Lionel Messi arrives in Singapore with Argentina squad, won't feature in friendly

Lionel Messi arrives in Singapore with Argentina squad, won't feature in friendly



Football star Lionel Messi arriving at Singapore Changi Airport on Saturday (Jun 10). (Photo: Football Association of Singapore)

Fresh from their 1-0 victory against Brazil in the Melbourne Superclasico in Australia, Argentina's football team landed at Singapore's Changi Airport on Saturday evening (Jun 10) - with Lionel Messi in tow.

However, the Barcelona superstar and five-time Ballon d'Or winner will not feature in Tuesday's friendly against Singapore at the National Stadium "due to personal reasons", international match promoter UNICESS later confirmed in a media statement.

It added that Gonzalo Higuain and Nicolas Otamendi will not be taking to the pitch as well.

There had been speculation over Messi's attendance, after it was reported earlier this week that he and Otamendi could miss the friendly, as they wanted to prepare for their respective weddings.

Channel NewsAsia understands that Messi travelled back to the airport a few hours after arriving in Singapore and joining the team at The Fullerton Hotel.


(Photo: @Argentina/Twitter)

About 10 fans waited outside the private terminal at Changi Airport on Saturday - some of them had camped out for seven hours - hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite players as they zipped out of the airport grounds in a bus.

Fans waiting outside Changi Airport's CIP Terminal hoping to catch a glimpse of the football stars. (Photo: Noor Farhan) "I just followed a few stars on their Instagram and Twitter accounts. And then I just calculated the time difference from Australia. We just we went to Terminal 3, Terminal 2, and then we ran here to see if we could find them for five seconds,” said 19-year-old Eshaan Bhosle.

Jasper Chai, 16, had also been hoping to get up close with the football stars: "It's a little bit disappointing, the fact that I couldn't get close to them. But it's just really a great experience to even see them, most of them just smiling and knowing that there are fans around that support them."

"From this trip (to the airport), I managed to make so many friends here. It's just amazing. Football is an international language,” he added.

Coach Jorge Sampaoli's 23-man squad is a star-studded one, with Manchester United's Sergio Romero, Paris Saint Germain's Angel Di Maria and Juventus striker Paulo Dybala all set to start against Singapore.

The friendly was organised to mark the Football Association of Singapore's 125th anniversary.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

Sultan of Selangor Cup 2014

Singapore team - Friendly Matches

vs Papua New Guinea (730pm, 6 Sep, Saturday @ Hougang Stadium)

vs Hong Kong (730pm, 9 Sep, Tuesday @ Hougang Stadium)

Pirlo at double as Juventus beat Singapore

Pirlo at double as Juventus beat Singapore

Andrea Pirlo's coolly taken first-half double led Juventus to a 5-0 win over Singapore Selection on Saturday (Aug 16) as the Italian champions completed their summer tour with a third straight win.

The elegant player-maker's free-kick and penalty sent Juventus on their way in front of 27,000 fans in what was the first football match at Singapore's new National Stadium.

Coach Massimiliano Allegri, who has recently taken over from newly appointed Italy boss Antonio Conte, said Pirlo had underlined his value to Juventus.

"He played well and I see him as a key player for next season," Allegri told reporters. "He performed well and so did the rest of the team. We have to keep following this direction. This is the last match before the start of the season so let's see what happens when we get back to Italy."

France midfielder Paul Pogba and Sebastian Giovinco both headed against the crossbar and Pirlo had a free-kick saved in the opening minutes as Juventus took immediate control. Their opener came courtesy of some typically quick thinking from Pirlo, who slid another free-kick low and under the leaping wall on 17 minutes.

A minute before half-time, Pirlo doubled Juventus's lead from the penalty spot after Shakir Hamzah's tug on Roberto Pereyra. Pogba had frequently been a threat and he got on the scoresheet on 48 minutes when he rifled Juve's third past busy Singapore goalkeeper Hassan Sunny.

After Sunny's point-blank save from Pereyra, Giovinco hit the visitors' fourth from the resulting corner when he lashed home a fierce shot from the edge of the box. Half-time substitute Kwadwo Asamoah volleyed the fifth and final goal on 72 minutes after good work down the right by Jose Martin Caceres.

On a worn and sandy pitch in the plush new arena, it was a suitably emphatic tour finale for Juventus who earlier won 8-1 in Jakarta and beat Australia's A-League Allstars 3-2. They will now return to Italy before launching their bid for a fourth straight Serie A title away against Chievo on August 30.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

National Stadium to open with Singapore-Malaysia clash

National Stadium to open with Singapore-Malaysia clash

It looks like a Causeway derby between Singapore and Malaysia will indeed be the first football match to be played at the Sports Hub this year.

