Singaporean goalkeeper Hassan Sunny revealed that Chinese football enthusiasts have shown their appreciation by sending him monetary contributions following his outstanding performance against Thailand in a World Cup qualifying match, which ultimately aided China in advancing to the next round.
After China suffered a setback with a 1-0 loss to South Korea in Seoul, their chances of qualifying for the final stage of Asian qualifying for the 2026 tournament appeared bleak.
Thailand needed to secure a victory over Singapore by a margin of three goals in Bangkok to surpass China and claim the second spot in Group C, thus eliminating China from the competition.
Although Thailand did defeat Singapore 3-1, China managed to progress to the next round, largely due to the remarkable saves made by the 40-year-old goalkeeper Hassan.
Hassan disclosed to Singapore’s state broadcaster CNA that a snapshot of a payment QR code from his food stall, which was subsequently shared online, enabled fans to send him monetary donations as a gesture of appreciation.
“I did enjoy it for a while. I was like, ‘oh OK, money coming in’,” he said on Thursday.
“But having said that, I was thinking, ‘when is this going to stop? Is this legal?'”
Hassan did not disclose how much money he had been sent but added: “I think we have to stop somewhere.”
His family’s stall, Dapur Hassan, which is located in the eastern suburbs of Singapore, has seen many Chinese fans visit since his heroics against Thailand, so much so that local reports said they ran out of food on Thursday.
“My family is obviously a bit shocked by all these messages,” said Hassan.
“Especially my daughters. They’re like, ‘why do I see your face everywhere?'”