Liga Singapura

Media Release by Nike

2012-03-03T00:56:00.000+08:00

NIKE LAUNCHES ‘THE CHANCE’ GLOBAL SEARCH
FOR BEST AMATEUR PLAYERS
Pep Guardiola Calls on Young Guns to Showcase Talent on Global Stage

SINGAPORE, MARCH 2– Pep Guardiola today launched ‘The Chance’ 2012 – a unique global football talent search that gives young amateur footballers from around the world the chance to prove themselves on an elite stage and take their game to the highest level.

Created to support talented youngsters who are not currently in the professional game, ‘The Chance’ will allow the best young footballers (over 16 years old on March 1^st 2012) to train and play at the leading facilities in world football, showcase their skills in front of elite coaches and mentors, and develop and improve their talent, with one aim; to get noticed.

Players from 55 countries around the world will take part in ‘The Chance’ trials in 2012.  The best 100 players from these trials, watched by top Nike coaches, will then travel to a global final in Spain, to be held at FC Barcelona’s famed youth academy. There, they will experience world class facilities, elite coaching, and input from nutritionists, psychologists and fitness conditioners as they progress in the programme.

‘The Chance’ was first launched in 2010, and has since seen thousands of talented footballers participate in coaching at the very best level.  And this year’s programme promises to be the most global and competitive yet.

The final 100 players will take part in an intense training and competition schedule in Barcelona, while being evaluated by a world-class team of coaches and scouts. Players will be assessed through training drills including Nike SPARQ, a training and conditioning system that helps build better athletes.

The best 16 footballers from the global finals will be chosen by Nike to experience the ultimate training tour as their reward; facing some of the most renowned academy teams in world football, including Manchester United and a U.S. Youth National Team during a once-in-a-lifetime four week tour.

Players will live the life of an elite footballer and train at the best facilities under the watchful eyes of club coaches and scouts. A golden chance to get noticed and potentially win a professional contract.

Players can register themselves and their teams by building a ‘team page’ on The Chance app which is available via the Nike Football facebook page (facebook.com/nikefootball).  In addition, they can receive programme updates via @NikeFootball on Twitter. Nike scouts will then select teams to visit and watch them play, with a view to spotting talented individuals and rewarding them with entry to their local country final.  Nike scouts will also talent spot individuals from local football networks.

Pep Guardiola, global ambassador for The Chance and FC Barcelona Manager, said:  “The Chance gives young players from around the world the opportunity to showcase their talent and develop their skills on a global stage.

“The programme celebrates those players with passion for the game and the best technique, giving them the chance to get noticed and reach their potential.”

Seon Min Moon from Seoul in South Korea, a winner of The Chance in 2010 proves that the programme can change lives.  After joining the Nike Academy in the UK last season, (last year’s prize for finalists) his performances against sides including Arsenal FC and Inter Milan caught the eye of Swedish scouts, earning him a two-year contract with Ostersunds FK.

He adds: “The Chance gave me the opportunity to play with and against players from all over the world, helping my game, and getting me noticed by my new club.  It’s a dream come true.  I hope my story inspires the players in this year’s programme.”

For more information on The Chance visit www.nikefootball.com. Players can register from March 1.  Visit www.nikefootball.com for more information.

Iraq puts seven past Singapore

2012-03-01T08:25:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE, 29 February 2012: Singapore finished their 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian Zone Qualifying campaign in Group A with a 7-1 loss at the hands of Iraq who finished as group leaders to make it through to the Fourth Round.

Hosted at the majestic Al Arabi Stadium in Doha, Qatar. Zico’s men came out of the blocks in top gear as forward Kerrar Jasim drilled a low grounder past Hassan Sunny in goal to give the host nation an early lead with just four minutes on the clock.

Seven minutes later, captain Younis Mahmood got Iraq’s second goal after taking on the Singapore defence before clipping the ball past a hapless Sunny in goal.

While the Lions attempted to claw their way back into the game, the Iraq offence was in full swing and with 20 minutes on the clock, Mahmood was brought down in the box and Hawar Mohammed stepped up to slot the ball into the net for a 3-0 lead.

The complexion of the game changed when a well-worked combination between Shahdan Sulaiman, Shahril Ishak and Isa Halim saw the latter break through and thumped the ball confidently past Mohammed Kassid to make it 3-1.

The fourth goal for Iraq came in the form of another penalty kick given by Oman referee, Abdullah Mohamed Al Hilali for a foul on Ali Erhaima and the subsequent spot-kick was duly converted by playmaker Nashat Akram.

Lions coach Radojko Avramovic switched things up in the second half as he brought on Fazrul Nawaz in place of defensive midfielder Isa Halim to give the team a more attacking look.

However, the storyline was similar as the first-half with Mustafa Kareem scoring the fifth goal with barely a minute after the interval.

Despite valiant attempts to break down the Iraqi back-line, the Lions failed to find an opening for the rest of the match and had to witness the magnificent Younis Mahmood score a hat-trick courtesy of two more goals in the 60^th and 90^th minute.

Speaking after the match, coach Radojko Avramovic was in a sombre mood as he addressed the reporters. He said: “Iraq came and outplayed us today. They showed why they have managed to qualify for the next round and their quality was obvious throughout the match. Today’s results around Asia also showed the gap between South East Asian nations and the Middle Eastern countries in terms of the standard of football.”

Captain Shahril Ishak was visibly disappointed but was quick to address the positives of the whole campaign. He said: “We tried to play but the result did not come. The World Cup qualification round is now over and we need to look forward together as a team in preparation for the next tournament. Throughout this past few months of playing in the qualifying stages, we have picked up invaluable experience and this can only be good for us in time to come.”

Goalscorer Isa Halim was equally optimistic when he added: “As a player representing Singapore, it is not a nice feeling to lose by this kind of scoreline. I may have scored in the game but I believe team work and staying tight as a unit is the only way forward. We have to take the positives from this whole campaign and use the experience we have picked up in preparation for the AFF Suzuki Cup at the end of the year.”

Iraq Starting Line-up: Mohammed Kassid(GK), Basem Abbas, Qusay Muneer, Nashat Akram, Younis Mahmood(C), Hawar Mohammed(Luay Salah 72’), Kerrar Jasim(Mustafa Kareem 29’), Salam Shaker, Ali Erhaima, Samal Saeed, Muthana Khalid Salih(Saad Abdulameer 88’)

Singapore Starting Line-up: Hassan Sunny(GK), Irwan Shah, Baihakki Khaizan, Daniel Bennett, Ruzaini Zainal(Delwinder Singh 54’), Mustafic Fahrudin, Shi Jiayi, Shahdan Sulaiman, Qiu Li(Agu Casmir 70’), Isa Halim(Fazrul Nawaz 45’), Shahril Ishak(C)

[Media release by Football Association of Singapore]

FAS Women's Premier League 2012 Fixtures

2012-02-29T10:48:00.000+08:00

The Football Association of Singapore Women's Premier League is here again. With the defending champions having a name change to be known as Tanjong Pagar United FC, this will also mean that the Jaguars will be the first to officially have a Women's team on board.

This league will commence on 25 March, Sunday with most games played on school grounds. Kick off timings of these games had been scheduled for 1700hrs, which i thought is a good timing for the games.

Do watch these ladies in action, as the battle for supremacy in the league. Liga Singapura will again bring you coverage of the games, live on the ground, so stay tune.

Lions walk away with a 2-2 draw against European opponents Azerbaijan

2012-02-25T15:08:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE, 24 February 2012: The Singapore national Football team walked away with a 2-2 draw against Azerbaijan at the Sevens Stadium in Dubai, U.A.E on 24 February 2012.

Singapore First XI vs Azerbaijan [Photo: FAS]

In their first international ‘A’ friendly of the year, the brave Lions took on their European counterparts who are coached by German tactician, Berti Vogts at the wonderful Sevens Stadium where the match was played at 5.30pm local time to the backdrop of a beautiful sunset.

Radojko Avramovic’s men showed a lot of aggression and confidence from the first minute as they played a high-tempo game where they closed down the opponents at every given opportunity.

Shahdan Sulaiman got the Lions’ first chance at goal in the ninth minute when a Hassan Sunny long punt up the field found Fazrul Nawaz down the right before the Singapore Armed Forces FC winger clipped a delightful cross into the path of Shahdan who blazed it wide.

While the Lions looked to continue pushing forward, a defensive error in the 15th minute saw Azerbaijan striker Rauf Aliyev find his way into the box and unleashed a shot that glided past Hassan Sunny in goal to give the Europeans a 1-0 lead.

Singapore went into the break a goal down but Avramovic’s men showed glimpses of their immense talent to whet the appetite of a partisan crowd at the Sevens Stadium.

Irwan Shah, Shi Jiayi and Qiu Li came on at the break in place of Agu Casmir, Shaiful Esah and Fazrul Nawaz as Avramovic remapped his tactics in search of an equalizer.

Qiu Li was the most eager to get out of the blocks as he took on the Azerbaijan defenders on every occasion he had while Irwan Shah was his usual tenacious self at left-back.

However, the boys had to bite the bullet when Azerbaijan right-back Mahir Shukorov found the back of the net in the 62nd minute to give Berti Vogts’ side a 2-0 lead. Firdaus Idros was brought on six minutes later in place of the hardworking Isa Halim to give the side more penetration in attack.

With the result seemingly set in stone at that point, the Lions puffed out their chests and refused to back down.

Shahril Ishak rallied his men and in the 71st minute, some good work down the left saw Qiu Li bamboozling his way into the box before he was hacked down to give the Lions a glimpse of hope.
Captain Shahril stepped up and on his second attempt, slotted the ball in to push the game into a nervy 19 minutes.

While Azerbaijan desperately tried to slow the game down, Avramovic urged his men forward and the breakthrough came with the final kick of the game when Mustafic Fahrudin deceived the entire Azerbaijan defence as he laid on a perfect ball for a grateful Shahdan to send a low grounder past the goalkeeper to give the Lions their first draw of 2012.

Speaking after the match, Shahdan Sulaiman said: “Of course I am delighted to have scored the equalizer so late into the game. Throughout the match, I attempted shots at goal as and when the opportunity presented itself but for my goal, I never expected Farra(Mustafic Fahrudin) to lay the ball off to me. My immediate thought was the many tactical drills that Coach Raddy(Avramovic) put us through in training and I executed the move like how we have repeated countless times during the training sessions. I am glad our tactics paid off and now we can look forward to 2012 having started the year with such a positive result against a European team.”

Another man who was under the spotlight was defender Baihakki Khaizan who played his first match for the national team after a one year absence.

“I am just pleased to back in the fray. To be representing your country is always a huge honour and I worked really hard to get back into the national team these past months. To be able to hold a European team like Azerbaijan, who count England as one of their opponents in recent years to a draw is a wonderful result. We should have more matches against tough opponents like this to help us improve and get better as a team. As for myself, it was a performance that I am happy with but we cannot take things for granted. We should look at every match as an opportunity to get a good result and I am looking forward to continuing the rest of 2012 in good form and keep myself in the national team reckoning.”

Shaiful Esah also commented, “It is a good result for us. This draw against Azerbaijan gives us a good start to 2012 and we can carry the momentum forward in preparation for the AFF Suzuki Cup at the end of the year. We should play more of these games because this allows us to see where we stand against better opponents especially teams from Europe. On a personal note, playing against teams like Azerbaijan will give us the chance to raise our own games to a higher level and this can only benefit the national team in general.”

Singapore Starting Line-up: Hassan Sunny(GK), Baihakki Khaizan, Shaiful Esah(Irwan Shah 45’), Daniel Bennett, Ruzaini Zainal(Delwinder Singh 80’), Isa Halim(Firdaus Idros 68’), Shahdan Sulaiman, Fazrul Nawaz(Shi Jiayi 45’), Mustafic Fahrudin, Shahril Ishak(C)(Patrick Paranjody 90’), Agu Casmir(Qiu Li 45’)

*media information by Football Association of Singapore

Albirex Niigata U18 wow Singapore fans, end tour undefeated

2012-02-25T00:44:00.000+08:00

They were here on a training tour, and scheduled four matches against local sides namely Tanjong Pagar United Under 18, Home United, Albirex Niigata (S), and Geylang United. The boys from Albirex Niigata (Japan) ended the training tour with a 1-1 draw with the Geylang United Eagles today at the Bedok Stadium.

In the space of four days, the boys from Albirex were unbeaten throughout the entire week and what made things even more interesting was the fact that they had played four back to back games in a row. With three wins and a draw, scoring 17 goals in the process, and conceding three in all those games.

Mr Ryan He was at the Bedok Stadium on Friday evening and he was very kind to share his shots with Liga Singapura. Here's a compilation from Mr Ryan.

For the record, the following are results while the boys were in Singapore:

Tanjong Pagar United U18 0-10 Albirex Niigata U18

Home United 2-4 Albirex Niigata U18

Albirex Niigata (S) 0-2 Albirex Niigata U18

Geylang United 1-1 Albirex Niigata U18

Shop N Save Singapore named 'Official Supermarket' for the LIONSXII

2012-02-24T00:04:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE, 23 February 2012: LIONSXII have secured another sponsorship deal, with Shop N Save Singapore, coming on board as the ‘Official Supermarket’ for the Singapore outfit in its debut season in the Malaysian Super League.

Being one of the leading supermarkets in Singapore, Shop N Save’s involvement will see the Dairy Farm subsidiary, offer promotions and attractive deals for its customers, as well as LIONSXII supporters.

With sponsors having a crucial role to play as the backbone of the team, coupled with the marketing initiatives that are being rolled out for this project, and the good run by the team over the last few matches, the Football Association of Singapore and Shop N Save look forward to shaping this partnership into a successful one and also to a great season ahead for the LIONSXII.

Today, you have seen the teaser promotions for LIONSXII in our print advertisements, providing another platform for the LIONSXII to reach out to the fans through our supermarkets in our return to the Malaysian Super League and domestic competitions.

LIONSXII will continue their 2012 Malaysian Super League campaign after the two-week long international break with a match against Kuala Lumpur Felda United FC at home on Tuesday, March 6.

*media release by Football Association of Singapore

Singapore squad announced for the 2012 Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy

2012-02-23T00:42:00.001+08:00

SINGAPORE, 22 February 2012: The Football Association of Singapore will be sending a squad to compete in the 2012 Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy, which will be held from 25th February to 10th March 2012.

Singapore U21 vs Malaysia U19 [Photo by: Ryan He]

Singapore is in Group A together with Myanmar, Philippines, Indonesia and Laos.

The team will leave for the tournament on the 23^rd of February 2012 and return to Singapore on the 10^th of March 2012.

Attached is the squad list for your information and mentioned below is the match schedule for Singapore in the tournament.

Date	Match
26-Feb	Match: Indonesia vs Singapore (Kick-Off at 2015 hours)
28-Feb	Match: Singapore vs Laos (Kick-Off at 2015 hours)
2-Mar	Match: Philippines vs Singapore (Kick-Off at 2015 hours)
4-Mar	Match: Myanmar vs Singapore (Kick-Off at 2015 hours)
7-Mar	Semi-Finals
9-Mar	Final

Squad List Singapore U21
Goalkeepers:
Fawwaz Anuar, Syazwan Buhari

Defenders:
Al-Qaasimy Rahman, Tajeli Selamat, Sheilkh Abdul Hadi, Gary Loo, Ali Hudzaifi, Faris Azienuddin, Shannon Stephen

Midfielders:
Faris Ramli, Shamil Sharif, Aqhari Abdullah, Sufianto Salleh, Dong Junming, Anumanthan Mohan Kumar

Forwards:
Fareez Farhan, Haniff Sadique, Amy Recha,

Singapore U21 in action (1) [Photo: Ryan He]

Singapore U21 in action (2) [Photo: Ryan He]

*media information by Football Association of Singapore, Photos by Ryan He.

DPMM maintain good run against Warriors, Woodlands go joint top

2012-02-20T16:54:00.000+08:00

Brunei DPMM maintained its fine record against the mighty Singapore Armed Forces FC and went home with all three points tonight as the Bruneian outfit excelled from start to finish at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium. For the record, the Bruneian outfit has not lost to the eight times S-League Champions in the last three league meetings now.

Tatsuro Inui battling against Basiru Osman (Photo: BP Chua)

The points were sealed by striker Shahrazen Said on 80 minutes when a defensive lapse at in the Warriors’ defence line allows the striker to shoot past Hassan Sunny from an acute angle. Tatsuro Inui drew the Warriors level on 68 minutes after Basiru Osman had given the visitors the lead with a simple tap in from close range with just 17 minutes gone on the clock.

