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Tag: football

  • Adam Swandi Must Buckle Down

    Adam Swandi Must Buckle Down

    Making his international debut for the Lions aged 17 years and 143 days, Adam Swandi was touted as the next big thing in Singapore football.

    In 2013, The New Paper Dollah Kassim Award winner jetted off to France for a two-year stint with FC Metz.

    Today, the 20-year-old, capped four times by Singapore, is at a crossroads after leaving the Garena Young Lions to join Home United, his first senior S.League club, along with 19-year-old Irfan Fandi Ahmad.

    The forward, known for his dribbling skills, tricks and flicks at youth level, is not a shoo-in for Richard Tardy’s SEA Games squad next August.

    The 66-year-old Frenchman told The New Paper: “For players like Adam and Amirul Adli who have played for the national team at senior level two years ago, we expect more.

    “Perhaps they thought ahead of themselves and I wasn’t happy with their performances last season.

    “There is a possibility that they have changed their thinking and they now want to show more and fight more.

    “At the other clubs, coaches are mostly concerned with results and if these players are mostly on the bench and don’t have enough playing time, they may miss the SEA Games.

    “We will monitor the progress of the players. I have a list of about 30 players for the SEA Games.

    “In my mind, I have about 80 per cent of the final squad. The door is open both ways for the last 20 per cent – players can fall out or force their way in.”

     

    Source: The New Paper

  • Sundram: Who Says I’m A Defensive Coach?

    Sundram: Who Says I’m A Defensive Coach?

    His Lions were booted out of the AFF Suzuki Cup at the first hurdle, with a solitary point – and goal.

    And V Sundramoorthy has faced much criticism, with many labelling him as too defensive, while others frowned upon his squad selection.

    In his first comments since returning from Manila, the coach insisted he would have done nothing differently, and there was little more he could ask from his charges.

    “We were attacking the Philippines until the moment we received a harsh red card and, in the next game (against Thailand), your paper highlighted the statistics which showed that we had more shots than Thailand – both in the number of shots as well the number of shots on target,” said Sundram, who has six months left on his year-long contract with the Football Association of Singapore (FAS).

    “Every player I picked showed 100 per cent commitment during training and in matches, and all of them definitely gave it their all. As a coach, I could not have asked for more from them in terms of commitment.

    “While there are areas for improvement – which I will present in my report to the FAS Council, I am generally pleased with the attitude and dedication of our players.”

    In the opening Group A fixture against the Philippines, midfielder Hafiz Abu Sujad was sent off after just 34 minutes for a reckless challenge. The Lions then went into defensive mode and escaped with a 0-0 draw.

    In the second match against Thailand, they again set up a defensive wall, only to concede an 89th-minute goal to lose 1-0.

    “In our last match, we were 30 minutes away from qualifying for the semi-finals… we should and could have scored more than one goal in the last two matches to secure full points against Thailand and Indonesia, but that’s football,” Sundram conceded.

    In the final group match against Indonesia, the Lions led through Khairul Amri’s goal, but conceded twice in the second half to lose 2-1.

    Sundram did not want to address the Facebook outburst by veteran defender Baihakki Khaizan, who hit out at the national coaches midway through the group stage after he was dropped from the starting 11, and stated he would have changed little in the personnel he took to Manila.

    “This is the best squad available and, considering the likes of Fazrul Nawaz (Tampines Rovers) and Iqbal Hussain (Hougang United) were injured, I’d probably still have selected this team,” he said.

    BACKING

    “We have good and capable management and staff at FAS. Thanks to their full support, we prepared our team to the best of our abilities in various areas including training camps, analysis and support staff etc.

    “We have to move on now and focus on the Asian Cup 2019 qualification third round which will begin in March.”

    Many now believe Singapore football is on a drastic slide but the national coach disagreed.

    “I believe the future of Singapore football is promising, especially with technical director Michel Sablon’s youth development plans getting into higher gear. We may only start to reap the benefits in a few years but, if everybody comes on board this vision – from the authorities to corporate organisations – then I’m sure Singapore football will only grow from strength to strength,” said Sundram.

