Harhys Stewart signs for Kosovo’s Ferizaj, joins older brother Ryhan in Europe

SINGAPORE – At 24, Harhys Stewart may be a late bloomer when compared to his older brother Ryhan, but he is fast catching up in his footballing career after some eye-catching performances.

After contributing his first assists for the Lions in Singapore’s 3-1 home friendly win against the Maldives on June 5, and their 2-1 away Asian Cup qualifying victory over Bangladesh five days later, Harhys is in the spotlight again.

On June 12, the midfielder secured a move from Thai League 1 side Chiangrai United to Football Superleague of Kosovo club Ferizaj on a two-year deal.

He told The Straits Times: “Each player has his own trajectory, and sometimes when I was younger, I would look at friends and teammates of my age getting opportunities earlier than me.

“But I believed if I kept working hard and sticking to it, I would get my own chances.

“After a good season in Thailand, I wanted to progress further and challenge myself, so I talked to agents to look at what opportunities I had.

“There were clubs in Thailand, in the region and in Europe who were interested in me, but Ferizaj came in with a concrete offer and I didn’t want to pass up on it.”

Harhys will travel to Kosovo in early July before the league kicks off in August. His first foray to Europe comes almost three months after 25-year-old Ryhan joined Lithuanian top-tier side FK Riteriai on March 15.

He will be the first Singaporean to play for a Kosovar team.

Welcoming the latest addition to their roster, Ferizaj said in an Instagram post: “He comes from Chiangrai United in Thailand, where he showed a high level of professionalism and safe performances during the past season.

“Stewart brings composure, vision and strength to midfield – qualities that will give more balance and competition to our team.”

Born to a Welsh father and a Malay mother, Harhys spent his childhood in the United Arab Emirates and Finland before returning to Singapore in 2015 and enrolling at the Singapore Sports School.

While he prefers to play in central midfield, he is also capable of playing on the wings and was Young Lions captain in 2023, before he moved to BG Pathum United in 2024. He then joined Chiangrai on loan before the move became permanent.

It was also in 2024 when Harhys made his national team debut in the 2-2 draw against China. However, he was not selected for the Asean Championship squad that year and now has eight caps – winger-cum-fullback Ryhan has 26 since his first Lions match in 2022.

With Chiangrai, Harhys played 43 games and contributed six goals and five assists as the team finished 11th out of 16 teams in 2025.

He said: “I always believed I had the ability to perform at the levels I’ve been playing at, but I needed the consistent run of games and game time, which were so important for me to build my confidence.”

After signing for Kosovo's Ferizaj, Harhys Stewart (left) has joined his older brother Ryhan in Europe, where the latter plays in Lithuania with FK Riteriai. PHOTO: FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE

Founded as Borci in 1923, Ferizaj are one of the oldest clubs in the country. They are based in the city of Ferizaj, about 40km away from the capital Pristina, where they play in the 2,000-seater Ismet Shabani Stadium.

While Harhys admitted he did not know much about Kosovo, he learnt from watching video highlights that the speed and intensity of their football is higher than in South-east Asia.

Ryhan, who has played 10 games for Riteriai, has also chipped in with advice.

Harhys said: “Things have always been competitive between us, but in a good way. He always gives me advice, but the main thing was to be ready for the colder climate and work hard to fight for my place in the starting XI.”

Ferizaj have never been top-tier champions, but they were top of the 10-team Group B in the second-tier Kosovo First League in 2024, earning promotion to the top division.

Managed by former Kosovo international Arsim Abazi, they finished fifth out of 10 teams in the Football Superleague of Kosovo with 50 points from 36 games in 2025.

There are opportunities to qualify for Uefa club competitions as the league champions play in the first qualifying round of the Champions League, while teams who finish second and third play in the Conference League’s second and first qualifying rounds respectively.

Additionally, the Kosovar Cup winners will play in the first qualifying round of the Europa League.

Harhys said: “As a kid, I always watched European football competitions. Having four teams from Kosovo playing in Europe makes it really attractive and it will be a dream if we can qualify and play on that stage.

“I want to be the best player I can be, keep taking the next step forward, be successful and win trophies. I want to play on the biggest stage with good teams in Europe and Asia, and I want to help Singapore qualify for the Asian Cup and create history.”

David Lee is senior sports correspondent at The Straits Times focusing on aquatics, badminton, basketball, cue sports, football and table tennis.

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