The visitors signaled their intentions on attacking right from the start as they came out in a 3-4-3 formation - one which was rarely seen in the S-League these days, and the tactic seemed to be paying off as the Bruneians bombarded the Warriors goal. At the rate that the Warriors were conceding corners, it was no surprise that the first goal did eventually come from one of the many which that they conceded. Rosmin Kamis’ deep cross caused some confusion in the Warriors’ penalty area which Basiru Osman to be unmarked two yards away from the goal line before he bundled the ball home to give DPMM the lead on 17 minutes.

This seemed to be the biggest challenge that the Warriors are facing in the last couple of seasons now. The squad that Richard Bok has with him is arguably one of the best and the most expensive in the league this season. However, they Warriors, who were tipped to shine, failed to secure a single point out of a total possible six after two rounds of matches, and they are right at the foot of the table, alongside Courts Young Lions.

Vjeran Simunic was delighted with the win and he dedicated the win as a belated birthday present to DPMM’s boss, also the Crown Prince of Brunei, Al-Muhtadee Billah.

“This is our first three points in 2012 season, and I dedicate this win to my boss who just celebrated his birthday few days ago” said Simunic

“Today my team raised their performance from the last game and I am happy with the performance. If we keep on playing like this, we will be able to achieve the top five target set by the management team. Maybe we can do one better and go fourth” Simunic joked.

It must been harsh on Richard Bok’s boys as they are still pointless after two rounds of games. With an equally tough game coming up against Home United when the league resumes after the International break, Richard Bok will have to be make sure that his boys are back to their best, in order not to suffer three consecutive defeats in as many games.

“The positive thing is that the boys kept trying. They didn’t give up. We could have won the game after we got the equalizer but it was not to be”

“We take a break now and there’s an invitation to play in Kelantan over the next weekend, and I think it would be good for the players to get out of the country for a while as it can help the team in one way or another” said Richard

According to sources in

Malaysia

, the game that Richard Bok spoke about will be played in Kota Bharu, on 25 February.

At the Woodlands Stadium, Geylang United dominated a scrappy first half which produced minimal chances for both teams. Had Geylang been sharper in the final third, they could have been in the lead going into the break. The best chance of the half came from an Eagle’s corner, where Ang Zhiwei’s diving header was cleared off the line.

The second half began brightly for Woodlands, with the nippy Goh Swee Swee tormenting the opponents thru the flanks, and man-of-the-match Hussein Akil in the middle. The breakthrough finally came in the 58th minute through the Australian, who slotted the ball home after Moon Soon Ho missed the inswinging ball from a corner. The rams seemed to have received a confidence boost jab from that goal as they stepped up their play from then on.

Goh Swee Swee put his team two goals ahead when he curled a seemingly harmless ball from the far left near the by-line into the goalin the 69th minute. In the 83rd minute,Muhd Daniel, who had just came on minutes earlier for Zhiwei pulled a goal back for his team. As Geylang piled on their attack hoping to grab an equalizer, the rams sealed all three points when Moon Soon Ho scored from a quick counter attack after Rhema Obed had a penalty call waved away just seconds earlier. Speaking after the game, Woodlands’ assistant coach, Clement Teo credited Geylang for putting up a good performance in the first half, but the Rams took their chances and belief as well as team effort contributed to the goals and the win.

Geylang’s head coach, Mike Wong was happy with the performance of his team, even though certain players could have performed better. Leadership was lacking in the game and like what newly appointed chairman, Leong Kok Fann mentioned in a speech to his players after the game “We have a good chance to bounce back in the next game”

Geylang United's Chairman addressing the team after the game (Photo: Terence Kua)

With the win, Woodlands Wellington is now second in the table, just behind Albirex Niigata(S) on one goal difference. These two teams will be meeting next on 1st March, at Jalan Besar Stadium. Geylang United will be away to Hougang United at Hougang Stadium on 3rd March, both matches kick off at 7.45pm.

DEFENSIVE LAPSE KILLS THE CAT

2012-02-18T02:23:00.000+08:00

Albirex Niigata stormed to the top of the S-League standings (photo: Leo Shengwei)

Three goals conceded from free kicks, the White Swans definently made scoring from set plays look easy. For the second time in two games, Albirex needed 15 minutes to ‘warm up’ and settle into the game. Unlike last week though, they were punished this time when Hafiz Osman scored with a free header from an Asraf Rashid’s corner to give Tanjong Pagar a one goal lead with just three minutes on the clock. Credit to the Jaguars as they put up a strong defensive show to protect their lead, with the occasional attack led by the speedy Lee Joo Sang, who might have done better with more support upfront.

35 minutes were all the Jaguars could hold on, when Masatake Sato scored from a free kick assisted by the left upright in the 38th minute. In fact, just moments earlier, Musashi Okuyama threatened to score when his shot crashed off the crossbar with Fajar Sarib well beaten.

A solo effort by Lee Joo Sang was nearly rewarded with a goal but the defence held firm to go into the break tied at one apiece. Albirex came out in the second half with their guns firing, and were nearly rewarded when Sato curled his shot just wide.

The Jaguars held firm as they contained Albirex’s waves of attack and were assisted by the poor passing of the Japanese. A lapse of concentration in the Tanjong Pagar back line allowed Yashuhiro Yamakoshi, who had just came on seven minutes earlier to head home from close range to give his team a 2-1 lead in the 70th minute. If two goals conceded from two lapses wasn’t enough, it happened an unfortunate third time when Yamakoshi scored from a direct free kick through a badly organized Tanjong Pagar defensive wall to put his team 3-1 up in the 87th minute.

There was still enough time to add a fourth goal two minutes later, when Okuyama latched on to a breakaway from a Tanjong Pagar free kick, crossing the ball to the far post for Toshikazu Soya to put the ball past the onrushing Fajar.

Losing by four goals was harsh for the Jaguars, but Kudos to Albirex for remaining focused to achieve their target.

Hougang celebrates one of the three goals scored on the night (Photo: BP Chua)

In the other match up at Jalan Besar Stadium, Courts Young Lions were the victims of a three goal thumping by Hougang United. Sobrie Mazelan, Jordan Webb and Stanislav Vidakovic sealed the game for the Cheetahs before the hour mark to help the Cheetahs register their first win of the season.

On Sunday(19/2), Singapore Armed Forces will take on Brunei DPMM at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium, while Woodlands Wellington entertains Geylang United at the Woodlands Stadium. Both matches kicks off at 745pm.

Balestier shock defending Champions

2012-02-17T02:01:00.003+08:00

Balestier Khalsa 1-0 Tampines Rovers

Scorer: Ruhaizad Ismail 86’

Crowd: 1309

Balestier Khalsa went top of the Great Eastern Yeo’s S-League table when the shocked defending Champions Tampines Rovers on Thursday evening at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

A famous win for the Tigers (Photo: BP Chua)

The Tigers have now gone unbeaten against the top two sides in the S-League in 2011 and along the way; they have picked up four points out of a possible six to send the message across the island that they are the ones to look out for this season.

Second half substitute Ruhaizad Ismail got to the end of a defence splitting pass by Goran Subara, who was given the luxury of acres of space as he brought the ball all the way from the mid way line before sending Ruhaizad through on goal. With only Sasa Dreven to beat, Ruhaizad calmly slotted the ball into the bottom right hand corner.

Goal scorer Ruhaizad, reacting to a missed opportunity before he scored

(Photo: Ryan He)

The Tampines’ players were left shocked by the goal and had no way through the Balestier back line in the last eight minutes, inclusive of stoppage time. Ismadi Mukhtar was presented with an excellent opportunity right at the death when Imran Sahib found him unmarked in the box. Having controlled the ball to perfection, the shot by Ismadi on his weaker left foot sailed inches past the post, to sum up the night for the Stags, who have now only managed one point from a possible six, a result which would be deemed unacceptable by many.

Speaking to reporters after the game, head coach Steven Tan admitted that his side “did not turn up at all” for tonight’s clash, and hence crediting Balestier Khalsa for pushing his boys all the way.

Darren Stewart was full of praise for his players, and mentioned that he “could not have asked for anything more” from his players for this famous victory.

I thought that Balestier Khalsa played their tactics right today. It was just soak and strike for them with Ridwan Jamil, Tengku Mushadad, Paul Cunningham and Goran Subara in particular, who shone for the Tigers. These four players stood out among the rest of their peers and should they continue from what they have left off from this game, the Tigers could be one real surprise package this term.

Tampines on the other hand were disappointing. The new foreign imports came with a huge reputation but the performances on the pitch did not quite tally with what was written about them. Gligor Gligorov and Davor Piskor were mere passengers in the game and hardly had a sniff of the ball. Although Piskor had an excellent opportunity in the opening period only to be denied by the upright, that was all he could offer the entire night.

Hamqaamal Shah, Park Kang Jin, as well as Goran Subara had excellent opportunities to find the back of the net, but were left undone by some solid defending by the Tampines’ backline.

In the other game over at the Bishan Stadium, Home United needed a late goal from new signing Franklin Anzite who leveled things up five minutes before the end to share the spoils with Gombak United. A total of 1304 fans were present at Bishan as Mustaqim Manzur opened the scoring for the Bulls with only 25 minutes gone on the clock.

Qiu Li, who cleared his beep test this morning, came on as a second half substitute but he could not inspire the Protectors for a comeback win. It must be a worrying sign for Home United’s head coach Lee Lim Saeng as three attackers with more than 60 goals between them in 2011, have not found the net even once - as yet - this season. The match ended in a 1-1 draw and Gombak United’s head coach K Balagumaran told Liga Singapura of his delight on the performance of Nur Naiim Ishak, a 19 year old midfielder, making his first start of the season as well as Samuel Benjamin who's only 18 this year.

“I am absolutely delighted with the performance of the two young boys tonight. If they can perform week in week out in this manner, I will be suffering from a headache, a happy one that is” Bala joked.

"I am very proud of my boys tonight as they worked their socks off. I hope that they can maintain this level of performance as the season goes along."

In today’s (17/2) match ups, Albirex Niigata (S) takes on Tanjong Pagar United at the Jurong East Stadium while Courts Young Lions take on Hougang United at the Jalan Besar Stadium. Both games kick off at 745pm.

HASSANAL BOLKIAH TROPHY FOR ASEAN YOUTH FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

2012-02-16T19:46:00.001+08:00

HASSANAL BOLKIAH TROPHY FOR ASEAN YOUTH FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

BRUNEI

DARUSSALAM

24^th February – 9^th March 2012

FIXTURES

GROUP A GROUP B

A1. SINGAPORE B1. TIMOR LESTE

A2. MYANMAR B2. VIETNAM

A3. PHILIPPINES B3. CAMBODIA

A4. INDONESIA B4. THAILAND

A5. LAOS B5. MALAYSIA

A6 BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

Date	Group	Match No.	Match		Time	Venue
22 Feb 2012 (Wed)	Arrival of Teams & Match Officials
23 Feb 2012 (Thur)	Brunei National Day Celebration & Marching Past
23 Feb 2012 (Thur)	Team Managers’ Meeting				2015	HBNS
24 Feb 2012 (Fri)	B B	1 2	CAMBODIA vs VIETNAM MALAYSIA vs THAILAND		1615 2015	BSC TFSC
25 Feb 2012 (Sat) Opening Ceremony	A A A	3 4 5	SINGAPORE vs MYANMAR PHILIPPINES vs INDONESIA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM vs LAOS		1600 1600 2030	BSC TFSC HBNS
26 Feb 2012 (Sun)	B B	6 7	THAILAND vs TIMOR LESTE MALAYSIA vs CAMBODIA		2015 2015	TFSC HBNS
27 Feb 2012 (Mon)	A A A	8 9 10	INDONESIA vs LAOS MYANMAR vs PHILIPPINES BRUNEI DARUSSALAM vs SINGAPORE		1615 2015 2015	BSC TFSC HBNS
28 Feb 2012 (Tues)	B B	11 12	TIMOR LESTE vs MALAYSIA VIETNAM vs THAILAND		2015 2015	TFSC HBNS
29 Feb 2012 (Wed)	A A A	13 14 15	MYANMAR vs LAOS SINGAPORE vs PHILIPPINES BRUNEI DARUSSALAM vs INDONESIA		1615 2015 2015	BSC TFSC HBNS
1 Mac 2012 (Thur)			Rest Day
2 Mac 2012 (Fri)	B B	16 17	MALAYSIA vs VIETNAM CAMBODIA vs TIMOR LESTE		2015 2015	TFSC HBNS
3 Mar 2012 (Sat)	A A A	18 19 20	LAOS vs PHILIPPINES INDONESIA vs SINGAPORE BRUNEI DARUSSALAM vs MYANMAR		1615 2015 2015	BSC TFSC HBNS
4 Mar 2012 (Sun)	B B	21 22	THAILAND vs CAMBODIA VIETNAM vs TIMOR LESTE		2015 2015	TFSC HBNS
5 Mar 2012 (Mon)	A A A	23 24 25	SINGAPORE vs LAOS MYANMAR vs INDONESIA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM vs PHILIPPINES		1615 2015 2015	BSC TFSC HBNS
6 Mar 2012 (Tues)				Rest Day & Departure of Teams
7 Mar 2012 (Wed)	*SF1* *SF2*	26 27	*Winner A vs Runner-up B* *Winner B vs Runner-up A*		2015 2015	TFSC HBNS
8 Mar 2012 (Thur)	Rest Day
9 Mar 2012 (Fri)	*FINAL*	28		*Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2*	2030	HBNS
10 Mar 2012 (Sat)				Departure of Teams & Officials

Note: Losers of SF1 & SF2 will be declared joint 3^rd place

Key: NFABD = National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam House

HBNS = Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium

TFSC = Track & Field Sports Complex

BSC = Berakas Sports Complex

Singapore’s Provisional squad named

2012-02-15T22:49:00.000+08:00

Radojko Avramovic named a squad of 25 players for the upcoming International friendly against Azerbaijan as well as the last 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Iraq on 24 and 29February 2012 respectively.

Baihakki Khaizan returns to the fold after being ignored for more than 14 months prior to the two games ahead. Agu Casmir also remains in contention to make the final team of 23 who will travel to Dubai and

Qatar

for the two matches. Also in contention to make the final 23 will be Singapore Armed Forces goalkeeper Hassan Sunny, who recently marked his return to the game after a nightmarish past nine months recuperating a serious knee injury.

There is a surprise call up for Balestier Khalsa custodian Joey Sim, who dislodged Geylang United’s goalkeeper Ridhuan Barudin. Making the headlines is Aleksandar Duric as the veteran forward was left out of the list completely.

The team will report for training on 19 February before flying out to UAE on 21 February. The Lions will play a friendly with European side Azerbaijan on 24 February before travelling to Qatar the next day. The team will then take on Iraq in the last World Cup Qualifier before returning the next day. Qualification isn’t within

Singapore

’s reach as they have zero points from five games thus far in this campaign.

The team schedules:

19 Feb – Training at Jalan Besar Stadium from 1730hrs

20 Feb – Training at Geylang Field from 1730hrs

21 Feb – Depart from Singapore for Dubai

22 Feb – Training in Dubai

23 Feb – Training in Dubai

24 Feb – Friendly vs Azerbaijan, kick off 1730hrs

25 Feb – Depart from Dubai to Qatar

26 Feb – Training in Qatar

27 Feb – Training in Qatar

28 Feb – Training in Qatar

29 Feb – WCQ vs

Iraq

, kick off 1645hrs

01 Mar – Return to Singapore

Squad list:

Goalkeepers:

Hassan Sunny, Izwan Mahbud, Hyrulnizam Juma’at, Joey Sim

Defenders:

Baihakki Khaizan, Juma’at Jantan, Shaiful Esah, Safuwan Baharudin, Shakir Hamzah, Daniel Bennett, Delwinder Singh

Midfielders:

Firdaus Idros, Shi Jiayi, Hariss Harun, Isa Halim, Shahril Ishak, Yasir Hanapi, Shahdan Sulaiman, Ruzaini Zainal, Mustafic Fahrudin

Forwards:

Patrick Paran, Qiu Li, Khairul Nizam, Fazrul Nawaz, Agu Casmir

*Names in BOLD could be affected by National Service commitments.

[FAS Media Information] Balestier Khalsa open doors for free!