Bernama, Malaysia's national news agency, reported recently that the country's national football team will play the Lions in an opening match for the new 55,000-seater National Stadium in May.

Responding to queries from TODAY, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) confirmed on January 6 that the Harimau Malaya, the country's national team, will play the Lions. However, no details were available at press time.

TODAY had first reported last September that the World Sport Group (WSG), the commercial partner of the Sports Hub, was considering a Causeway derby to mark the opening of the National Stadium, which will feature the world's biggest dome roof and air-cooled seats.

When contacted, a Football Association of Singapore (FAS) spokesperson would only say: "We are currently working out the details of the match to be played at the opening of the Sports Hub and will announce the details at an opportune time."

Although top sides like Manchester United, Liverpool and Barcelona had been cited as possibilities to mark the grand opening of the Sports Hub, it is believed this year's busy football calendar will prove a tough challenge for event organisers to find a top international club side to play at the National Stadium.

The race for the 2013-14 English Premier League title is expected to go on till May, while the world's best 32 national sides will be focused on the World Cup in Brazil from June 12 to July 13. However, fans TODAY spoke to were happy to watch a Singapore-Malaysia game.

"It's a nice way to kick off as Singapore and Malaysia are historic rivals," said Henry Han, 38, a line supervisor in the marine and offshore industry. "It's been a while since we've watched the national team play at a national stadium since the old one was demolished (in 2010).

"I have very fond memories of the place as I watched the Malaysia Cup there when I was a teenager. This will give families a chance to relive the olden days and it is still something many people look forward to."

Likewise, while Royston Jalleh is a Manchester United fan, he will still buy a ticket to the Singapore-Malaysia game.

"I think it's wonderful news as it's been some time since we heard the Kallang Roar," said the 50-year-old. "Having Singapore play Manchester United would be exciting, but I would rather have Singapore play Malaysia any time. That's where you get the true Singapore spirit, and people go there wanting to support their team."

Others like John Tommy Yeo - who operated a drinks stall at the old National Stadium from 1972 to 2007 - are more keen to see the Lions challenge the region's bigger teams.

"Of course it will be good to see Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich play here," said the 52-year-old, who has fond memories of Singapore football legends like Dollah Kassim and Quah Kim Song.

"But it will be more interesting to see Singapore play teams like Thailand, South Korea or Japan. It's been a long time since we've seen South Korea and Japan here and it will be more exciting than if Singapore plays Malaysia."

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Football match to raise funds for typhoon victims

Football match to raise funds for typhoon victims

As part of Singapore's fund-raising efforts to help the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is organising an international friendly charity match between the Singapore and Philippine under-23 squads.

The game will be played at the Hougang Stadium on Sunday at 5pm.

Tickets are priced at $20 each and are on sale at the usual outlets. All proceeds will be given to the Red Cross Singapore to help in its relief efforts in the Philippines.

Donation boxes will also be available at the stadium.

The game is also the final warm-up for the two teams before they head off to the SEA Games in Myanmar.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Coach Sundramoorthy confident of win against Indonesia

Coach Sundramoorthy confident of win against Indonesia

Coach V Sundramoorthy is expecting a tough match, but is confident of a victory against the Indonesian U-23 team this Saturday.

The Singapore players' familiarity with each other and the Jalan Besar pitch would give them the edge.

With the exception of two players, the rest of the squad comprises the LionsXII outfit that won the Malaysian Super League (MSL) title last week.

Many of the youngsters performed well in the Malaysian League, and they are likely to continue that momentum against the Indonesians - the silver medallist at the 2011 SEA Games.

The result is crucial for the host to get the nod from selectors for the SEA Games in Myanmar.

The coach hopes that his team could also take on defending SEA Games champions Malaysia.

"We love to play Malaysia, but the team is always travelling and they are based abroad. And for us, we have a lot of commitments, Malaysian League and all this. We will see if there is a date set for us, we might be able to play against them," he said.

Hariss Harun, Captain of the Singapore National U-23 Team, said: "I think the boys, even those two boys coming form the S League clubs, they are familiar with us. They play with us NFA, Young Lions and now here in U-23. So I think most of us are very familiar with each other, and confident as a team to go out and get the job done."

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Singapore U23 v Indonesia U23

Singapore U23 v Indonesia U23 

LIVE on Starhub SUPERSPORT ARENA 201, Saturday, 8:45pm.

New coach Stange names his first national team squad

New coach Stange names his first national team squad

New Singapore football coach Bernd Stange has named his first national team squad, which will play against Myanmar in Yangon on 4 June and Laos in Vientiane on 7 June.

17-year-old Adam Swandi, who was the captain of the National Football Academy's Under-16 team that played in the Lion City Cup last June, is the youngest of the 23 players called up.