    The 51-year-old reiterated his pride at leading his country.

    “As a player, you want to wear the national jersey, and I was proud to have that opportunity. Since I hung up my boots, I have never been so proud as when I heard the Majulah Singapura played in the first game,” he said.

    “As the coach of the national team, I represent more than five million Singaporeans and it was a huge honour for me, something I will always remember.”

     

    Source: The New Paper

  • Hassan In Limbo

    Hassan In Limbo

    The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) confirmed yesterday (Oct 17) that the country’s top football competition, the Thai Premier League (TPL), has ended.

    It means that Army United, where Singapore goalkeeper Hassan Sunny plies his trade, will be relegated to Division 1.

    Hassan, the Singapore No. 1, is hoping he can secure a loan move and stay in the top flight.

    Speaking to The New Paper yesterday, the 32-year-old, who kept five clean sheets for his club this season, said: “I still have one more year on my contract with Army United, so I will have to play in Division 1 if they want me to.

    “No disrespect to Division 1, but I would like to still play in the top division if possible, as I feel I can still play at this level.

    “I have had some verbal interest from some TPL clubs, although given my contract circumstances, they would have to pay a transfer fee to sign me on a permanent deal, which is more common for locals than imports here.

    “There is a new chairman at my club, so I’m not sure now what direction they want to take for next season.

    “I will meet with him soon and hope to get a clearer picture.

    “If I don’t fit in their plans, I will request to go on loan at another TPL club.”

    The FAT announced the conclusion of the 18-team TPL season with three matches to go following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej last Thursday.

    The league standings at the time were deemed final, with Muang Thong United crowned champions and the bottom three – Army United, Chainat Hornbill and BBCU – relegated, while upcoming cup finals would be decided by a draw.

    According to Thailand daily Siam Sport, Army United had complained of “unfair relegation with three matches and nine points to play for”, as there were teams ahead of them they still could have caught.

    After a meeting with the affected clubs, the FAT upheld the original decision.

    Hassan can look back at two fruitful seasons in the TPL in which he has become a fan favourite with his committed and commanding displays.

    Earlier this year, he was named by British newspaper The Telegraph as the 18th-best goalkeeper in the world.

    “I love the challenge here in Thailand,” said Hassan.

    “Week in, week out, every game feels like an international match here in terms of the standard of play, the intensity and the environment.

    “We can all feel the excitement of a game day and it’s a league which every Singaporean footballer should aspire to play in.

    “I have always given 100 per cent 
in every game I play and it’s nice that the fans acknowledge that and tell us they appreciate us regardless of the results.

    “The team I play for are not one of the strongest or richest, and there’s definitely pressure to perform as an import, but I have really enjoyed my time here and I’m looking forward to playing in the TPL for at least another season.”

     

    Source: The New Paper

  • Local Teen Footballer Marc Embarks On England Stint

    Local Teen Footballer Marc Embarks On England Stint

    He first came to prominence as one of the stars of the 2014 Gothia Cup — regarded as the world’s largest youth tournament — as he helped Singapore’s F-17 academy achieve a third-place finish out of 120 teams in the Under-11 category.

     

    And last November, Marc Ryan Tan, the son of Singapore’s Malaysia Cup hero Steven Tan, made his mark again during a local training camp conducted by West Ham’s academy coaches.

    The 14-year-old made such a positive impression on the visiting coaches that he was invited to train with the English Premier League outfit’s academy in London this week.

    The West Ham academy, which has produced players such as Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick and Frank Lampard, has been given a Category One status under the Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), which puts them among the top 20 academies in England.

    While in England, Marc will also train at three other English academies – Wolverhampton Wanderers (Category One), Stoke City (Category One) and Charlton Athletic (Category Two) – during the 10-day training tour, which is organised by United States-based sports management company Global Image Sports (GIS).

    The teenager, who can play as a forward or on the wings, is the only local player out of four others from the F-17 academy who was shortlisted for this tour.