2012-02-15T16:31:00.000+08:00

Balestier Khalsa Football Club have graciously decided to waive off the entrance fee for their Great Eastern YEO’S S.League LIVE match at Jalan Besar Stadium on 16 February 2012 against defending Champions, Tampines Rovers FC.

The club made the decision in an effort to encourage Singaporeans to support the S.League and we urge fans to come down in full force and watch the likes of Paul Cunningham, Goran Subara and Jaslee Hatta take on the evergreen Aleksandar Duric and the exciting young foreign duo of Davor Piskor and Gligor Gligorov.

In a statement released by BKFC, Mr S Thavaneson, Vice-Chairman of Balestier Khalsa said: “Balestier Khalsa Football Club have decided to waive all entry fees for this Thursday’s LIVE match at Jalan Besar Stadium to encourage Singaporeans from all walks of life to come down and catch a game of local football. We have a new team for the 2012 season and we eagerly await an exciting clash and possibly an upset against defending S.League Champions, Tampines Rovers FC.”

The Tigers surprised many in their opening match of the 2012 campaign when they held title contenders, Home United FC to a goalless draw while Tampines Rovers earned a last-gasp 2-2 draw in Brunei against DPMM FC.

Match Details

Balestier Khalsa FC vs Tampines Rovers FC

Date: 16 February 2012

Time: 7.45PM

Venue: Jalan Besar Stadium

Fixtures for the week

16 Feb

Balestier Khalsa FC vs Tampines Rovers FC (LIVE match at Jalan Besar)

Home United FC vs Gombak United FC

17 Feb

Courts Young Lions vs Hougang United FC

Albirex Niigata(S) vs Tanjong Pagar United FC

19 Feb

Woodlands Wellington vs Geylang United FC

Singapore Armed Forces FC vs Brunei DPMM FC

Albirex FC (S) is recruiting Club Executive!

2012-02-15T16:18:00.000+08:00

Have you got the passion for Singapore Football? Do you dream to bring Singapore Football player to J.League? If your answer is yes, join us as we have a vacancy for a Club Executive now.

Reporting to the General Manager, you would assist him in all team matters and club issues. This is a newly created post and is an important role, as your work would help to ensure that the Players / Coaches / Staffs can
concentrate on their daily training / work. Ultimately, resulting in the S.League team getting an extra edge on the field.

You would also be assisting the Accounts Manager and the GM to run the Clubhouse smoothly, such that the Club would be well prepared for future expansion.

If you think you have the passion and what it takes to join us, please send your resume to muitee@albirex.com.sg , including your salary expectations.

Only shortlisted applicants would be notified.

MSL: LionsXII to test Perak's home form

2012-02-14T03:26:00.001+08:00

LionsXII arrived in Ipoh with some notable names absent from the contingent. Among those were star defender Safuwan Baharudin, Hariss Harun, Shakir Hamzah, Khairul Nizam and Yasir Hanapi. Similar to previous occasions, it is due to the boys National Service commitments which did not allow them to travel with the team.

LionsXII in their final training session before the game tonight at Stadium Ipoh

The five players will join up with the 13 players (11 out field with two goalkeepers) later today and will likely make the squad against a very strong Perak side, who hasn't lost on their home ground since the opening day. The LionsXII are also on the back of a good run with a draw away at Selangor, followed by a convincing victory at the Jalan Besar Stadium against the reigning Malaysia Cup Champions Negeri Sembilan.

Perak, who boast the record of 100% wins at "home" will provide an entirely new challenge for the LionsXII, especially that Perak lost the lead in the Malaysian Super League ladder after just before the defeat three days ago in Terengganu against T-Team and the Saladang will be looking for nothing less than three points to be within touching distance or overtaking Kelantan, the current league leaders.

Norizan Bakar, Perak's head coach

"We will take one game at a time, and let bygones be bygones" said Norizan

"I expect the same form of challenge from LionsXII, the standards of the teams are not far away. We will take this game very seriously and be 100% focused and concentrate on the game"

"Last Saturday's defeat was not really that bad, and we did create enough chances to win the game. Unfortunately, we could not convert the chances. This is just one of those days and such things do happen in football. We need to rectify our weakness and build on from our strengths" added Cikgu Jan, as he is famously known of.

LionsXII has no major injury concerns other than Khairul Amri, who has been ruled out for the next 10 weeks at least. The major headache for LionsXII will be the absence of suspended midfield general Isa Halim who picked up his third booking of the season, and therefore resulting in the suspension from this game. Perak will be waiting for the final training session this morning to access the condition of goalkeeper Nasril Mat Nourdin who took a knock on his ankle in the previous game, before deciding his final squad.

Sufian Anuar is expected to start again upfront for the LionsXII and head coach V Sundramoorthy had said that it is up to Sufian himself to make that striking role of his own.

Sufian Anuar(in white) had a stunning game against Negeri Sembilan on Saturday [Photo: Ryan He]

"Sufian (Anuar) has done well to be on the team sheet again. He had played well in the game against Negeri Sembilan but he should not be carried away with that performance" said Sundram

With Perak fans likely to be turning up in numbers to back their team, especially the Silver State Ultras (SSU) who will be chanting non-stop from the start, Sundram expects a tough game at the Ipoh Stadium.

LionsXII head coach V Sundramoorthy

"Against Perak, it is going to be a different ball game especially when we play away from home. There will be a huge crowd and the boys need to be focused and concentrate on the game"

Although the home ground advantage and the fans' support will likely be a crucial deciding factor in this match up, the key battle in the middle of the park will decide who should come out tops in this tie. The battle between Hariss Harun and Michael Kubala will be one interesting showdown for fans. Another interesting showdown will be between Akmal Rizal and Baihakki Khaizan when the two go head to head against one another.

LionsXII probable line up (4-1-4-1)
Izwan Mahbud(GK), Juma'at Jantan, Baihakki Khaizan, Safuwan Baharudin, Shaiful Esah; Hariss Harun, Yasir Hanapi, Shahdan Sulaiman, Shahril Ishak(Captain), Irwan Shah; Sufian Anuar

Perak probable line up (4-4-2)
Nasril Mat Nourdin(#23)(GK), Noor Hazrul Mustafa(#19), Shahrom Abdul Kalam(#5), K Nanthakumar(#17), Syazwan Roslan(#6); Fazrul Hazli Kadri(16), Michael Kubala(#25), Shahrulnizam Mustapa(#8)(Captain), Fahrul Razi(#7); Lazar Popovic(#9), Akmal Rizal(#14)

*This match will be shown LIVE on StarHub Channel 112/201 from 830pm.

Players change, but football philosophy remains

2012-02-11T10:41:00.001+08:00

Albirex Niigata (S) 3-2 Singapore Armed Forces FC
Scorers: Musashi Okuyama 26, Toshikazu Soya 43, 60 (Albirex Niigata S), Mislav Karoglan 70, Shukor Zailan 89 (SAFFC)
Crowd: 1614

Converting your chances into goals - that was the difference between Albirex Niigata and SAF. The opening 15 minutes saw SAF dominating play, but were restricted to off target shots as the Albirex defence mashalled by Norihiro Kawakami held firm. Once Albirex had settled into the game, it was business as usual for the White Swans.

The breakthrough arrived on the 26th min, when Musashi Okuyama headed the ball into the far corner off a Toshikazu Soya’s cross. Albirex continued to dominate after the goal, stroking the ball around confidently, while they go in search for the second goal. The second goal duly arrived two minutes before halftime, when Soya ran in from behind SAF’s left defence , latching on to the through ball from Mastake Sato, and slotting it coolly past the onrushing Hassan Sunny to put Albirex 2-0 up.

Soya (In orange kit) slotting the ball past Hassan Sunny (on ground) [Photo: BP Chua]

When play resumed, Albirex continued its domination but the first chance of the second half fell to SAF, when last season’s top scorer, Karolgan hit the post from a metre out after Shimpei Sakurada clipped the ball over albirex’s custodian Takuma Ito, who managed to get a slight fingertip to it. This was perhaps the turning point of the match, as Albirex scored their third goal in the 59th minute after excellent play between Okuyama, Soya and Sato.

SAF managed to pull one back thru a penalty in the 70th minute, when Karoglan was brought down in the box. The man himself stepped up for the penalty and Takuma Ito was sent the wrong way to set up a tense 20 minutes in the remaining match. It was not until the 89th minute when SAF new boy, Shukor Zailan scored a cracker from the edge of the box to bring the deflict to one goal. But the comeback from
SAF may have came a little too late, as the white swans held on to secure full points from this game. Speaking after the game, Richard Bok said “Players looked nervous in first half, they had good movement but lack of concentration resulted in the goals conceded. Good advantages by Albirex, who took their chances.” His half time message to his boys were “Forget about the first half, just go out to play football in the second half.” His players definently heeded his message, but if only they had came out playing earlier.

Koichi Sugiyama on the other hand felt it was a good win for Albirex, as SAF is a strong team. When asked about Albirex still looking as good as last year(If not stronger) even though they had 15 new players this year, the message from Albirex camp was clear, “Despite losing a lot of players, our football philosophy never change.”

Albirex Niigata (S) head coach, Koichi Sugiyama [Photo: BP Chua]

In the other match up over at Bishan, 2011 RHB Singapore Cup Champions Home United were held to a goalless draw by a new look Balestier Khalsa.

Tigers claim first win, Cats share spoils

2012-02-10T13:37:00.001+08:00

Young Tigers claim first win in Singapore

Gombak United 0-2 Harimau Muda

Goal scorers: Thamil Arasu 15, Wan Zaharulnizam 81

Jalan Besar Stadium

Crowd: 1494

Harimau Muda claimed their first three points in the S-League with a comprehensive 2-0 win over Gombak United at the Jalan Besar Stadium in front of 1494 fans. Among those seated in the grandstand was Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, Vice President of FIFA. Prince Ali was in Singapore for transit and Football Association of Singapore wasted no time in inviting him to grace the opening match of the S-League season.

The Young Tigers needed only 16 minutes to net their first ever goal in the Great Eastern Yeo’s S-League and it was a goal, which took Gombak United by surprise. A long punt upfront by Amer Saidin caught Gombak defenders hesitating to clear the dangerous ball and Thami Arasu sprinted in between the two Gombak defenders to slot the ball past Zaiful Nizam.

Harimau Muda scores their first win in Singapore. [Photo by BP Chua]

Gombak tried coming back into the game but were left disappointed as Jung Hee Bong cut a pale shadow of his usual self. Mustaqim Manzur, Fareez Farhan and K Vikraman in support of the Korean, were outstanding for the Bulls all night.

Gombak United attacking a set piece [Photo by: BP Chua]

The second goal came late on in the game when second half substitute Wan Zaharulnizam popped up at the far post to blast home a free kick from Mahali Jasuli on 81 minutes.

Harimau Muda’s Gary Robbat was named man of the match for an outstanding display in the middle of the park.

Cats share the spoils

Hougang United 1-1 Tanjong Pagar United

Scorers: Jordan Webb 23, Takaya Kawanabe 28

Crowd: 410

The battle of the cats between the Cheetah of Hougang United and the Jaguar of

Tanjong Pagar United ended in a 1-1 draw on the opening day of Sleague 2012.

From the opening whistle till end of 90 minutes, Hougang dominated the play,

creating more chances but lacking ideas in the final third of the field. This was

perhaps due to the absence of their “livewire” Diallo Mamadou, who had not clear his beep test as yet. During close season, Tanjong Pagar recruited some senior players, whom they hope will pass on their experiences to the young squad. The

Jaguars looked determined to get some points from this first game to kick start their season, as they had more men in their own half for most of the game than the total shots they took throughout the game.

When Jordan Webb headed the Cheetahs into a one goal lead in the 23^rd minute, many expected Tanjong Pagar to crumble, as they have been rather defensive from the first minute but that was not to be the case. Takaya Kawanabe equalized with a rare chance that the Jaguars created to ensure that there was a share of spoils on the opening day of the new S-League season.

Jaguars look forward to reviving good old days

2012-02-08T00:48:00.000+08:00

“Enjoy yourself on the field, no shame to lose. It’s a shame not to put in 100% effort”

This was the message that Tanjong Pagar United’s Chairman Edward Liu had for his players. After a six years absence, the Jaguars made a comeback last season, finishing a creditable 11^th in the 12^th-team league.

Tanjong Pagar United at Press Conference last Sunday

Second from bottom may not have been the best position, but given the time span from the “green light to rejoin” to kicking off the season, Singapore football observers will no doubt agree that it was definently a creditable season for the club. The efforts and commitment put into the game by the young jaguars did not went un-noticed by the national selectors, with a few players being called to join up with the national squad. The most notably player was Delwinder Singh, who will now be the Jaguars Captain for 2012.

Targeting a ninth place finish for 2012, more senior & experienced local players such as Fajar Sarib, Hafiz Osman, Asraf Rashid & Jonathon Xu were recruited. Top scorer for 2011, Takaya Kawanabe has been retained and he has promised to score more goals this season. Joining Takaya on the foreign roster will be Koreans, Lee Joo Sang and Jang Inju and ex-Etoile Frenchman, Serge Souchon. With a long term strategy in place, Tanjong Pagar will be looking to bring back the good old glory days to Queenstown Stadium within the next five years(In case you have not read the news in the past week, Jaguars will be shifting back home permanently). The Jaguars will also be reverting to their traditional Red/White strips for home and Gold/Black strips for away. With the help of strong grassroots support, and more than 10k students in the private school nearby, do not be surprised if the Jaguars den holds the highest attendance for the season.

Without any main sponsors at the moment, the club will also be looking into a series of fund raising activities and the first will be a pasar malam (night market) in Clementi, which will be held in the second half of March. With the long term plans in mind, the Chairman is looking forward to securing a sponsor who wish to live the dreams of Tanjong Pagar United. From the way it looks, Tanjong Pagar fans need not wait too long before they relive the good old pre2004 days.

Tanjong Pagar United FC will be kicking off their Great Eastern-Yeo’s Sleague 2012 campaign against Hougang United FC on 9 February, 7.30pm at Hougang Stadium.

Jamil the difference as Stags retain Shield

2012-02-06T02:50:00.000+08:00

Home United 0-2 Tampines Rovers

Scorers: Davor Piskor 3’, Gligor Gligorov 60’

Crowd: 4146

Man of the Match: Jamil Ali

It was supposed to be the season opener, to treat the fans to entertaining football as they’ve promised earlier, but it was the inability of Home United to clear their lines that resulted in a victory for the Stags, who kick off the 2012 Great Eastern Yeo’s S-League season with a title which they successfully defended.

It was not the best of matches in terms of quality, with both sides clearly not at their best. However, it was defending S-League Champions which showed that they were better prepared as new signings Davor Piskor and Gligor Gligorov got their names onto the score sheet to make themselves known to the 4146 spectators who were there at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

They may have gotten themselves onto the score sheet, but other than the two precious moments, it was the efforts of the local lads, in particular Jamil Ali’s, which cause the all the damage in the game.

Jamil Ali (right) challenging for the ball - (Photo Source)

Often maligned as a player who is not capable of lasting the full 90 minutes in a game, Jamil proved his doubters wrong as the 28 year old attacker played an important role today at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

Jamil Ali played a crucial role in the build up to both the goals which the Stags scored. As early as the fourth minute, a neat one-two exchange between Jamil Ali and Imran Sahib created some confusion in the Home United penalty box. A cross comes in and with Lionel Lewis going off his lines for an attempted clearance, a mix up among his defenders allowed the ball to break free to Davor Piskor, who nodded home from within the six yard box to send the Tampines faithful into frenzy.

He was also a link man between the midfield and his fellow attacker, Ahmad Fahmie. The off the ball running made by Jamil caused plenty of distractions for the Home United back line – a makeshift one that is, as new signing Franklin Anzite wasn’t cleared in time to feature in the game.

There weren’t many opportunities in the game, to be honest and despite Home United having the better share of ball possession in the opening period; nothing is going to work out if the players keep hitting those hopeful long balls up front for Frederic Mendy and Shotaro Ihata to try achieve something.

It wasn’t the usual style of fluent football by Home United, and even more so uncharacteristically of them to keep relying on long ball upfront as a solution. Jufri Taha and Anaz Hadee, two man markers in support of sweeper Mustafic Fahrudin kept Mendy in their pockets and restricted the 2010 S-League top scorer from finding the target all night. For the record, I cannot remember Mendy registering a single shot on target the entire evening.