Others called up for the first time include LionsXII midfielders Gabriel Quak and Faris Ramli, and Tanjong Pagar United's winger Hafiz Nor.

"The squad - which includes experienced internationals and promising youngsters - reflects a blend of experience and youth and we believe this will help us achieve a judicious balance between maintaining competitiveness and development of more national players for the future," said national team manager Azrulnizam Shah.

Mr Azrulnizam added: "There are several players who have been called up for the first time and we look forward to the experienced players including those from the AFF Suzuki Cup winning team guiding the younger ones. Going forward, players who perform consistently well for their club and who also demonstrate their commitment will always be considered for a call-up to the national team."

The team will depart for Yangon on 2 June.

List of players:

1 Izwan Mahbud (23) - GK, LionsXII
2 Hassan Sunny (29) - GK, Warriors
3 Faritz Hameed (23) - DF, LionsXII
4 Shakir Hamzah (21) - DF, LionsXII
5 Safuwan Baharudin (22) - DF, LionsXII
6 Baihakki Khaizan (29) - DF, LionsXII
7 Afiq Yunos (23) - DF, Courts Young Lions
8 Noh Rahman (32) - DF, Home United
9 Shaiful Esah (26) - DF, Tampines Rovers
10 Rosman Sulaiman (29) - DF, Woodlands Wellington
11 Shariff Samat (29) - DF, Woodlands Wellington
12 Faris Ramli (21) - MF, LionsXII
13 Gabriel Quak (23) - MF, LionsXII
14 Shahril Ishak (29) - MF, LionsXII
15 Hariss Harun (23) - MF, LionsXII
16 Isa Halim (27) - MF, LionsXII
17 Adam Swandi (17) - MF, FC Metz
18 Hafiz Nor (25) - MF, Tanjong Pagar United
19 Shahdan Sulaiman (24) - MF, Tampines Rovers
20 Qiu Li (32) - FW, Balestier Khalsa
21 Indra Sahdan (34) - FW, Home United
22 Khairul Amri (28) - FW, Tampines Rovers
23 Sufian Anuar (26) - FW, Warriors

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

FAS calls off Causeway Challenge

FAS calls off Causeway Challenge

The traditional Singapore-Malaysia football rivalry will be put on hold after the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced the cancellation of this year's Causeway Challenge.

FAS called off the Challenge as Malaysia's first and second teams were unable to make it for the two dates, which were earlier agreed upon by both sides.

Instead, the Lions will play in international friendly matches, travelling to Yangon to take on Myanmar on June 4.

Singapore will also play Laos in Vientiane on June 7. The Lions squad list will be released by May 27.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Kelong League friendly match

Philippines 1 Singapore 0

Football: Philippines 1 Singapore 0

The Philippines beat Singapore's Lions 1-0 in an international friendly match on Thursday.

Singapore started strongly, dominating the match in the first half.

But Shi Jiayi missed a chance to put the Lions ahead after fluffing his spot-kick.

The Philippines scored the lone winner in the 55th minute, with Marvin Angeles slotting home to give the hosts a 1-0 win.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Friendly matches for national team

1st June Hong Kong vs Singapore (HK Stadium) 

8th June Singapore vs Malaysia (Jalan Besar Stadium) 

12th June Malaysia vs Singapore (Shah Alam Stadium) 

15th Aug Singapore vs Hong Kong (Jalan Besar Stadium)

Soh Chin Aun can't wait for 'glamour' clash

Football: Malaysia's Soh Chin Aun can't wait for 'glamour' clash

Soh Chin Aun, one of Malaysia's greatest footballers, refused to give a prediction.

Current national coach K. Rajagobal would not let himself be drawn into talking too much about the fixture.

Ismail Ibrahim, coach of Malaysia's Young Tigers, felt it was too close to call.

Perhaps they all didn't want to talk about a Malaysia-Singapore clash because the ASEAN champions still have to overcome Chinese Taipei in the first round of the Asian Zone World Cup qualifiers.

The Lions, handed a bye by FIFA because of their higher ranking at the time of the draw in March, lie in wait in the second round.

Malaysia's pedigree suggests they should handle their first-round opponents easily, to set up a mouth-watering Causeway derby with their arch-rivals, and Soh knows very well the atmosphere that envelopes such matches.

Speaking to MediaCorp over the weekend, Soh, famously nicknamed the "Towkay" during his playing days, said: "Whenever the two teams meet, tension is always high and no one wants to lose, neither the players or the fans.

"And it's not only when the national teams meet, even when Malaysian states played Singapore in the Malaysia Cup, the stadiums were packed and the atmosphere would be very different.