    Speaking to TODAY ahead of the training tour, Marc said that he hopes to use this opportunity to improve himself as a player.

    In addition, he hopes to impress the coaches, and any watching scouts, as he works towards his dream of earning a professional contract with a top European team in future.

    “I want to go there to learn how the English kids play because I’ve never played with the European kids before,” said the Secondary 2 student at the Singapore Sports School (SSP). “It’ll be interesting to see their style of play, observe how they train and find out why they’re so good at football.

    “Hopefully I can go there, improve myself and bring something back with me so that I can share my experience with my SSP team-mates and make the team stronger.

    “I’m very excited for this tour and I’m confident of making an impact there. After all, my dream is to one day playing for a top European team so this will be a great chance for me to get clubs to notice me.”

    His dad Steven, affectionately known as “Super Sub” when he was part of Lions’ famous 1994 Malaysia Cup-winning team, said this tour will give Marc an indication of where he stands against some of the top young talents in the world.

    “At this stage of his career, it’s good for him to know where he stands at an international level,” said Steven, who is now a coach at the ActiveSg Football Academy. “He can only do that by going up against players of a higher standard. In England, the level of football there is very high.

    “So I want him to go there and test himself against those boys. Hopefully, he can rise up to the challenge and meet the standard that they’re looking for.”

    Steven added that he will not hesitate to send Marc overseas for the long-term if the right opportunity comes knocking.

    This mirrors what fellow local football icon Fandi Ahmad has done for his sons Irfan, Ikhsan and Ilhan – the former two trained in Chile for over two years, while Ilhan is expected to head to England this week.

    “Of course, I would love for Marc to train in England for the long-term, and get a school to study there as well, because it will help his football development immensely,” said Steven.

    “But it’s not easy to get a permit to play in the UK, so we have to see if the F-17 or GIS can help us with the procedure and see how we can work around it.

    “Unlike in my time (as players), the kids now have more opportunities to play overseas, and so we must expose them as much as we can. Going to Europe, there’ll be more people watching Marc play, so we need him to take this step and get out of his comfort zone and see how far he can develop as a player.”

    Marc, accompanied by his father, departed for England on Monday (Oct 10) night. The expenses of the trip for Marc, which is expected to reach up to S$7,000, will largely be borne by the F-17 Academy.

     

    Source: TODAY Online

  • Football: Fandi Ahmad Named FAS’ Head Coach Of Youth

    Football: Fandi Ahmad Named FAS’ Head Coach Of Youth

    Local football icon Fandi Ahmad has been named the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) new head coach of youth.

    The announcement was made by FAS vice-president Edwin Tong during a media conference on Tuesday (Oct 4).

    Fandi has signed a three-year plus three contract with the FAS.

    He will take charge of the 2018 Asian Games, 2019 and 2021 SEA Games and Tokyo 2020 Olympic teams.

    The 54-year-old’s current contract as FAS staff coach is set to end in December.

    The Straits Times had reported last month that Fandi was understood to be mulling over an offer from Malaysia Super League side Pahang FA. He had played for the state team in 1991 and 1992, winning the Malaysian league and Malaysia Cup double in 1992.

    On talk regarding that possibility, Fandi said “the links to Pahang were serious but my heart was always to stay in Singapore”.

    The former national football captain had also previously coached the Young Lions, then the national Under-23 team, from 2003 to 2006, leading them to two third-placed finishes in the S-League – their best-ever showing.

    He rejoined the FAS in late 2013, succeeding current national caretaker coach V. Sundramoorthy as coach of the now-defunct LionsXII. Last year, he led the team to victory in the Malaysia FA Cup.

    On his long-held ambition to coach the senior team, Fandi said: “I still want to coach the national team but maybe in four or five years when this project is over.”

    National youth coach Richard Tardy will remain in charge of the 13- to 18-year-olds, while Fandi will work with those aged 18 to 23 in his new role.

     

    Source: The Straits Times