Shotaro Ihata was working effortlessly upfront but with the lack of support he had, there wasn’t much that he could do to turn the tie around. Hafiz Nor, who came on as a substitute for Rosman Sulaiman due to a knee injury drew attention from the crowd as he gallop up and down the right flanks and even came close to scoring minutes within coming on. The effort was denied by Sasa Dreven, who looked very good throughout the entire night.

The second goal which Gligor Gligorov scored was the result of the brilliant understanding of each others’ play by the local lads in the Stags setup. Imran Sahib picked Ismadi Mukhtar out on the left with a cross field pass. The moment the ball travelled, Jamil Ali timed his run to perfection, to sneak in between two defenders before sending a lovely cross onto the path of Gligorov at the far post. With defenders scrambling in numbers to block his shot, the eventual shot found the back of the net with the help of a leg stuck out by a Home United player at the goal line.

Home United were clearly missing the creativity of Qiu Li, the work rate of new signing John Wilkinson as well as the physical presence of Franklin Anzite. A defeat is after all a defeat and there must have enough depth in the squad in order for the team to “go one better” as compared to 2011.

Jamil Ali could have ended the evening on a sensational note when he saw his solo effort whisker narrowly just past the upright right at the end. Collecting the ball in the midway line with Aleksandar Duric and Davor Piskor in support of the former SAFFC and Woodlands man, Jamil opted to go for glory as he dribble an entire 30 yard before unleashing a low shot just wide of Lionel Lewis goal.

Jamil Ali was visibly a happy man having completed the full 90 minutes on Friday evening. The player who has often been used sparingly by Steven Tan told Liga Singapura that he was satisfied with his own performance.

“I think I did OK today, and I definitely can push myself even harder to play better football. I am just happy to complete the entire game as I’ve been working very hard during preseason. It is important for the team to win this game so that we can kick start the season on a high” said Jamil

“I do not want to set any targets for myself but assistant Coach Rafi (Ali) told me he wants 12-15 goals from me this year. I didn’t score today but the most important thing is that the team got a victory”

Home United’s defensive crisis could get worst as Rosman Sulaiman limped out with a knee injury midway through the opening period. Rosman is understood to be going for a scan on Monday morning to determine the severity of the injury.

Top teams lock horns for Charity

2012-02-05T00:53:00.000+08:00

After a three month break, Home United Football Club and Tampines Rovers Football Club will lock horns at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday (5 February 2012) to kick off the 2012 Great Eastern Yeo’s S-League season. In a traditional curtain raiser event, the 2011 RHB Singapore Cup Champions will face off the challenge of rivals, also the 2011 Great Eastern Yeo’s S-League Champions, Tampines Rovers.

(From left to right) Shi Jiayi, Lee Lim Saeng, Lim Chin, Steven Tan, Aleksandar Duric

As part of a new initiative, Charity Shield title sponsors Great Eastern Life Assurance Co Ltd have pledged its support to raise funds for its adopted charity, MINDS Fernvale Gardens School at the event, which will begin at 1700hrs, with the main match between the Protectors and the Stags kicking off an hour later.

The event will also allow fans to stand a chance to win attractive prizes in a lucky dip and winners of the lucky dip stand a chance to win gaming consoles, TVs as well as the Apple iPads. There will also be a special segment which will see 2009 Singapore Idol runner up Slyvia Ratonel, Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s Batucada Barracuda as well as a Lion Dance troupe performing at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

Speaking ahead of the highly anticipated match up, Home United head coach Lee Lim Saeng has indicated his team’s interest in doing their part for the needy.

“We hope to give back to the community through this match and to do so, Home United will be donating their match bonus to charity. We will play this match to win and show that we can play good football and give the fans something to cheer about” said Lee at the pre match press conference.

Home United skipper Shi Jiayi echoed his gaffer’s sentiments and mentioned that despite the fact that Tampines Rovers had always been tough opponents, his boys are raring to go and the team has vowed to play attractive football and perform well for the fans.

Steven Tan, whose team just returned a week ago after a pre season training tour of Thailand and he stressed that despite the results not going the Stags way, there is a lot of positives for him to draw from, of the trip.

“We had a good work out with four games in four days. The trip to Thailand allowed the team to gel as a unit, and we tried out a few different tactics and formations. I am pleased with what I had seen of my boys.”

“I hope that the fans will turn up and cheer for us. After a successful start to the Malaysian Super League, all the S-League teams need to work towards making this season a successful one. Of course we will play our usual style of entertaining football, so that fans will keep coming back to watch us” said Steven.

Tampines Rovers’ skipper Aleksandar Duric, the oldest player in the League this season added that despite this game being a charity game, the Stags will be gunning for a win, to retain the “title” which they won in 2011 when they defeated Etoile FC in the similar event.

“It is always nice to play in such an event. For charity involves everyone, from the players to the fans. We will do our best, and we want to win this match” said the Skipper.

Home United will be without the services of new signings Franklin Anzite as well as John Wilkinson whose race against time for the season’s opener continues as the duo have yet to received their clearances from their former teams. Also set to miss out will be Qiu Li who Lee Lim Saeng wants to protect lest the Singapore attacker gets injured before his beep test.

Aleskandar Duric and Ahmad Latiff are doubtful for the match. The former is recovering from a foot injury while the latter just recovered from a stomach bug according to Steven Tan.

Fans can witness some new signings from both teams. 2011 season’s 24 goals hit man Shotaro Ihata from Albirex Niigata, who signed forms with the Protectors’, is expected to lead the Protectors’ front line alongside Frederic Mendy. Also in line for a full debut will be former Bull, Jeremy Chiang as well as Hafiz Nor (former Jaguar) and Roshan Rai (former Warrior). Zahid Ahmad could be in contention for a start against his former club for the Protectors.

For Tampines, they should parade all their new signings for the season. Fans are advised to keep a look out for Davor Piskor, an attacking midfielder who had scored some spectacular goals in pre season so far, as well as new local lads, Anaz Hadee (former Tiger), Syaiful Iskandar (former Warrior) and Sazali Salleh (former Ram).

It doesn’t matter who win this tie at the Jalan Besar Stadium because the winner doesn’t walk away with the league title. Fans should turn up to witness this exciting clash between two of the best football teams in Singapore play each other. Remember, admission to this curtain raiser is free of charge, and there are even opportunities for fans to win attractive prizes. Without fans support, regardless of how interesting the football matches on the pitch can be, the event will never be complete.

Ticketing details - LIONSXII vs Negeri Sembilan on 11 February 2012

2012-02-03T21:25:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE, 3 February 2012: The Football Association of Singapore is pleased to announce the ticketing details for the Malaysian Super League match on 11 February between LIONSXII and Negeri Sembilan that will be played at the Jalan Besar Stadium, 7.45pm.

Tickets for the match against Negeri Sembilan will go on sale starting from Sunday, 5 February to Wednesday, 8 February at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

Ticketing Details

Pre-Match Sales

In order to show appreciation to Singaporeans and permanent residents for their unwavering support for local football, only Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents will be entitled to purchase the pre-match tickets. Each person is entitled to purchase four tickets upon showing your NRIC at the sales counter.

Date & Time : 5th February 2012 – 5pm to 8pm

6th to 8th February 2012 - 10am to 8pm

Venue : Jalan Besar Stadium, North Gate (next to the swimming pool)

Price : Adult - S$12.00 (Grandstand), S$7.00 (Gallery), S$7.00 (King George’s Stand)

*Concession - Child, Primary, Secondary, ITE, JC Students Only/ Senior Citizen 60 years old and above - S$2.00 (Gallery only)

*Students and Senior Citizens have to produce their concession passes at the sales counter. Concession tickets are also applicable to children aged 7 and below whom require a seat in the stadium.

Match Day Sales (subject to ticket availability)

*Each person is entitled to purchase four tickets upon showing your NRIC card at the sales counter.

Date : Saturday, 11 February 2012

Time : 5pm onwards

Venue : Jalan Besar Stadium, North and South Gate

Price : Adult - S$12.00 (Grandstand), S$7.00 (Gallery), S$7.00 (King George’s Stand)

*Concession - Child, Primary, Secondary, ITE, JC Students Only/ Senior Citizen 60 years old and above - S$2.00 (Gallery seating only)

*Students and Senior Citizens have to produce their concession passes at the sales counter. Concession tickets are also applicable to children aged 7 and below whom require a seat in the stadium.

FAS will liaise directly with the respective visiting teams and the fans of these visiting teams will purchase their tickets directly from their respective teams.

2012 Singapore Football Calender

2012-02-03T02:20:00.003+08:00

Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced the fixtures of the 2012 Great Eastern Yeo's S-League on Thursday evening. Attached images are the events that will be happening through the year for Singapore football. Schedules consists of LionsXII fixtures, as well as major International tournaments as well as FIFA designated dates for the National football team.

Fixtures' list courtesy of Football Association of Singapore

John Wilkinson face race against time to feature in season’s opener

2012-02-02T00:39:00.002+08:00

When former Singapore International John Wilkinson ended his stint with Insee Police United of the Thailand Premier League, no one would have thought that problems will occur for the Singaporean turning out for his new team in Singapore. Wilkinson signed forms with Home United late last year after his contract was unilaterally terminated by the Thailand club on 31 October 2011, and there were documents to prove that fact.

John Wilkinson in training with Home United

(Photo by: Ko Pohui)

It was reported that Wilkinson who was appointed captain of the team when he first joined saw his captaincy stripped due to problems with the management team. Rumors in

Thailand

said that a rift between Wilkinson and members of the management team was the consequence of that action by the management.

At this juncture, Wilkinson faced more problems when his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) wasn’t released by the Thailand club. Essentially, an ITC is a document that is needed to formalize a player's move from one country to another.

Without an ITC, a player who last played association football under the auspices of the member association of that country, is not eligible to play in official matches of the new member association with which he wished to be registered.

“In the case of Wilkinson, he last played in Thailand in 2011 for Thailand Premier League club Insee Police United and he is now making his move back to Singapore for Home United, which is why an ITC is needed for him.” Said Football Association of Singapore (FAS) in an official statement to Liga Singapura

“FAS made an official request to the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) for the ITC of Wilkinson earlier this month. The FAT has since rejected our request, stating that Wilkinson is still under contract with Insee Police United FC.”

“In this respect, we have officially disputed FAT's rejection of our ITC request for the said player, and have written to FIFA to seek their urgent intervention in this matter” FAS added

Liga Singapura understands that FIFA had already carried out all primary investigations and contacted the parties involved. However, neither FAT nor Insee Police United responded or provided any documents to show why they should not issue Wilkinson’s ITC to Home United.

Wilkinson is quoted to be saying that he’ll be 50-50 for the Charity Shield this Sunday, 5 February 2012.

It is a worrying sign for Home United should the former Singapore International not be cleared in time for the season’s opener as Wilkinson is expected to play a vital role in the Protector’s quest for glory.

Despite all the problems, Liga Singapura understands that if FAT doesn't respond within a month (30 days), FAS reserves the rights to issue the ITC for Wilkinson.

Robert Lim leaves Geylang United

2012-01-31T16:30:00.002+08:00

In the space of a week, Geylang United has lost two key personnel in their set up. After ex-Chairman Patrick Ang announced his retirement, Head of youth Development and Centre of Excellence (COE) head coach Robert Lim parted ways with the Club based in the East today.

Robert Lim (Right), was part of the coaching panel during the early 1990s

for Singapore in the Malaysia League and Cup tournaments.

Speaking on anonymity, sources explained how things turned sour over the last year progressively. Robert had asked the club for additional resources time and again for the development of youth teams only to be rejected by the higher management of the club. It was also understood that the decision in leaving is a result of the club's reluctance to get additional coaches for the COE teams while Robert himself oversee the entire project.

Robert's intention of developing youth footballers could be right but without the right amount of resources and manpower needed, not much can be done. Further more, this is not the first time that such incidents had happened within the club, the source told Liga Singapura

"He wanted to do the right things by setting up a proper system, and i thought that whatever that he was asking is quite reasonable. It is sad that things have to turn out to be this way" added the source

There are household names in the industry at the moment who have progressed to where they are now having played in the teams which Robert managed. A player described Robert to be a good mentor and was surprised to hear of the news.

"He is a good coach. I remember that he was always very serious and passionate about his job, He has been in the youth football scene for a very long time and who knows, maybe this decision will soon land him a job with a senior team" said a player who once played in a team managed by Robert.

Robert Lim ends his stint with Geylang which he started in February last year. This stint was his second at Geylang having parting ways with the Eagles more than a decade ago. He spent nine years with Football Association of Singapore and two years in Vietnam before returning early last year.

When contacted by Liga Singapura, Club's General Manager Lim Tong Hai said that Robert and Geylang United parted ways amicably.

My thoughts:
Another case of having people not seeing eye to eye in terms of football matters within the Club? Well, what can i say? There are many cases of such happening in the local scene but all the cases were not made known to the public. Robert Lim may have decided that enough is enough. In this case who loses and who gains? Not the best way to kick start a new season, Geylang United.

Johan Gouttefangeas steps down as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the S.League

2012-01-30T21:14:00.001+08:00

Official media release by Football Association of Singapore

SINGAPORE, 30 JANUARY 2012 – The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced today that Mr Johan Gouttefangeas will step down as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the S.League.

“I am thankful that the FAS has completed its investigation into the recent allegation that I was a bankrupt and affirmed that I was not adjudged a bankrupt. While I am still confident that I will be able to add value and help bring the S.League to the next level, I have decided that under the current circumstances, it is in the best interests of the league and Singapore football that I relinquish my post,” said Mr Gouttefangeas.

“I am grateful to the management of FAS and S.League, as well as the stakeholders including the club chairmen, sponsors and fans, who continued to support me during this period. As I had mentioned earlier, FAS and the .League did their due diligence checks on me prior to the appointment and found nothing amiss. It was an oversight on my part that I failed to disclose to FAS the fact that my companies in France were liquidated and that the court in France had imposed on me the prohibition to manage any sole proprietorship, artisanal or commercial. I had subsequently apologised to FAS President Zainudin Nordin. I have gained valuable lessons from the business failures in France and I’ve since become a stronger and wiser person.

“I sincerely urge all stakeholders, including club chairmen, fans and the media, to extend their support to S.League CEO Lim Chin and his team as they strive to raise the standards of the league in all aspects in 2012,” added Mr Gouttefangeas.

Mr Zainudin said: “FAS had decided to recruit Mr Gouttefangeas as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer because of his experience in football management and marketing, as well as a vast network of contacts in Europe. While we are disappointed that he did not disclose to FAS the status of his companies in France and of the prohibitions imposed on him by the court in France, we accepted his apology as we believe it was an oversight on his part.

“I do understand the concerns expressed by some football officials in recent days. I am also heartened to note that other officials and fans have asked that we give Mr Gouttefangeas an opportunity to prove his worth. Mr Gouttefangeas has however requested to step down from his position – a move he feels is in the best interest of Singapore football. I would like to take this opportunity to wish Mr Gouttefangeas success in his future endeavours.”

Mr Zainudin added: “We are less than two weeks away from the kick-off of our 17th season, and with the new initiatives including the inclusion of Brunei DPMM FC and Harimau Muda, I am confident and excited that we will have a great season ahead.”

Nike Football presents new boots for Season

2012-01-30T13:48:00.001+08:00

Nike’s 4 Silo Offering Gives Every Player the

Advantage Over Others On-pitch

SINGAPORE – Nike continues to give players the on-pitch advantage to dominate over others with a wide array of boot offerings to suit each type of player and play style. This season, Nike presents an updated colourway of each of the 4 silos of Football boots.

NIKE T90 LASER IV

Focused on adapting to the technical demands and movement of a highly mobile striker the T90 Laser IV is 20% lighter than the last version and features a streamlined silhouette that provides enhanced fit and feel on the ball. The forefoot area features a newly configured adaptive shield design in which the key contact zones are broken up into flexible strips to enhance the natural power and accuracy of the foot while the swerve zone fins reduced in size and height allow a closer feel to the ball providing friction to curved shots. The new release comes in Dark Grey and Solar Red color.

Retail Price: SGD$109
Local player with the pair of boots: Khairul Amri

NIKE TIEMPO LEGEND IV ELITE

The Tiempo Legend IV Elite’s premium leather is strong and soft, giving the player extra comfort, touch and control. Combine the unmatched touch and feel of the boot with innovations such as a carbon fiber plate, Flywire technology upper and stud configuration and you have a legend reborn. It is also the lightest Tiempo yet, coming in at 20g lighter than its predecessor. White and metallic red are the colors of the new version for 2012.

