Chinese football fans invest money in a food stall run by Singapore’s goalkeeper. here’s why

Chinese football fans have invested their love – and money – in a Singaporean goalkeeper’s food stall after his performance in a match this week indirectly helped China qualify for the third qualifying round for the World Cup in 2026.

Hassan Sunny, the national team’s 40-year-old goalkeeper, became an overnight celebrity on Chinese social media following Singapore’s 3-1 loss to Thailand on Tuesday. China would have been eliminated if Thailand had won by three goals. Sunny made enough saves to prevent this from happening.

Chinese fans lined up and bought all the food from the stall run by Hassan and his wife in Singapore. Chinese people send money using the stall’s QR payment code, which has been widely shared online.

Football is one of the most popular spectator sports in China, although the men’s national team has struggled despite investing millions in the sport. The team has only reached the World Cup once, more than 20 years ago, in 2002.

Cao Zichen, who sent 8.88 Singapore dollars (about $6.50) to the goalkeeper, said he was touched by Hassan’s image as a down-to-earth worker running a small store, unlike to well-paid players from other countries, notably China. In China, eight is a lucky number that expresses wishes for wealth and prosperity.

Some fans described Hassan on social media as the best 12th player in the Chinese team, while a few wondered if he would have tax problems with all the money flowing in. Others found it rather sad and embarrassing that China had progressed this way, with a It shows that the Chinese team prefers to rely on others rather than its own players.

Dapur Hassan, the food stall, quickly rose to the top spot in the Singapore snacks and food section on Dianping, a Chinese restaurant review app. The store specializes in “nasi lemak”, a popular dish made from rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves, which it serves with fried chicken. On the first day, he was exhausted by 1:30 p.m., said Hassan’s wife, Aidah Rahim. .

The rush was stressful for the kitchen staff in the back, she said with a smile. “I mean, yes, my mother, my aunt, who have to keep frying the chicken over and over again, and then the eggs, because the best seller is only nasi lemak.”

Fans posted screenshots of their transactions along with comments like “Sincere appreciation from a football fan” or “Love from China.”

Hassan did not respond to an interview request via email and his Instagram accounts, but he made an announcement in Chinese on the platform Thursday evening, urging people to stop sending money and warning that certain QR codes pretending to be those of his store had been published.

“Thank you for the support over the past few days which allows me to fully feel the enthusiasm of Chinese fans,” he wrote. “I appeal for rational support, stop transferring money to me via the Internet.”

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SNTV producer Justin Chua in Singapore and Associated Press researcher Wanqing Chen in Beijing contributed to this report.