Two of Singapore’s former football heroes, Abbas Saad and Rafi Ali, have slammed the national team following their abysmal 2-2 draw with Guam on Tuesday night (Mar 31).
They were speaking on the sidelines of the launch of a global seven-aside football tournament, 24Sevens.
167th-ranked Guam lie 14 places below Singapore in the FIFA rankings, but the difference did not show at Jalan Besar Stadium. The Lions trailed the visitors twice, and it took a second-half leveller from Faris Ramli to spare the hosts further embarrassment.
Singapore have now won only four times in their last 12 games, including matches at their AFF Suzuki Cup run.
Abbas Saad, who was part of the Singapore team in the Malaysian League in 1990 and from 1993 to 1994, said: “2-2, Guam and the Singapore national team, in your home den. That is embarrassing, that is not good enough. There have got to be changes here. The coach has got to answer what is going on with the results.
“And again, it is not the results, it is the way they have been playing the game. Are you getting the best out of the players, are you identifying the best players, are you getting the right set-up or the right formation out there? I do not think so.”
Meanwhile, Rafi Ali, who was in the Singapore national team from 1995 to 2003, said: “When you have that flag, you must be proud of that flag. And some of the players, when I watch some of the games, they have it. But we need to have this on a consistent basis, week in, week out. Just give your best and give your 100 per cent. Because you are playing for your country. Because not many people have the privilege to put on the jerseys.”
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