Retail price: SGD$489
Local player with the pair of boots: Hariss Harun

NIKE MERCURIAL VAPOR SUPERFLY III

Featuring an adaptive traction system that provides extra grip, traction and responsiveness the seventh generation of the Mercurial boots ensure fast players capitalize on the tightest of scoring opportunities. Directionally positioned blades maximize cutting and allow for quick changes of direction, while secondary toe traction provides added toe-off power for those first critical steps to generate explosive speed. Collectively, these design details allow greater speed and quickness in all directions. The second generation of Nike Flywire technology incorporated into the boot’s streamlined upper provides a lightweight, strong and more dynamic fit. To keep up with the bright colors, this season the Mercurial comes in a metallic purple.

Retail price: SGD$599
Local player with the pair of boots: Safirul Sulaiman

NIKE CTR360 MAESTRI II ELITE

The Nike CTR360 Maestri II Elite is designed for the player looking to master control on the pitch. Controlling the tempo with accurate passing, dictating the pace and creating chances are necessities for the midfield maestro. A Kanga-Lite synthetic leather upper ensures optimal comfort and fit; cushioning zones and receive and pass pads give great first touch and improve ball control and precise distribution. The unique asymmetrical lacing design creates an expanded ball control surface for enhanced touch. Finally, the plate offers incredible energy return and strength, with bladed studs for optimal traction and stability. The new color is Loyal Blue.

Retail price: SGD$269
Local player with the pair of boots: Baihakki Khaizan

More information can be found HERE

NIKE, Inc. based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Cole Haan, which designs, markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Umbro Ltd., a leading United Kingdom-based global football (soccer) brand; and Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, visit www.nikebiz.com.

Fandi bakal dilantik penasihat teknikal Johor

2012-01-29T14:51:00.002+08:00

Article abstracted from Berita Harian Malaysia

Oleh Rizar Mohd Noor

LEGENDA bola sepak Singapura, Fandi Ahmad yang pernah mewarnai kancah bola sepak Malaysia pada era 80-an dan 90-an, bakal kembali dalam saingan Liga Malaysia selaku penasihat teknikal Johor.

Bekas penyerang sensasi skuad Singa itu tampak bakal menyertai keluarga Persatuan Bola sepak Negeri Johor (PBNJ) dalam masa terdekat untuk bersama-sama jurulatih K Sukumaran, Wan Mustaffa Wan Ismail, Ahmad Hassan dan Omar Salim membentuk barisan mantap skuad bergelar Jengking mengharungi kancah Liga Perdana musim ini.

Kelibatnya dilihat ketika aksi Johor-Sime Darby tatkala mengatur strategi di tempat duduk penonton sambil berkomunikasi bersama jurulatih penjaga gol, Omar Salim dari awal babak pertama sehingga tamat perlawanan selain turut berada di dalam bilik persalinan ketika waktu rehat.

Namun Fandi yang ditemui enggan mengulas lanjut, sebaliknya berkata, belum ada kata putus dan harus menunggu pengesahan dari pengurusan tertinggi PBNJ.

"Saya ada berjumpa dengan pemain sehari sebelum perlawanan Johor-Sime Darby dan membuat sedikit latihan taktikal namun buat masa ini, saya tidak mahu ulas lanjut status saya bersama Johor. Tunggu saja dari pihak pengurusan Johor.

"Jika semuanya selesai dan sudah ada surat pelantikan kelak, tidak ada masalah untuk beri komen," katanya.

Fandi bagaimanapun mengesahkan sedang berusaha membawa dua pemain import bagi menguatkan skuad Jengking dan kemungkinan pemain tengah dari Brazil yang kini beraksi dalam Liga Divisyen Satu Hungary bakal tiba, Selasa ini manakala penyerang dari Colombia akan tiba sebelum tarikh tutup pendaftaran 13 Februari depan.

Dalam pada itu, jurulatih Johor, K Sukumaran mengakui bakal ada perubahan dalam struktur kejurulatihan namun enggan mengulas lanjut, sebaliknya berharap kehadiran Fandi bakal memberi kesan kepada corak permainan Johor.

2012 will be a special year for the Bulls

2012-01-28T17:56:00.000+08:00

“We are the Bulls and we are strong willed. (The team) have a point to prove in 2012 and that includes myself as well”

This was the statement by Gombak United Football Club chairman, John Yap, in his opening address to the members of the media, players of the team and fans of the club. I was mesmerized by the way that John Yap addressed us at Jurong West Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Bulls had never gone public with their press conference. Gone were the days where the team held their annual event under a formal set up. The idea of doing it in a public area also allowed the Bulls to convey to their fans that they want to reach out to their fans and hope that they could be their 12^th men for the team.

John Yap hopes that his new team, which comprises of more than 70% change from the 2011 team, can do better than the 2011 team. Promising the fans that in 2012, they will witness attractive and attacking football, John Yap also emphasized that he would like his team to achieve the targets set by playing the game cleanly.

John Yap - Gombak United Chairman

“Fair play is important, and that is one of the priorities. We do not need to emulate those teams which had created trouble in the past. We want to be free of controversy.”

Gombak United is often seen as a family club but John Yap was quick to share his views on the term “family”.

“We’re like one big family, but that doesn’t mean that we play family football. Family football is for amateurs and in Gombak; the term family applies to the spirit and harmony among the players and the team. Gombak United is a professional outfit and we play professional football and we play to win” explained John Yap

John Yap also introduced his new team of key appointment holders in the team and the names mentioned are not unheard of. Peter Dhanaraj has been appointed as the team manager for the Bulls. Coming onboard to join him will be head coach K Balaumaran as well as assistant coach, Stephen Ng.

Dhanaraj spoke of the support that he needs from the fans, as well as his team. Dhanaraj, whose son was also snapped up by the Bulls, is a well known and well respected figure in the local football scene. He previously had stints at Singapore Armed Forces FC and is known to be a avid supporter of Singapore football.

Peter Dhanaraj

“I am in my first year here, and I am here to help. This is like a big piece of jigsaw puzzle. It will not be complete if any piece of the jigsaw is missing.”

“The one important group of people whom I need support from is the media. I hope that the media can help us. They have an important role to play” said Dhanaraj

New head coach K Balaguamaran insists that his working experiences in the past with big name coaches will make up for the “inexperience” which people have been talking about in first season in the League. Bala, as he’s commonly known as took the opportunity to express his gratitude towards John Yap.

K Balagumaran

“I would like to thank Mr John Yap for giving me this opportunity to head Gombak United and I will definitely do my best with this post that I am holding on to” Bala told everyone present at the scene

“Although it is my first year in the S-League, I do not see that as a problem because I’ve worked with many experienced coaches before this and I’m confident that the valuable experiences which I had had with them will allow me to do my current job well.”

“I know that handling youth teams is quite different to handling senior teams. With the youths, you are like a parent to them, and have to instruct them to do things specifically. But here I am, facing some grown ups, and they are all well aware of what is expected of them.”

“My job will be to bring in the tactical aspect of the game to share with the boys, and I am confident that I can do this” said Bala

Gombak United has appointed Obadin Aikhena as the team captain for 2012 season and Obadin shared his joy of the glamorous appointment.

Obadin Aikhena

“It’s a big privilege to be the captain. We have a new team but I have to say we have a good mix as compared to the last year. We all feel that we can achieve something this season. Hopefully we can do better than last year.”

Gombak United completed its foreign legion by signing a Nigerian by the name or George Erke who holds a Swedish passport. It was said tat George was a player who’s highly recommended by Obadin. George, 31 have found acclimatizing to

Singapore

smooth sailing so far.

Jung Hee Bong and George Erke

“I’ve been here for a week and with the help of my very friendly team mates, I am getting use to things in

Singapore

. I was quite surprised by the standards of football in

Singapore

as it is very competitive” said George who had already featured in one friendly game.

The former Örebro Syrianska IF (Sweden’s Third League) forward despite not clearing his mandatory beep test yet, is confident of a good showing in Singapore.

“I am here as a professional footballer and I know what is expected of me. Fans can be assured that I will do my job well and get Gombak United the goals in 2012” George said confidently.

Fans can look forward to watching players who were promoted from Gombak United’s Prime League squad in action. Fareez Farhan, Fuad Jufri and Farouq Farkhan have been promoted to the squad for the 2012 S-League season. Besides the three, there will also be highly rated Nurullah Hussien, a product of the National Football Academy who head straight into the senior squad.

The average age of the team is 24 years old and this is one that I personally think will make an impact in the 2012 season. Aside from the traditional top three in the league, Gombak United will be the one to watch for the upcoming season. A dark horse as usual, not that Chairman John Yap minds.

One lie leads to a thousand more

2012-01-27T23:46:00.000+08:00

The purpose of foreign teams in the S-League is not to cause problems to the league but to enhance the standard of play. A couple of teams have came and gone, and the amount of dung that these teams had left behind piles up like a hill as tall as the one located at Bukit Timah.

When Etoile FC announced its decision to sit out of the 17^th edition of the S-League, many thought that the problem would stop just there. Having spoken to some players today, I have to say everything is in chaos.

Imagine yourself being a professional footballer earning your wages in an entirely foreign land. Your salary was held up for months, and when you go back to your bosses, all they would say is this, how would you feel?

“You’re not my responsibility anymore, go to Football Association of Singapore (FAS) for help or choose Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to do it.”

The players were assured that they will be alright for the 2012 season and the management will sort the niggling issues out before the start of the new season. It turned out that all this was talk that did not materialize.

The players I spoke to told me that I knew about their team’s exclusion earlier that they did and I was appalled by this fact. Why didn’t the club notify the players about this before they returned to Singapore?

When the players come back to Singapore, they were greeted with a rude shock. Their landlords told them that they will have to leave the house by the end of the month. These players are already having a hard time getting what they were due. My question will be what will happen to these players come 31 January?

Three months of their salary was still due, but only a fraction of the amount was paid to the players. How are the players going to survive with such unprofessional treatment?

I remember once that a foreign team which participated in the league a couple of years back protested the non-payment of their salaries by not training and playing and demanding a settlement from FAS officials. Our poor official from the FAS came down to the training ground with envelopes containing part of their salaries. Upon receiving their salaries, the players surrounded the FAS official and threatened to bash him up. Why are we as a Football Association allowing such an incident to happen? If this is not ugly enough, the next incident will be a clearer picture for you.

A head coach of a foreign team a few years back had to dig deep into his own pockets to make sure that his players were paid. He did that not because he wanted to be the noble one. He did that because he believes in paying his players what they were worth.

Isn’t that an issue big enough for the FAS to take note of? I am certain that officials during that time knew about these incidents and why wasn’t anything done to stop the rot? Who’s there that we can actually seek some answers from?

Fans need to be at the scene to see how fast key appointment holders evade from us writers, journalists, bloggers or reporters. Usain Bolt would have been proud of the speed with which they made themselves disappear.

I cannot comprehend the need to hide and be secretive. There are always two sides of things, just like a coin. It’s either this, or that. The reluctance to be direct about things an entire nation wants to know about will create an even bigger gap like there is now in the scene.

I’ve always been critical of the way that things were done and recently, I tried showing empathy to certain issues. But today after speaking with some players, I think it is really time to question the credibility of the people involved in brining the foreign sides to Singapore. If you don’t fit the bill, you jolly well get lost. That’s my statement to you.

When one lie is told to convince people on certain issues, the next time that there’s a need to tell a lie - a bigger lie - to cover up the first one, and the volume will eventually get bigger and bigger.

[Media Information] Mr Patrick Ang retires as chairman of Geylang United Football Club

2012-01-27T20:06:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE, 27 January 2012: The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) today announced the retirement of Geylang United Football Club’s (GUFC) chairman Mr Patrick Ang and appointment of Mr Leong Kok Fann as the new chairman of GUFC.

Mr Leong, a former international who has represented Singapore in the Malaysia Cup and SEA Games tournaments, is the managing director of SHL Singapore, a consultancy firm which helps companies drive better business results through superior insights into people's behavior, ability and potential. The 53-year old is also currently a member of the FAS Council and serves as chairman of the FAS Captains' Advisory Panel.

The former national midfielder said: "I am very humbled by this appointment as Geylang United has a commendable track record in domestic league and cup competitions since the mid-1970s. This legacy is due largely to Mr Patrick Ang's leadership, dedication and passion for the game.

"I look forward to working closely with the sponsors, club management & staff, players and volunteers to continue the good work in developing and providing opportunities for young talent to fulfil their career aspirations. With the new S.League initiatives aimed at raising the standard of Singapore football, I am hopeful the fans will continue their support for the club."

In welcoming the appointment, FAS President Zainudin Nordin said: "Kok Fann is not only an ex-international but he is someone who remains closely involved with the game today, whether it is in his capacity as a FAS council member or spending Saturdays imparting his skills and knowledge to the students at a football academy. I am impressed by the breadth of his football knowledge and his humility, and I am confident that he will excel in the role of club chairman of Geylang United."

Mr Zainudin also paid tribute to the contributions of the outgoing chairman, Mr Patrick Ang, who has held the post since 1997.

"Under his stewardship, Geylang United have been one of the most efficient clubs in implementing the S.League's key programmes related to youth development, grassroots football and community outreach. Apart from his portfolio at GUFC, Patrick has also contributed immensely to the promotion and development of Singapore football as a volunteer with the FAS and the National Team for several years. In fact, Patrick was the chairperson of the task force which was established in 1995 to study the feasibility of setting up a professional football league in Singapore," said Mr Zainudin.

"Patrick has invested much time and energy in the growth of the club, and Singapore football, over the past few decades. On behalf of the FAS and S.League, I would like to put on record my sincere thanks and appreciation to Patrick for his commitment and contributions to Singapore football," he added.

Mr Ang, 61, said: "I am privileged to have served as the President and Chairman of Geylang International and Geylang United respectively and I am proud of our club's record in both the S.League and its predecessor league, the FAS Premier League. In this regard, I would like to thank the FAS and S.League management which have, over the years, been actively seeking ways to raise the profile of local football. I would also like to express my gratitude to both current and former staff, players and volunteers who have worked hard to maintain the proud heritage of the Eagles over the past two decades.

"While I am sad to leave the club, I do believe the time is now right for a fresh person to take the reins. I am confident that the club will be ably led by Mr Leong Kok Fann who has vast experience in the commercial sector and footballing fraternity. At the same time, the S.League is now entering a new phase, and I believe it is well-positioned to scale new heights in the years ahead."

CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT

FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE

27 JAN 2012

Fadhli cautious of S-League adventure

2012-01-27T04:58:00.000+08:00

He is one of the three Malaysians to have played in the Slovakia League with FC Vion and he is also a winner of the AFF Suzuki Cup as well as the South East Asia (Games) football tournament. The name of Fadhli Shas will not be missed by many in

Malaysia

but when he steps onto local soils when the 2012 Great Eastern Yeo’s S-League gets underway, there will not be many that know who this boy is.

Fadhli Shas (Harimau Muda)

At 21, Fadhli had already won top regional honors and tasted European football but he is still hungry for more success. The central defender of Harimau Muda was in town during the launch of the 2012 Great Eastern Yeo’s S-League season yesterday and he gave a frank assessment of his team’s chances in the upcoming season.

“This is the first time that (Malaysia) is sending a team to Singapore and honestly speaking, we all do not know what to expect from the Singapore teams.”

“Personally, it is a relatively new experience for me because everything will be quite different from the past when we play in the Malaysian Super League. One of the key differences will be the foreign imports that the local teams will be having, and I see that as a challenge.”

The highly rated defender was offered contracts by various state teams in the Malaysian Super League but he felt that staying on with the National age group side will benefit his growth as a player.

“The set up is very professional whereby we get everything customized according to what we need for our development.”

“People are saying that this team that is coming to Singapore is new but I can say that we’re gelling fast as a unit.”

“We’ve a lot of youth players and we have got plenty of promising players in the squad. We have up and coming star Nazmi Faiz Mansor and also Hazwan Bakri in our squad so I believe that we can do well” said Fadhli as he question me if I had seen the goal which Nazmi Faiz scored in the Olympic Qualifier recently. He was referring to a 35 yard scorcher by Nazmi in that game, which he describe it to be a wonder goal.

Having gone through almost similar lifestyle since the age of 13, Fadhli had came through the ranks of Bukit Jalil Sports School to slowly climbed his way up to the Malaysian Senior National team now. He was part of the team that played in the two legged 4-6 defeat (on aggregate) to Singapore in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying game back in July. The images of that painful defeat still linger on his mind.

