Sporting Afrique started off their debut 2006 S.League season in a 2–1 win over Woodlands Wellington in their first home match at the sold-out crowd, Yishun Stadium.

Sporting Afrique were involved in a number of off-field controversies, and their application to participate in the S.League again in 2007 was rejected by the FAS.

In June 2006, it was reported that, while the players had been promised monthly salaries of S$1,600 (~US$1,000), they only received S$100 a month (~US$60), as S$700 was deducted for food (reportedly a monotonous diet of rice and chicken), and S$800 for accommodation despite all 22 team members living 5 or 6 per room in the same house in an area where a typical house rental was around S$3,000.

They barely can go anywhere other than the stadium as they find travel is too expensive and their contracts also forbade talking to the media, but team members contacted the BBC anonymously, drawing international attention.

Club president Collin Chee, who had initially claimed to be "not short-changing any of them", eventually backed down and agreed to raise their salaries to S$600, with performance bonuses and better housing.