Rapala Reorganization
Alcántara's plaudits for Escaldes, whom he felt would have at least secured a draw with a full complement of players, was inevitably relegated into the background after breaking news that Rapala FC had entered administration. It remains marginally possible that they manage to hang on regardless, with a three-point cushion between them and seventh, but the announcement nevertheless will mark an unavoidable decline for the once-proud club.
Originally known as Mavericks CF, before being renamed to Rapala Anglers FC, they enjoyed a single season in the S-League as Rapala NC, before settling on their current name and spending many seasons in the wilderness.
An impressively successful transfer regimen allowed head coach Irwandy bin Sarman to assemble a star-studded squad that included the likes of former youth internationals Pei Jingming and He Wenyang, but the excessive wages of over S$1.2 million a week were finally too much for even their considerable reserve funds to bear.
They might have survived had they won access to the moneypot of the S-League after topping the league last season, but a tame 2-0 defeat against Tanglin Winners FC, and disappointing results this campaign, meant that they were left with little way out of their prediacment. Selling their top stars could have bought some extra time, but the owners went for a clean break in the end.
"It's a pity. Rapala had one of the finest offensive setups in the land when it was on song. We would certainly have listened had they put He or Shaiful up for sale." Grilled head coach
Niculae Stanca said. "Hopefully they'll return someday, as other historic clubs like BlueNite have."