“Of course, we lost the match over two legs and in the end and there’re a lot of disappointments among the players. I feel that we cannot say who’s better than whom just by that fixture”

“Honestly speaking many of us are hoping for a replay of that particular tie” said Fadhli with a smile.

Fadhli will be hoping to get things right here in Singapore and also mentioned that the target of a top five finish in the S-League is achievable for the team. However, Fadhli said that it is important for his team to take things in their stride as the season goes along.

“At the moment, we still do not know what will happen until the season kicks off. As you all know, we will be flying in from Kuala Lumpur for all the games and there’re some problems which we may not foresee now that will occur during the course of the season.”

“We really need to get a feel of what it is going to be like before we can make adjustments to cater to our travel needs and such.”

The Malaysian International says that with the team being based in Yishun Stadium, the good news for him will be that his family from Johor will be able to support him through the season here in Singapore. However, he is also hoping that other Malaysian football fans from right across the causeway can make their trip down to the Lion City to back the Harimau Muda as well.

“In the Malaysian Super League, Harimau Muda is not seen as a state team and therefore, our games usually attracts about a couple of hundreds at most. But I hope that fans that are based here can come down to support us if possible, as it would be added motivation for the players.”

Fadhli has only one official appearance under his belt in Slovakian League and despite that fact, the stint in Europe had not gone down the drain.

“In Slovakia, everything is quite different from how it is like in

Malaysia

. The coaches are very particular with details and in this aspect; I felt that I learnt quite a fair bit during my stint there.”

Fadhli Shas is suspended for the upcoming Olympic qualifier against Bahrain after receiving two bookings in the tournament.

“I am not the captain! Mahali Jasuli is the captain and he is not here because the team is preparing for a qualifying game that cost his absence!”

Fadhli Shas will wear the number four shirt for Harimau Muda in the 2012 Great Eastern Yeo’s S-League.

Three points were all that mattered, for now

2012-01-18T04:58:00.001+08:00

I am not going to say much about the performance, neither am i going to defend some criticisms which had already started before this post is up. Three points are three points and there's nothing else that mattered more than this fact.

The boys celebrate! [Photo by Leo Shengwei]

LionsXII overcame battling Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday evening at the Jalan Besar Stadium in front of a sell out crowd of more than 7,000 fans and what they got were three precious points to move them up the 2012 Malaysian Super League table.

LionsXII first 11 vs KL [Photo by Leo Shengwei]

The win was a real morale boaster that the boys needed after being heavily criticized for showing no bite and creativity in front of goal in the two previous league matches. Irwan Shah was one of the many bright spark and certainly the best choice for Liga Singapura's Man of the Match award for playing a huge part in the opening goal which settle some nerves among the team five minutes before the break.

Irwan Shah [Photo by Leo Shengwei]

Irwan intercepted the ball before slotting a nice pass out left onto the path of skipper Shahril Ishak. With the pass, Irwan continued his run for almost 50 yards before Shahril squared the ball back onto the path of Irwan, who looked like he wasn't going to connect it right in front of goal. According to the player himself, he got the slightest of touch before a back tracking Alman Syazwan swept the eventual ball into the back of the net for the opener.

"I was really really happy when I saw the ball touch the back of the net" Irwan told Liga Singapura

"The first thing on my mind was that I wanted to get a touch to the ball, which i did, but due to a slice of luck, the ball was swept in by the KL defender, so its an own goal, and i am not claiming that goal" he added

I was really pleased to see the joy on Irwan's face off the television replays from the media box. It was an expression of how much he wanted that ball to end up in the net. Although he wasn't the one who will be credited for the goal, I personally feel that the run made by the former Courts Young Lions' vice captain was priceless. That was an almost 50 yard run? I am not too sure, fans should just watch the replay as shown below.

Yasir Hanapi then struck the upright with a thunderous shot inside the 18 yard box after being found by Shahril Ishak's defence splitting pass. The half ended on a one goal lead for the LionsXII but the score line should honestly be more than what was shown at the break.

Credit has to be given to the Kuala Lumpur (KL) boys who were playing for the first time on a pitch like this at the Jalan Besar Stadium. Syafiq Johari, KL's midfielder told Liga Singapura despite the result not going their ways, his team can draw many positives from the game.

"We're disappointed as we could have really draw it at the end, but this is football. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose"

"We're all glad that we got our first goal in three games and we hope that the goal will give the confidence to bring us many more goals as the season progress"

"One important thing that we learnt today is that we shouldn't pay too much attention to the fans. The Lions' fans were really vocal and were shouting at us throughout. We are young, and we get distracted easily but this is a good learning lesson for us, i think."

"The pitch was a nightmare, and we simply took too long to settle down. The two goals scored by the Singapore team were results of individual mistakes by our team and we have to work really hard to make sure we get things corrected" said Syafiq

After the restart, another splendid run down that left flanks saw Irwan Shah galloping down towards the bye line before sending in another cross into the box. With the ball seemingly within the goalkeeper's reach, he dropped it to everyone's surprise and Shahdan Sulaiman, another player who shone in the game gladly tap home the winner from close range to double the lead.

Shahdan Sulaiman celebrating his goal [Photo by Leo Shengwei]

LionsXII had to played the last twenty minutes of the game with 10 men when Safuwan Baharudin was sent off for two bookable offenses in quick succession, with the second leading to a spot kick for The Hawks. Fazuan Abdullah who was brought down in the box by Safuwan stepped up himself to coolly send his spot kick into the right corner, leaving Izwan Mahbud no chance at all.

Hariss Harun was pulled back into defense and the LionsXII hung on for the first three points of the season.

The boys were claimed to be rather predictable by KL's head coach Razip Ismail but all that mattered for the night was the win, and the points in the bag. I thought that the team should take things one game at a time, like what head coach V Sundramoorthy told the members of the media at the press conference.

What mattered also was the fact that players were taking responsibilities of their own roles, willing to work hard, and show the desire to play for a win. Give them time, let them tackle one team at a time. We can't be possibly asking this youthful team to win everything that is available right from the start, which I thought would be really insane.

Khairul Nizam's injury doesn't look too optimistic as he was spotted leaving Jalan Besar Stadium on crutches with a swelling ankle which was stepped on after he came on and had to be replaced by Raihan Rahman after barely 10 minutes on the pitch.

It was not the most attractive football match that i've seen in recent months to be honest, but it was definitely three precious points which Sundram will treasure.

I am only the caretaker coach for now, said Salim Moin

2012-01-17T11:34:00.000+08:00

His players grind out a 1-0 win over Gombak United on Saturday evening under the scorching sun and he was visibly pleased with the result at the end of the day. Woodlands Wellington registered their second win in pre season after overcoming Geylang United 2-1 at Bedok earlier last week. The 2011 wooden spoonists have recruited relatively well, bringing on board some players such as Farizal Basri, Daniel Hammond (second stinct) and goalkeeper Ahmadulhaq Che Omar (also a former Ram) whose experience will be vital for the Rams this season.

I reported that R Balasubramaniam was removed by the northern based club earlier and Salim Moin had replaced him on the hot seat. A quick chat with the former Balester Khalsa, National Football Academy and Gombak United head coach made me understand that there hasn't been any announcement as yet, and his capacity at the club remains as a caretaker coach of the Rams' squad.

Salim Moin (in white) dishing out instructions

"I hope you can understand, there isn't any form of appointment yet as far as i am concern. I am here because I was offered a contract, but what i can say is that the current role is a temporary one. If you need to find out more, I believe the Manager will be able to advise you on the issue" said Salim, pointing to a gentleman who was standing at the far corner.

Balasubramiam parted ways with Woodlands Wellington under dramatic circumstances and it was reported that there was only a verbal agreement that since the end of the 2011 season that he would be offered a permanent post, until the recent meet up with the management team, which also marked the end Balasubramaniam's rein at the club.

It was understood that Salim Moin had been calling the shots at training even during Balasubramaniam's presence and during the sparring match against Geylang United, Salim was also the one giving out majority of the instructions to the boys from Woodlands.

One would be wondering if Salim would be happy with the team that he "inherited" from Balasubramaniam and the outspoken coach showed no hesitation to say that he will not have a problem with this group of players.

"There's a slight improvement over the first game and today's game. And i am happy with the boys' performances. The only thing that they need to do at the moment is to maintain the consistency throughout the rest of the season. It is two different issues playing games in the afternoon and playing games at night. The weather was a big difference" Salim told Liga Singapura

Salim also spoke that in the football scene, there will always be pressure, be it being at a bottom, or a top club. The pressure of delivering results is one key factor that keeps Salim Moin going and motivated to do well for whichever team that he is managing.

On the possibility of being awarded the permanent job at Woodlands, Salim said that he will leave it to the management to decide, and he will respect any form of decision made by the club.

"If i am given the job, I hope that i can use my experience and expertise to bring Woodlands to the next level. For now, lets all wait to see if i will be offer the job" said Salim, with a smile.

LionsXII need to chalk up points

2012-01-16T21:22:00.000+08:00

LionsXII play host to Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday evening, in a must win game in order for the boys to climb up the 2012 Malaysian Super League (MSL) table. After two rounds of games, LionsXII have only one point to their name and are languishing in 12^th position, five points behind league leaders T-Team from Terengganu.

It was not the start which the Singapore side wanted but it was not unexpected. Against defending MSL Champions Kelantan in the first game, the boys were punished by a late penalty after wasting plenty of goal opportunities in the first period of the game. In the second game against Kedah, LionsXII played a very tactical game to hold Kedah to a goalless draw in Alor Star.

LionsXII will miss the services of Agu Casmir who has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. Team skipper Shahril Ishak looks likely to start up front alone in a similar formation which head coach V Sundramoorthy took to the field against Kelantan last week. Irwan Shah also looks likely to play right from the start, but in a more advanced role where he did very well against Kedah.

Irwan Shah (R) with Shahir Hamzah

“I have been playing in the left full back position for four years now and of course, I will be more comfortable there. Actually before I switched to left back, I was a left sided midfielder and I am so used to going up and down the flanks. But I am confident of the game tomorrow if I start on the left side of midfield and I will ty my best to score at least a goal!” said Irwan

LionsXII head coach V Sundramoorthy believes that one key factor that will bring his side the win will be the desire of the players on the pitch.

V Sundramoorthy

“Its eleven players out there on the pitch and anything can happen. In football, sometimes you need a little bit of luck but I believe if the boys show the desire to win, we can achieve the three points”

“Kuala Lumpur is a good side, otherwise they wouldn’t be in the Super League. We cannot take any teams likely and I have full respect for them” said Sundram

Liga Singapura was on the ground when Kuala Lumpur (KL) had their final session before the game to get a taste of the pitch at Jalan Besar Stadium. KL were late for their session due to unknown reasons and only 16 players were in the squad that travelled to

Singapore

Kuala Lumpur players at training in Jalan Besar Stadium

After two straight losses against Sarawak (0-2) and T-Team (0-3) respectively, The Hawks will be looking to getting their first point at Jalan Besar but it is not going to be easy, according to Syafiq Johari (Jersey no.7) one of the “senior” players in the team.

Syafiq Johari

“To be honest, there’ll be little chances of an upset, but we will still try our best. We need to improve our overall play and we will require some time.”

“I would say that we lost the first two games due to the lack of understanding in the team. We are a new team, and we’re trying to regroup. With a little bit of time, I believe we will be able to pull some results together and cause a few upsets” said Syafiq who look set to start in centre midfield.

“We have to do our best and see how we can compete against the Lions from Singapore. We will try to get at least a point, and this game is very special to us because I personally take it as an International match. This is an excellent opportunity to market ourselves” added the 23 year old, who had been with the team for three years now.

KL will miss the services of rising star Stanley Bernard Samuel who is recovering from a groin injury and did not travel with the team. LionsXII will have to focus on some key players in the KL team and they are Syafiq Johari (Jersey no.7), Skipper Aslam Najumudeen (Jersey no.13) and Zameer Zainun (Jersey no.8).

KL may seemed to be the minnows of the league but LionsXII cannot take them lightly, especially when the Malaysians are always motivated to do well against any teams for Singapore. KL does not have any foreign imports for the moment.

The game will be televised live on StarHub Channels 112 and 201 from 730pm. Tickets for the game have been sold out as at 2000hrs, 16 January 2012.

S.LEAGUE ANNOUNCES PARTICIPATING TEAMS FOR 2012

2012-01-16T11:30:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE, 16 JANUARY 2012 – The Football Association of Singapore today announced that 13 teams will participate in the 2012 Great Eastern-YEO’s S.League competition.

Harimau Muda from Malaysia will be making its debut in the S.League, which is now into its 17th season, while Duli Pengiran Muda Mahkota FC (DPMM FC) will be returning to the tournament it last participated in 2009. Etoile FC, the S.League 2010 champions, have decided to sit out the upcoming season to focus on grassroot football and youth development.

Mr Hicham Moudden, Chairman of Etoile FC, said: “As much as we were ready to restart the season for the pleasure of our fans and players two weeks ago, we have decided to sit out of the 2012 S. League season due to the debts and liabilities carried forward from previous management coupled with the new developments in local football. Etoile FC and S. League management held several meetings looking at many possibilities but were unsuccessful in finding a solution for Etoile FC to continue to participate in the new season. We remain committed to our objective of contributing positively to the development of football in Singapore, and one key area is on grassroots football and youth development through the Centre of Excellence programmes. My management and I will spend the next few months re-prioritising our resources and objectives and we hope to return to the S.League at an opportune time.”

Mr Lim Chin, Chief Executive Officer of the S.League, said: “Since making its debut in the S.League in 2010, Etoile FC have delighted fans with their attacking flair and sharp passing and movement on the pitch. We hope that they will return even stronger as what Gombak United and Tanjong Pagar United had done in recent years.”

Mr Lim added: “On behalf of the S.League community, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr Hicham Moudden , his management team , his staff and players for their commitment, dedication and support during these difficult times”

The S.League CEO expressed confidence that the new season will offer an increased level of excitement and entertainment for the fans.

“The likes of Tampines Rovers, Home United, SAFFC and Albirex Niigata were in the title race into the final stretch of the season last year and we believe they will once again set the league ablaze in 2012. At the same time, the participation of two quality teams in Harimau Muda and DPMM will further raise the quality of play on the pitch,” Mr Lim said.

“I am confident that the introduction of the Marquee Player initiative and Young Foreign Player subsidy will also help the clubs attract quality foreign players who will enhance the appeal of the league. At the same time, we have also undertaken various marketing initiatives including a Football Apps , Online games and S.League TV portal which will extend our outreach to the fans and community,” he added.

The 13 teams in the 2012 S.League will compete on a two-round format, with each team playing 24 league games in total. The Charity Shield between last year's Great Eastern Yeo's S League champion, Tampines Rover FC and RHB Singapore Cup champion, Home United FC is scheduled on 5th February at Jalan Besar Stadium and the new season will commence on 9th February.

Rebuilding process at Gombak

2012-01-15T00:13:00.000+08:00

I personally knew this man about 13 years ago when he was at Clementi Khalsa assisting Jita Singh when the club started out before merging with Balestier Central to form Balestier Khalsa. Balagumaran (Bala) enjoys working with youths and it was just mid last year during a meet up after almost a decade to ask the Gombak United head coach when will he be taking up a head coach post in a S-League club. Fast forward six months, and here I am interviewing him, after his second pre season friendly game as head coach of Gombak United, who parted ways with Darren Stewart who went on to Balestier Khalsa.

“I came straight in and told some of the players that this will be a new start, and they have to get out of their comfort zone. Things will change definitely. We’ve also roped in a new Team Manager in Peter Dhanaraj to change things. I hope the boys are well aware of that” said Balagumaran (Bala) who spoke to Liga Singapura after the 0-1 defeat against Woodlands Wellington on Saturday evening.

K Balagumaran

“I want to start something new with the team that I am having currently and see where I can bring them to from here. This is my new challenge” Bala added

Bala have previously coached National Football Academy (NFA), Clementi Khalsa, Sembawang Rangers, just to name a few , and he has never been given a chance for a shot at the senior level until Mr John Yap came along this season. His name is very famous among youths but in the eye of the fans, Bala is not known to them. Despite not having a senior coaching post at those clubs that he was with previously, Bala is just glad that he had the chance to work with top coaches including Vorawan Chitavanich at now defunct Sembawang Rangers.

“Although I have not held onto any head coach position in any S-League teams, I am happy and appreciative of what I had learnt in the past working with top coaches. On whether people may feel that it’s a disadvantage to me, I certainly do not think so.”

