Chinese soccer fans have poured their love — and money — into a Singaporean goalkeeper’s food stall after his performance in a game this week indirectly helped China advance to the third qualifying round for the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
Hassan Sunny, a 40-year-old goalkeeper on the national team, became an overnight celebrity on Chinese social media after 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 that from happening.
Chinese fans have been lining up and buying out all the food at the stand Sunny and his wife run in Singapore. Those in China have been sending money using the stall’s QR payment code, which has been widely shared online.
Photo: AP
Soccer is one of the most popular spectator sports in China, though the men’s national team have struggled despite investments of millions into the sport. The team have only reached the World Cup once, in 2002.
Some fans said on social media that Sunny is the best 12th player on the Chinese team, while a few wondered if he would have tax issues with all the money pouring in. Others called it rather sad and embarrassing that this is how China advanced to the next round, with one saying it shows the China team would rather rely on others than their own players.
Dapur Hassan, the food stand, quickly jumped to No. 1 in the Singaporean snack and food section on Dianping, a Chinese restaurant review app. It specializes in nasi lemak, a rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves.
Photo: AP
Fans have posted screenshots of their transactions, sending from S$1 to S$10 (US$0.75 to US$8) — or more — alongside comments of: “Sincere appreciation from a soccer fan” or “Love from China.”
Sunny did not respond to an interview request via e-mail and his Instagram accounts, but he made an announcement in Chinese on the platform on Thursday night, urging people to stop sending money and warning that some QR codes masquerading as his shop’s had been posted.
“Thank you for the support in the past a few days, which allows me to fully feel the enthusiasm of Chinese fans,” he wrote. “I call for rational support, stop transferring money to me through the Internet.”
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