LIONSXII midfielder suspended till further notice

LIONSXII midfielder suspended till further notice

Football Association of Singapore have suspended LIONSXII's midfielder, Firdaus Kasman from all football activities with immediate effect for breaches of the provisions of the Code of Conduct & Professional Ethics.

According to Firdaus Kasman, his fiancé, his childhood friend and he had gone to Clarke Quay to celebrate his belated birthday on 4th February 2012. He had some drinks and felt high and also felt like vomiting. His childhood friend helped him to the toilet. Before doing so, his childhood friend picked up a lady handbag thinking that it belonged to his fiancé. Unfortunately it was not his fiance's. Firdaus and his childhood friend were detained by the police for investigation and that accounted for his absence from training on 5th February 2012. The police is continuing with their investigation. Firdaus denies any involvement in any offence. As the police is investigating it is inappropriate for FAS to make further comment on the matter.

However, FAS is suspending Firdaus on the ground that he had breached the Code of Conduct & Professional Ethics which, inter alia, specifically prohibits the consumption of alcohol at any time. The consumption of alcohol to the extent that his friend was required to assist him to the toilet to vomit was a conduct which brings negative publicity, embarrassment or disrepute to FAS and has tarnished and disparaged the image of Singapore and FAS.

The appropriate internal investigation will be carried out with a view to convene a Disciplinary Inquiry against Firdaus.

FAS Quote

"FAS is of the unwavering view that the irresponsible conduct of Firdaus cannot be tolerated. There is absolutely no compromise for the exemplary conduct of players and officials who are contracted to FAS and playing for the LIONSXII team.

"We will not hesitate to take appropriate action if any player is found guilty of breaching the team's code of conduct. Firdaus will be suspended from all football activities for breaching LIONSXII Code of Conduct Section 1b, 1d and 8f until the FAS Disciplinary Committee convenes and its members deliberate on the matter and decide on the appropriate action to be taken.

"We understand that Firdaus is now assisting the police in the investigation of an alleged offence and we will await the conclusion of the case. Firdaus has informed us that he is not involved in the alleged offence and he assured us that he will cooperate fully with the authorities during the investigation. However, should Firdaus be found guilty of the alleged offence, we will subsequently decide on what further action to be taken including termination of his contract."

Quote from Firdaus Kasman

"I would like to apologise sincerely to the Football Association of Singapore, the coaches and players of the LionsXII, my fans, family and loved ones for breaching the Football Association of Singapore Code of Conduct and Professional Ethics for LionsXII players. I deeply regret my action and I will accept the punishment meted out by the FAS Disciplinary Committee.

"As for the alleged offence, the case is currently under investigation and I am unable to make any comment. I will however like to add that I did not engage in any act which constitutes an offence. I will cooperate fully with the authorities in this matter and I am confident that the true facts of the case will be established soon."

~News courtesy of LionsXII.sg~

LionsXII and Selangor draw 1-1

LionsXII and Selangor draw 1-1

Selangor and Singapore's LionsXII drew 1-1 in a Malaysian Super League match at Bukit Jalil Stadium on Wednesday.

Only some 200 Singapore fans made the trip to Malaysia to watch the away match.

They were rewarded when Shahril Ishak's solo effort in the 43rd minute gave the visitors the lead.

But the advantage was not for long, as the home team's G Gurusamy equalised two minutes later.

The second half was devoid of any goals and the match ended at 1-1, with both sides sharing a point.

LionsXII next host Negeri Sembilan at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore on Saturday(11 February). The match would be telecast live on Channel 5.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

SLeague on StarHub and ESPN

SLeague teams with StarHub and ESPN to broadcast matches live

The S-League has inked a one-year deal with StarHub and ESPN Star Sports to broadcast matches of the 2012 Great Eastern-Yeo's S-League season.

The deal will see 30 matches telecast "live" on StarHub TV Channel 112 and 201 every Thursday at 7.30 pm, starting with a 15-minute preview show before kick-off.

Of these, 26 are from the S-League, and the remaining four from the Starhub League Cup.

The first "live" match will be Thursday's opening S-League match between Gombak United and Harimau Muda of Malaysia at the Jalan Besar Stadium at 7.30pm.

Fans can view the games on StarHub's TV, online and mobile platforms.

The collaboration is part of S-League Version 2.0 to improve Singapore's premier domestic football competition, which will also see the S-League matches shown "live" overseas in Malaysia and Brunei, which S-League CEO Lim Chin believes will boost the S-League's regional appeal.

ESPN Star Sports will also broadcast a 30-minute highlight show across major STAR Sports networks covering 12 countries every Monday at 10pm from Feb 13.

The highights show will also be shown on StarHub, as well as on Astro Arena in Malaysia and Brunei.

~News courtesy of Today~