“My strengths are that I worked with many of the boys that I have onboard currently, and I know them inside out since that I know them during my time in my previous employments. I don’t think it will be too much of an issue for me, personally” said Bala

Bala told Liga Singapura that Gombak United Chairman John Yap had not set any specific target for him this year till date, but he would like to achieve something in his first season as a head coach.

“John (Yap) haven’t told me anything as yet, but I don’t need him to remind me that I will need to do well this season. Personally, I’ve set myself a target of finishing better than last year’s team (6^th in the 2011 S-League) and I haven’t told my boys yet. I will let them know soon”

Bala has gathered a team, which will set fans drooling in excitement as he have secured the services of some tricky players whose weapon are their pace and trickery when given the ball.

Out went almost half a team alongside previous head coach Darren Stewart when the cross ship to Balestier Khalsa and one would have thought that Gombak United will be in deep trouble until Liga Singapura found out their roster for the new season. Any team in Singapore which can secure the services of players with pace such as Mustaqim Manzur, Fareez Farhan, K Vikrman, Fairoz Hasan and Hafiz Rahim in the same team will definitely wow the fans when the season gets underway. In addition, the Bulls have also brought on midfield hard man Adrian Dhanaraj (picture below) and former Burnley trainee Chris Anderson to beef up things at Jurong West.

Unfortunately, Singapore International Hafiz Rahim had been ruled out for some of the opening games of the season after the former Geylang United star suffer a bone crack on his metatarsal on his left foot. Bala was visibly disappointed by the injury but spoke of his confidence in one of his key players’ to recover well and be back by March.

“Hafiz will be out for six weeks, and we’ll see how it goes. He will remove the cast by end of February and the final date for the beep test will be on 15 March, which I understand that is a date specially catered for the players who get injured during pre season”

Hafiz Rahim

“(Hafiz) is a good man, and a good professional. I have 100% faith in him that he will do well in his recovery and we’ll have him back by the end of March. Meanwhile, we’ll keep working on his upper body strength in the Gym, and allow his foot to rest” Bala told Liga Singapura

Bala had also spoken of the small squad that Gombak will register this season with the focus of using Prime League registered players through the entire campaign. Of his new signings, Bala seemed to be very impressed with former NFA U18 defender, Nurullah Hussein.

“Nurullah is looking very good for some first team football in 2012. His strength will probably be that he could play in a couple of position. You can fit him in at left full back or centre back and he can even step up as a left midfielder for the team. He’s one who can give me a lot of options, I must say” Bala said of Nurullah Hussein (picture below)

In Saturday evening’s warm up game, Bala fielded a strong line up in the first period and a mixture of Prime League boys alongside some seniors against Woodlands Wellington at the Woodlands Stadium. Unfortunately, the tie was settled about 75 minutes into the game when Moon Soon Ho made no mistake after a through ball from the Woodlands midfield to inflict the first defeat on Bala as a head coach after his team brushed aside Admiralty (NFL Division Two) 5-2 in midweek, which saw Jung Hee Bong scoring four of the five goals.

“I achieved my objectives today. I was working on the tactical discipline and that speaks of why there wasn’t much movements upfront in the final third. Today’s focus’ was on our defending and I am pleased that they managed to hit my expectation”

“We have a game against Geylang (United) next week, and that should be one that I will try out something different. We need to take things a step at a time because we are new. Only then, things will work out well” said Bala

It is understood that Gombak United will bring on board another attacker who had played in Switzerland. It was understood that he was recommended by Gombak’s skipper, Obadin Aikena.

“He’ll arrive soon, and you can have chat with him when he’s here” said Obadin with a smile, when he “answered” Liga Singapura’s question on the player’s name.

Your Guide to the S-League Teams: SAFFC

2012-01-13T20:24:00.002+08:00

In this 13 part series, Liga Singapura will give the predictions as well as the key players of the squad to keep a look out for in the 2012 Great Eastern Yeos S-League. Views are not associated with any organizations in particular. First of the lot, we take a look at SAFFC,

Team name: Singapore Armed Forces Football Club (SAFFC)

Nick name: Warriors

Honors: Eight times S-League Champions (1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), Three times Singapore Cup Champions (1999, 2007, 2008)

Last season’s results: Third in S-League, Second round of Singapore Cup and Second round of League Cup

Home Ground: Choa Chu Kang Stadium

New Signings: Eddie Chang, Shimpei Sakurada, Tatsuro Inui, Seiji Saito (All Japan), Hassan Sunny, Shukor Zailan, Hafsyar Farkhan (promoted from SAFFC Prime League)

Key players: Hassan Sunny, Tatsuro Inui, Mislav Karoglan, Shimpei Sakurada.

2012 Roster (Shirt numbers in brackets):

Head Coach: Richard Bok (above)

Assistant Coach: V Selvaraj

Goalkeeper Coach: Rezal Hassan

Goalkeepers: Hassan Sunny (1), Shahril Jantan (14)

Defenders: Noh Rahman (5), Razaleigh Khalik (4), Eddie Chang (21), Bah Mamadou (6), Daniel Bennett (16)

Midfielders: Tatsuro Inui (7), Shimpei Sakurada (8), Zulfadli Zainal Abidin (3), Ruzaini Zainal (12), Seiji Saito (11), Shukor Zailan (15), Hafsyar Farkhan (19)

Strikers: Mislav Karoglan (9), Fazrul Nawaz (10), Erwan Gunawan (13)

Brief description:

After two barren years without a major domestic trophy, the pressure must definitely be weighing heavily on Richard Bok’s shoulders to achieve something for the Choa Chu Kang based side in the 2012 season. The Warriors remained the only representatives of the Republic ever to grace the AFC Champions League on two occasions being the 2009 and 2010. Despite the inability to progress past the group stages, the 2010 season saw the Warriors stamp their mark on the continent with a win over Henen Jianye when the Chinese Super League side came visiting at the Jalan Besar Stadium. The warriors emerged 2-1 winners over the Chinese opponents to become the first team in Singapore to gather three points from an AFC Champions League match in history.

Ever since they won four consecutive titles between 2006 and 2009, the Warriors have failed to reproduce the form which made them an invincible force during those times. The failure to secure any silverware in the past three seasons was largely due to the inconsistency performances on the pitch. The team struggled to cope with the departure midfield lynchpin Thersak Chaiman.

In Chaiman, the Warriors lost out a playmaker which they had failed to replace and that was the costliest price to pay for when they lost out to rivals despite still being able to manage the challenge at the top of the table. Chaiman’s ability to pace the game according to the Warriors’ strength was one key area on why the Warriors were so successful in the league during the four year dominance. As a midfielder, he was knocking in goals for fun from every part of the pitch. Players who played alongside Chaiman spoke of how brilliant the Thailand International is and explained that Chaiman was just like a “second coach” on the pitch, which made things simpler for them as a team.

The Warriors parted ways with no less than 10 players either due to contract expiry and also the call up to represent LionsXII in the Malaysian Super League.They brought in new faces to fill up the squad with plenty of youth and experience in quest for glory again. Shimpei Sakurada is expected to play a key role for the Warriors this season. Sakurada is a player with excellent technical abilities who can operate anywhere across midfield and his eye for goal would make him a strong candidate to replace the void vacated by the departure of Thersak Chaiman two years ago.

It seemed that every playing department will be filled up by two top quality players for the Warriors. The specialist department in the Goalkeeping department will see two great goalkeepers of

Singapore

vying for that one starting berth in the season.

The Big Problem

The Warriors always assemble a good squad for every season and it is the manner in which they crumble at certain point of time in the season that will be their biggest problem of all the potential problems that they may face. Keeping players happy will be tough as no one likes sitting on the bench. The lack of harmony in the team was also one of the main reasons why the Warriors couldn’t reproduce what they’ve did before in the past two years.

It is up to Richard Bok to allow his tinkering to begin once the season gets underway.

Verdict by Liga Singapura:

Top three finish in the Great Eastern Yeos S-League, or at least one title of the two (RHB Singapore Cup or League Cup) on offer at the end of the season.

Pre-season friendly matches:

31 Dec 2011: SAFFC 2-0 Home United FC

14 Jan 2012: SAFFC vs Hougang United @ 7pm, Jalan Besar Stadium

21 Jan 2012: SAFFC vs Albirex Niigata (S) @ 7pm, Choa Chu Kang Stadium

31 Jan 2012: SAFFC vs Geylang United @ 5pm, Choa Chu Kang Stadium

Part 2/2: Players who will light up the 2012 S-League

2012-01-13T17:34:00.000+08:00

In this second part of the two part series, i've identified some potential names which will set the S-League alight in 2012. The focus may seemed to go to the Malaysia League for now but this is an exercise to share with fans that when good players leave, there are always replacements for them. Quality is in abundance, and there is no need to worry about the best players plying their trade in the Malaysia Super League. The S-League will be one which is full of talents as well. Mark my words. Special mention to Teo Teng Kiat and Ko Pohui (Photos) as well as some current and ex-team-mates of these players, for their contribution to this exercise.

Musashi Okuyama (Albirex Niigata (S))

Photo courtesy of Albirex Niigata FB page

Although Okuyama is from small island named "Hachijo" in

Japan

, trickery and brilliant dribbling abilities had not gone unnoticed. He became the first J-League player from Hachijo Island. Okuyama was also a Japanese age group International (U15 and U18). However he lacked the little bit of toughness that was needed to compete at the highest level and therefore there was no chance to play in J-League. Subsequently, Okuyama was sent to

Singapore

on loan last year.
When he came to Singapore, his chances of being in the first team squad were minimized as well as he faced competition from regular starters, Atsushi Shimono, Keisuke Matsui, and and Shimpei Sakurada. Okuyama missed lots of opportunities to play even in

Singapore

. .

By the 2012 season, Okuyama would have matured in his game. He is a great talent for the team as far as team mates and officials were concerned but due to the lack of focus, he kept finding himself stranded on the bench throughout the entire season. He scored three in decisive situation last year, and showed great maturity when presented with the opportunity. He’s definitely one to watch for the 2012 season after having learnt his lesson the hard way.

Fareez Farhan (Gombak United)

Fareez is definitely one for the future of

Singapore

football. He’s blessed with speed and good skills. He's a good asset to any team. The 17 year old boy is disciplined and he possesses the attitude of a Successful player.

Despite his young age, he could be a role model for other youngsters. He’s willing to work and always give his best when he hits the football pitches. He has full respects for his seniors. Scored a good goal in 2011 when he dribbles past the entire SAFFC’s defense line to nail home from 20 yards. Missed the last part of the 2011 season due to his examinations. 2012 will be one important year for Fareez, who will try his best to impress the National selectors.

Fareez was also mentioned recently in famous football website, Soccernet.

Hafiz Nor (Home United)

Hafiz Nor (in purple) - Photo credit Ko Po Hui

At the SAFFC-Home friendly match on the weekend, it soon became clear to observers that the Home right winger was having a good game. Hafiz Nor gave an effervescent display, running at his man time and again, and had a shot saved in a one-on-one situation.

The former Tanjong Pagar midfielder, who made his debut last season, was snapped up by The Protectors in pre-season. With 3 goals in 12 appearances last season, Hafiz is not a stranger to finding the back of the net. Although not the tallest of players, the diminutive attacker has the pace and skill to trouble any defence.

His former Jaguars' team mate, Delwinder Singh, has praised his attitude and ability, saying: “He is someone who will never go down easily and his fighting spirit is just amazing…he helped us a lot on the right. He is a typical small and speedy winger, and also very nippy; he causes lots of headaches for defenders with his speed”, and also added that the supporters could “expect the unexpected”, as the winger has plenty of tricks up his sleeve.

With more established players ahead of him, he is unlikely to make the starting lineup any time soon, but from the early look of things; this boy certainly has the potential to be a star.

Zulkiffli Hassim (Balestier Khalsa)

Zulkiffli (in white) - photo credit Ko Po Hui

Known as “kuda” (horse) by his team mates, Zulkiffli is a work horse who is most effective down when deployed on the flanks. A product of the National Football Academy (NFA), he joined Woodlands Wellington after upon graduation from the NFA.

He has got a lot of pace in him but due to the lack of match fitness, he was often used as an impact player by Darren Stewart during his time at Gombak United. The boy is one of the many who crossed ship from Gombak to Balestier, probably because of Darren Stewart’s influence.

Zulkiffli can also be deployed as an out and out striker like he was playing up front during his time with the Singapore U18 years ago. He scored three goals in all competitions in 2011 despite always being used as a bit part player. 2012 could be the year that Zulkiffli shoot to fame as the experience he had under the guidance of Darren Stewart will benefit him for the coming season

Nurhidayat Khamarudin (Hougang United)

Nurhidayat

A forward by nature, Nurhidayat was widely used by Hougang United as a centre back in the 2011 Prime League season due to his toughness and his excellent reading of the game. The former Woodlands Wellington trainee will be part of Nenad Bacina’s plan for the 2012 season after getting promotion from the Hougang’s Prime League team.

With two goals to his name in the Prime League last year despite playing out of position by his coaches, Nurhidayat will be an useful asset to Nenad Bacina when the season gets started.

It is not known on which position will Nurhidayat be deployed but the boy’s versatility is one key aspect which led to his promotion from the Prime League squad. An aggressive tackler and a no nonsense player when deployed in the back line, Nurhidayat will certainly add strength and physical presence to a porous backline which conceded 63 goals in the league in the 2011 S-League season. Back the boy to shine.

Ivan Jerkovic (DPMM FC)

Jerkovic - photo credit Ko Po Hui

Jerkovic needs no further introduction in this scene. The former SAFFC midfielder is a crowd favorite with DPMM’s fans back home in

Brunei

. It was understood that when the offer came for him, he showed no hesitation in returning to the team which he first turned out for in the S-League in 2009.

The Croatian is also a dead ball specialist and have struck the back of the net on a couple of occasions for the Warriors during his time at Choa Chu Kang. With a team that will be made up of part timers, according to head coach Vjeran Simunic during the announcement of their participation in the league, Jerkovic is tipped to shine in the scene again this year.

The box to box midfielder will also hold the key to how Brazilian Rodrigo Gral will fare in his first season in the S-League.

Thats the end of the two part series. From this week, there will be a fans' guide of the respective S-League teams. So stay tune.

*didnt include Etoile because it was reported that they have decided to sit out of the league.

End of a journey for the Frenchmen

2012-01-13T00:56:00.000+08:00

When Football Association of Singapore (FAS) president Zainudin Nordin told TODAY newspaper that "Etoile has to make a decision by today(Wednesday)", he had already been notified of the 2010 S-League Champions plans to sit out of the S-League on Tuesday, a day before it was reported in the press, sources revealed.

The simple analogy going on in the public is simple - the appointment of Johann Gouttefangeas as the Deputy CEO of the S-League is causing Etoile to come to this decision. There's no need for speculations anymore. They have made that decision and they will sit out the League in 2012. However, it seemed that the appointment of Johann alongside the decision by the Frenchmen are just nothing but coincidental. It is a known fact that the club have had some financial difficulties in the past, and therefore, it could be one reason which prompted them to make this decision.

Over the last two days, FAS officials have told the officials of Etoile FC to reconsider their options for the season which will be kicking off in three weeks time. Should they not consider their option and stick with staying out of the league, the season will go on with 13 teams and there will be one team which will not play every week.

"This is ridiculous. They have to do it at this time right before the season starts. Why didn't they do it earlier? Now that there're 13 teams, the fixtures will get all messed up again, and in the end, it's back to square one as compared to previous years" a source told Liga Singapura

Harimau Muda(Young Tigers) will join the league as part of the MOU between FAS and Football Association of Malaysia(FAM). Brunei DPMM FC completes the list of teams that will compete in 2012. The season will kick of on 9 February and the fixtures will be announced before 18 January 2012, as advised by a FAS spokesman.

Views above has nothing to do with any other organizations in particular.

Ticketing details for LIONSXII vs Kuala Lumpur (17 January)

2012-01-12T23:27:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE, 12 January 2012: The Football Association of Singapore is pleased to announce the ticketing details for the Malaysian Super League match on 17 January between LIONSXII and Kuala Lumpur that will be played at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

Tickets for the match against Kuala Lumpur will go on sale starting from Saturday, 14 January 2012 to Tuesday, 17 January 2012 at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

Ticketing Details

Pre-Match Sales

Date : 14th to 16th January 2012

Time : 10am to 8pm

Venue : Jalan Besar Stadium, North Gate (next to the swimming pool)

Price : Adult - S$12.00 (Grandstand), S$7.00 (Gallery), S$7.00 (Gallery – King George’s Stand)

*Concession - Child, Primary, Secondary, ITE, JC Students Only/ Senior Citizen 60 years old and above - S$2.00 (Gallery only)

*Students and Senior Citizens have to produce their concession passes at the sales counter. Concession tickets are also applicable to children aged 7 and below whom require a seat in the stadium.

