and soon gained a following after posting stories that crossed over to players’ lifestyles and even memes.
Now, the team produces content locally and abroad, covering local, Asian and international games such as the Singapore Premier League, AFF Championship, SEA Games, among many others.
@ashfutbolita Argentina are through – who is next? 🙈 #fifaworldcup #fyp #tiktok ♬ Vamos, Vamos Argentina – La Barra Buyanguera
Support local
We all know that local football is far from being appreciated, doesn’t get the support that it deserves and is even looked down on by many.
Ash says she doesn’t blame these haters since results have not been up to standards, especially since losing 4-1 to Malaysia at the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Mitsubishi Electric Cup in January.
But to those who are still comparing their achievements to a decade ago when Singapore took home the regional AFF Championship four times — most recently in 2012, Ash says it’s neither “feasible” nor “fair” to compare the present to the past.
Also, Singapore does not have the luxury of bringing in as many foreign players as it liked as compared to other Asian countries like Thailand and Malaysia.
@ashfutbolita Tampines Rovers fan Luqman shares how you can support both a local (Singapore) and foreign football team! #football #tiktoksg #fypシ #myristorantecreation ♬ Canyons – Official Sound Studio
Some things have got to change and football initiatives like the Unleash the Roar project, a national movement that trains young footballers and offers overseas scholarships, might rally the nation into victory.
“The style of football in Asia has changed immensely in the last decade, and we need to pull up our socks to catch up. I believe we can, but we need to relook certain policies,” she said.
Any hater out there should keep criticism objective and not personal because no player would go into a game with the desire to lose, she added.
Another facet of football Ash proudly endorses is Women’s football. The platform covers local women’s football like the Women’s Premier League now known as Deloitte Women’s Premier League. The league welcomes girls and women interested in getting their names out and playing professionally.
She says the women are all “amazing” players of football who also juggle other commitments like their full-time jobs, schools and families.
“I’m very proud of all of them, and I hope that women’s football will continue to grow exponentially within the next few years,” she said.
As a FIFA agent who manages national team players, she hopes to one day expand to managing women players as well.
@ashfutbolita Some amazing advice for all the girls and women out there who want to get into football! #football #tiktoksg #womenempowerment ♬ Inspirational Piano – AShamaluevMusic
Aspiring fans listen up!
To new football fans, it’s “never too late to start” learning about everything there is to the sport.
Maybe start with documentaries on streaming services and YouTube or delve in the books on the history of the sport, Ash said. But most importantly, don’t be shy to engage with other like-minded friendly fans on social media!
Till Singapore football achieves its glorious victories, Ash will continue putting out her bulk of local football content.
“Support local football – we need it more than ever!” she said.
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