March 27, 2004

As Noor Ali makes his return to the National team, he still remember those dark days when he was suspended from football. He had worked 3 jobs to support his wife and three kids.

Noor Ali was banned for 12 months by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) for breaching their code of conduct after Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) conducted investigation about his betting on S-League matches.

S-leagues players & staff are not allowed to bet under the S-league code of conduct.

He hit rock bottom as it was a big blow to the 28-year-old's income, as well as his stature as 1 of the few national players who were blameless during the Lions' disastrous 2002 Tiger Cup campaign.

With that, he applied for any job to make ends meet with his status as a former national player mattering little. Eventually, he settled for working the graveyard shift at Changi Airport as a cargo handler while during the day, he helped out at his father's hawker stall in Bedok. He had also found a job as a football coach for kids at the Singapore American School and the United World College.

All these for a monthly income of between $1,200-$1,300. It was only about a fifth of what he used to earn as a footballer.

Noor Ali acknowledged he often came home at around 5am after work at the Airport but he did not mind the long hours. What he minds was that he hardly saw his wife & kids. His wife Samsiah, a bank teller, had to work extra hours to support their 3 children. When she returned from work, Noor Ali would be out at his airport job.

Apart from financial hardship, he also had to endure his colleagues' whispers about his brush with the CPIB and soccer betting. He now seldom chatted with them & keep to himself.

He returned finally to football in January, training without pay with Geylang United until his suspension was lifted last month. He volunteered for extra training sessions to make up for lost time & has started well this season, scoring 4 times in 5 games.

It was good enough for Avramovic to recall him into the national for the high-profile World Cup qualifier against Japan. Avramovic like his speed, which is always an important asset in international matches as well as the fact he is in taking scoring chances. As far as Avramovic is concerned, his past counts for nothing as the slate is clean.

While the national coach is forgiving, Noor Ali's past continues to haunt him, especially during S-League matches with fans shouting obscenities at him, asking if he had betted on the match. Noor Ali can only try his best to ignore them & played his best football in the hope they can forget & forgive his past.