Match Day Sales (subject to ticket availability)

*Each person is entitled to purchase four tickets upon showing your NRIC card at the sales counter.

Date : Tuesday, 17 January 2012

Time : 5pm onwards

Venue : Jalan Besar Stadium, North and South Gate

Price : Adult - S$12.00 (Grandstand), S$7.00 (Gallery), S$7.00 (Gallery – King George’s Stand)

*Concession - Child, Primary, Secondary, ITE, JC Students Only/ Senior Citizen 60 years old and above - S$2.00 (Gallery seating only)

*Students and Senior Citizens have to produce their concession passes at the sales counter. Concession tickets are also applicable to children aged 7 and below whom require a seat in the stadium.

Everyone deserves our support

2012-01-11T15:40:00.001+08:00

By: Terence Kua

After much anticipation and widespread reporting about Singapore’s return to M-League, 10 January 2012 has finally arrived. More than 7000 people were packed inside Jalan Besar Stadium to witness LionsXII opening their MSL campaign against defending champions Kelantan.

It is always a great pleasure to see a stadium full of spectators, and the last time we saw that happened was perhaps against Malaysia back in the World Cup qualifiers few months back. To be honest, I wasn’t a fan about us being back in the M-League as I feel it wouldn’t be doing our very own S-League any justice. But upon reaching the outside of the stadium, looking at the “ponding” of red shirts, I have to say I was very much getting excited about the game. Entering the stadium was a breeze for me(not sure if its because of good crowd management or less crowd when I entered), King George Stand(KGS) was where I was at and right behind the goal was where I was seated. I was a carnival atmosphere just before the match kicked off with drummers, free stylers, confetti and balloons(Just to name a few).

It was great atmosphere at KGS, especially able to be so close to the action on the field and to top it off, Baihaikki’s goal celebration! Perhaps this could be the future “The Kop End” of Jalan Besar, or we can rename it the S-League Stand (To remind all singaporeans that S-league still exists). To be fair, FAS did their part by putting up one solitary S-League A-board during the game. In terms of play, LionsXII was by far the better of the two in my opinion. But at the end of the day, possession and good play doesn’t get you three points. Getting more balls into the opponent’s net does. We can take heart with LionsXII gallant display, and losing the first game against the defending M-League Champions is not the end. With 25 more games to go in the season, anything can happen.

29 days from now will be the day when the 17th edition of S-League kicks off. So now S-League will be a separate unit from Football Association of Singapore (FAS). I am not exactly sure on why they've decided to do this only after deciding the merger years back, and could it be that the FAS wants to focus on the LionsXII's Malaysian adventure?

Average attendance dropped at an alarming rate last season but newly appointed S-League Deputy CEO mentioned in the press conference on 6 January that this was not true, and it was due to inaccurate calculations in the past.

I beg to differ, as I believe most of us can see the difference between 800 fans and 2000 fans packed in a stadium. This coming season will mark a “new beginning” with S-League version 2.0. what can we be expecting? I’m hoping that our printed media(Straits Times, The New Paper, Berita Harian, Tamil Murasu, Today, Lian He Zao Bao, Sin Ming Wan Bao, Lian He Wan Bao etc) will report on S-League as much as you write about LionsXII(Ok, not too greedy, 60% of that will do). I know everyone will say “Why write about S-League when there is no demand for it?” But my question is, If you don’t write, how to have demand? Com’on, afterall this is S-League 2.0, a new chapter, a new beginning.

I hope the fixtures for the new season will be out within the next week or so, as well as the new
initiatives by the new management.

Be it LionsXII or Gombak United, Be it M-League or S-League, both deserves our support.

Brunei DPMM FC return to Great Eastern YEO’S S.League for 2012 season

2012-01-10T17:43:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE, 10 JANUARY 2012 – Duli Pengiran Muda Mahkota Football Club, affectionately known in both Brunei Darussalam and Singapore as DPMM FC were formally welcomed back to the S.League, by A/P Ho Peng Kee, FAS Advisor this afternoon, as the 14^th and final team that will compete in the 2012 Great Eastern YEO’S S.League.

The official signing ceremony was held at the Singapore Sports School on 10 January 2012, witnessed by His Royal Highness, Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, The Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office who is in Singapore on an official visit.

Regarded as the top football club in Brunei, DPMM FC did the double in 2002 with the Brunei Premier League and the Brunei Super Cup. They hit a rich vein of form in 2004 and claimed a treble by becoming league, FA Cup and Super Cup champions.

DPMM FC became the first Bruneian football club, to play in the S.League back in 2009.

In their inaugural season, they made a positive and immediate impact when they stunned league giants, Singapore Armed Forces FC in the FAS League Cup Final played at Jalan Besar Stadium in June with a full-time score of 1-1 before triumphing in the penalty shootout.

DPMM FC were also the first foreign team permitted by FAS to play their home matches at the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium after they graciously agreed to underwrite the expenses of the local S.League teams traveling to Brunei.

DPMM FC made history when their home game against Singapore Armed Forces FC at Bandar Seri Begawan in the league saw a record 10,583 fans in the stadium.

His Royal Highness, Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, is a very passionate football fan and was once on the DPMM FC teamsheet as a goalkeeper. He always takes a keen and personal interest in his team and attends not only training sessions but also matches, whenever his schedule permits.

On the Asian front, they participated in the AFC Champions League in the 2002/2003 season and were part of the 2003 and 2005 ASEAN Club Championship.

DPMM FC have added some samba flavour into their team roster with two Brazilian imports, defender Tales dos Santos and forward, Rodrigo Gral for the upcoming season.

Croatian playmaker Ivan Jerkovic and Ghanaian striker Osman Bashiru complete the foreign line-up with the former returning to the club he first made his name with before joining S.League giants, Singapore Armed Forces FC for the 2011 season.

2009 League Cup winning coach, Vjeran Simunic will attempt to mastermind a winning return to the Singapore domestic competitions and with an impressive resume like his, DPMM FC will definitely be a force to be reckoned with.

Mr Zainudin Nordin, FAS President

“A number of foreign teams wanted to join the Great Eastern YEO’S S.League however we were clear that the applicant must satisfy our stringent selection criteria and procedure, and having carefully studied DPMM FC’s application, FAS are happy to welcome back DPMM FC to the 2013 S.League.

“DPMM FC’s enterprising and attacking style of play was a highlight of the 2009 season and I am very confident that DPMM will not only add value to the S.League as they showed in 2009 but also give Singaporeans an opportunity to witness exciting and competitive in the S.League.2012 season.”

Brunei DPMM FC Head Coach Vjeran Simunic

“I was very happy to hear the news initially that we are going to return to the S.League and will now prepare my team for the start of the season. The team is now in pre-season training and we are focusing on getting the players back to full fitness before the first game. We will also be playing a few friendly matches against Thailand club sides in preparation for the tournament.”

Do not compare, do not expect

2012-01-10T12:45:00.000+08:00

Finally it has arrived. This is the day that many Singaporeans have been waiting for. At 1945hrs tonight, LionsXII will mark

Singapore

's return to football competitions across the causeway, and the first challengers will be 2011 Malaysian Super League Champions, Kelantan.

The match will be held at the Jalan Besar Stadium which can only accommodate approximately 7500 spectators. Live screening of the big game have been scheduled across the island, with the ground on People's Association being the most prominent venue of the three. NEX shopping mall as well as Lot 1 shopping mall will also be venues which will hold the live screening of the match.

Singapore

football fans needs to understand, we're now in year 2012. The class of 1994 is long gone, and everyone needs to note that we have to focus our attention on the current batch of 29 players which we have in the LionsXII squad, not the squad of 1994. Fans will tend to compare the current squad to the last squad which won the Malaysia League and Cup double in the 1994 season, before

Singapore

dramatically pulled out of the competitions because during those days, nothing else really mattered for local football fans, except for the Malaysian football competitions. The rivalry between

Singapore

and the Malaysian state sides were so intense. 60,000 fans will hurl abuse at the opposition with one voice, and those fans back then sang as one.

To add on to that, there wasn't so much broadcast on European league matches on local television, therefore, the Malaysia League and Cup were the only tournaments which local football fans look forward.

During that 17 year hiatus from Malaysian football competitions, every weekend will see at least 10-15 European league matches that were screened live over Pay TV and local fans were contented to be avid followers of those European leagues. It is unfair to say that our boys are not up to the mark when the fact is that the fans tend to compare them with whatever they saw on TV. There needs to be a more realistic comparison as it is almost impossible for football leagues in South East Asia to be used as a comparison factor against top European leagues.

There is also the S-League, which attracted many during the early years since its implementation but over the years, more and more fans are coming forward to say that it is a dying league. Fans stay away from the S-League because they see no value in it and this is something which is beyond comprehension. The biggest problem of all is that some of these fans who actually said that, have never stepped into any S-League stadium ever, to catch one S-League match. So therefore, why the overly critical statement?

No one likes supporting a losing team and that remains a fact. Fans need to always remember that this team is a representation of a country by the name of

Singapore

, whether it is a club side, or a National side. There is a choice for football fans. If you enjoy watching football, you can do it with an open mind. Regardless of what results that these 29 boys produce over the entire season, you can be assured that when they put on that jersey and get on to the pitch, they will always give their utmost best.

I believe the pressure is weighing heavily on the shoulders of the team, be it the management team or the players. Instant success cannot be guaranteed and given the hype created by the mainstream media, I fear that should this project fail or rather, when the team do not do well in the opening matches, the heads of some players who i think are the most innocent of the lot in this Malaysian adventure will definitely go onto the chopping boards.

Football is not only about the two teams playing on the pitch. There are many other aspects which can allow the fans to enjoy themselves too, so long as they attend the matches with an open heart.

While there are a lot who will back the LionsXII for this competition, there will also be some others with who will stay away from them. No one will stop the fans from doing anything that they want but there's something which needs to be very clear. It is not the players' choice to return to the football competitions across the causeway, and therefore, give the players a break; they've done nothing to deserve all those abuse and criticisms.

With that said, all the best to the LionsXII as they begin their adventure tonight.

Fancy getting your hands on a piece of Singapore football history?

2012-01-08T20:10:00.000+08:00

Singapore finally ended the 17 years hiatus from Malaysia football tournaments and will kick start its 2012 Malaysian Super League (MSL) campaign on Tuesday(10 Jan) evening at the Jalan Besar Stadium. The Lions will face the challenge of 2011 MSL Champions, Kelantan in the opening fixture. Football Association of Singapore (FAS) have today, announced that tickets have been sold out for the game.

What i have with me here, is an exclusive LionsXII shirt, signed by the LionsXII squad members. Here's YOUR chance, to get your hands on this exclusive prize that was made possible with the assistance of LionsXII Team Manager, Mr Eugene Loo, as well as the players, who penned their signature on the shirt.

The Prize

Simply answer the question below, and send your answers in to ligasingapura@gmail.com. Closing date for the entries will be on 9 January 2012, 2359hrs.

Qn: Who were the goal scorers and how many goals do they have to their name during the five matches during pre-season. (Games played against Johor FA, PKNS FA, ATM FA, Johor FC and Courts Young Lions)

Hint: The answers can be found on this blog, Liga Singapura's Facebook page, as well as Liga Singapura's Twitter account.

Hurry send in your entries today.

In case of a tie, the winner will be decided by a draw by the blog owner and the winner will be notified at 0900hrs on 10 January 2012 for arrangement of the T-Shirt to be picked up at a venue of the winner's choice.

Good luck to all. I look forward to your participation.

LionsXII’s key to victory is to ATTACK

2012-01-08T02:38:00.000+08:00

LionsXII will mark Singapore’s return to the Malaysia Football tournaments in three days time when they host defending Malaysia Super League Champions Kelantan in an opening home fixture at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

A sell out crowd is expected at the Jalan Besar Stadium for this clash as Football Association of Singapore have announced on Saturday evening that only 10% of the tickets were left for sale on the third day of pre-sales schedules.

On Saturday evening, Liga Singapura was at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium to check out on what will Kelantan have to offer against the LionsXII. The end result may not be to Kelantan’s favor (Negeri Sembilan won 2-1) but there’re definitely a few issues to take note of the East Malaysia side who are solid and confident when they have possession of the ball.

The Red Warriors are led by former Singapore Armed Forces FC head coach Peter Butler and his appointment late last year marked his second stint at the club. Butler’s side is made up of numerous big name players in the mould of

Malaysia

National Team stars, Khairul Fahmi Che Mat as well as Norshahrul Idlan Talaha. Adding on to the 2011 Malaysia Super League Champions rooster this year will be foreign imports Lebanese Muhamad Ghaddar and Ghanaian Dennis Antwi Agyare.

Kelantan played a 4-3-3 throughout the entire game against Negeri Sembilan with no less than five men in attack whenever they were involved in an attacking move. They will are likely to play the same way which they did against Negeri Sembilan when they visit Jalan Besar Stadium.

Antwi, Ghaddar and Norshahrul will spearhead the team’s attack with Norfarhan Mohamad and former Malaysia International Indra Putra Mahiyuddin supporting the trio from the “hole”. Shakir Shaari the captain sits in front of a rather shaky defence consisting of Mohd Aziz Ismail, Mohd Farisham Ismail, S Subramaniam and Azizi Matt Rose. Khairul Fahmi Che Mat will keep goal for Kelantan

Kelantan were dealt with a severe blow for their opening Malaysia Super League fixture when Azizi Matt Rose will definitely be out for the game against LionsXII when he was replaced midway through the second half with suspected knee ligament damage.

Kelantan plays fast pace football and the players’ movement off the ball would be something to take not of. However the backline loses the ball rather easily and were finding it tough to cope with the “Perlawanan Sumbangsih(Charity Shield)” Man of the Match, Jean Emmanuel Effa Owona who had two goals to his name on the night.

When the team attacks, Kelantan tend to leave a big “gap in between the backline and the attacking line, which Negeri Sembilan took full advantage of. The attacking trio of Ghaddar, Antwi and Norshahrul had no way past a much disciplined Negeri Sembilan backline led by skipper Norhafiz Zamani Misbah.

The goal by Norshahrul Idlan Talaha was a classic example on how good the team is going forward. Ghaddar needs to be credited for all the hard work done as he weaved past two defenders before setting up Norshahrul for the opener, just after 19 minutes on the clock. Though Kelantan had plenty of opportunities to double the score line, they failed to make it count when it mattered. On top of that, the backline didn’t help when they allowed Effa to go past three defenders with ease before scoring off a deflection by a Kelantan defender. The second goal was also a result of poor defending when Effa was left totally unmarked at the far post to nod home the winner.

For LionsXII, I thought that it will be best for V Sundramoorthy to come out attacking right from the start in order to neutralize the threat poised by the awesome attacking trio of Norshahrul, Antwi and Ghaddar. With Norfarhan Mohamad and Indra Putra behind these three, denying these five players all in all will be crucial at any stage of the game. Denying these five players any time on the ball will be half the battle won on Tuesday.

Kelantan have been training on the astro turf of the National Sports Council near Bukit Jalil National Stadium for the past days and even did so when they cancelled their allocated time slot to train on the Bukit Jalil ground to prepare for this game to train on the astro turf next door. This should be in view of the “ground problems” which will likely cause problems for the Red Warriors on the coming Tuesday.

Peter Butler was a disappointed man after the game and he speak of how good his team’s performance was and it was down to two silly errors which cost the team the game.

“We were playing much better football as all of you can see. But the two mistakes that we made led to two goals and this is football. Such things do happen.”

Peter Butler

“I am very disappointed that despite controlling the game for long periods, we couldn’t grind out a win from today’s effort. I’ve been here three times, and I’ve lost all three.”

“(The fans) should also be disappointed and we will take the next two days to analyze what went wrong and try to correct it before the first game next week. I certainly thought that the main difference was (Effa) who scored the two goals for (Negeri Sembilan)” said Butler

In an earlier interview with Butler, the Brit mentioned that they will not find any time to train on any astro turf as time doesn’t allow them to do that with their hectic pre season schedules. But it seemed that things have change in the space of a week.