"It has always been a very glamorous moment in a player's career either in Singapore or Malaysia, and I expect it will be the same this time."

Malaysia will play their first round double-header on June 29 (home) and July 3 (away). The second round tussle with Singapore will be on July 23 (Jalan Besar Stadium) and 28 (in Kuala Lumpur).

The stakes are high for Singapore. After a shock first-round exit at last December's AFF Suzuki Cup, coach Radojko Avramovic named seven uncapped players along with 11 others that used to be on the fringe of previous national squads in his provisional 33-man roster.

But Rajagobal, who steered Malaysia to victory in the tournament - their first ASEAN crown - does not expect a different Singapore side.

"They say Singapore is rebuilding, but the core players are still there, including Daniel Bennett and Shi Jiayi, and they come with a wealth of experience," he said.

"Anyway, I want my players to stay focused on our first game against Chinese Taipei, and to respect our opponents.

"The important thing is to get that job done, and then we'll have enough time to think about Singapore."

Singapore and Thailand share the record of three ASEAN titles each, but Malaysian football is on a high.

Twenty years after their last triumph, Malaysia's men won SEA Games gold again, at the 2009 tournament in Laos.

Then came their Suzuki Cup triumph 12 months later.

But Young Tigers' coach Ismail, a former Malaysian international, felt the form book will not matter, if the two arch-rivals do meet.

He said: "Past titles are in the past. The games will be decided on the day by the players on the pitch. We are traditional rivals and there's pride at stake."

The clash at Bukit Jalil Stadium on July 28 will be Soh's 61st birthday, which may well be a good omen for Malaysia.

Rajagobal hopes so, as he admitted his men will be under pressure to deliver the goods.

He said: "There is a lot of history in Singapore-Malaysia games, and there is definitely pressure on my team. Once you win (any title), you're expected to perform at a higher level."

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Under-23s go down in Sydney

Football: Avramovic angry as under-23s go down in Sydney

The Republic's under-23 football team were blitzed 6-0 by the Australian Olympic side in a friendly match in Sydney on Tuesday.

The match took place 48 hours later than initially scheduled due to a waterlogged pitch.

Singapore national coach Radojko Avramovic was angry after the game, and not because of the scoreline.

The young Lions were outplayed in every department by their bigger and more skilful opponents, who led 2-0 at half-time.

Speaking to MediaCorp via telephone, Avramovic gave his men a rating of five out of 10, and said: "Yes, they were physically stronger and they just came from a training camp in Europe preparing for their Olympic qualifier against Yemen, but our players have to ignore that and just go out and play.

"It's no problem to lose a game if you give 100 per cent and you try to play, but it upsets me to see them not trying."

Singapore's under-23 team have been set the target of reaching the final at November's SEA Games in Indonesia, and skipper Hariss Harun felt the game would be a good lesson.

"We could have done better but we made mistakes by not being calm and lacking experience," said Hariss. "Our team is still a work in progress. I'd love to play more teams of this calibre as we need the exposure and opportunities to gain more experience."

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

S.League 2:7 Albirex

Ticket sold out on Friday!
Probably first time Jln Besar stadium filled up to the max!
First time ever in history....

ALL-STAR CHARITY
2 Apr 2011 Saturday
Jalan Besar 1700hrs


S.League 2:7 Albirex (TG=9!)

SLeague All-Stars vs Albirex Niigata

Match Details
S.League Cares, TAKE ACTION With Albirex Niigata (Singapore) Charity Match

Date: Saturday, 2 April 2011
Time: 5.00pm
Venue: Jalan Besar Stadium

Ticketing Information
Tickets will go on sale From Friday 1 April
Grandstand: S$12
Gallery: S$6
VIP Tickets (limited): S$200

Where:
Albirex Niigata (Singapore) office
21 Jurong East St 31
#04-04 Jurong East Sports Complex S(609517)
Tel : +65 6334 0511
Fax : +65 6334 0510

When:
Friday 1 April, 8.30am to 6.30pm

Where:
Football Association of Singapore office
100 Tyrwhitt Road
Jalan Besar Stadium S(207542)
Tel: +65 6293 1477
Fax: +65 6293 3728

When:
Friday 1 April, 12.00pm to 8.00pm
Saturday 2 April, from 2.30pm

Show you care, say Nakata and FAS

Show you care, say Nakata and FAS

As Japan struggle with their rescue and rebuilding efforts following the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami on March 11, one of the country's biggest sports stars, Hidetoshi Nakata, and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) are teaming up to raise funds for the victims.

Two events under the "S-League Cares, Take Action with Albirex Niigata project" have been scheduled - a gala dinner with Nakata, who played for Japan in the 1998, 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, at Resorts World Sentosa on Thursday, and a charity match on Saturday at Jalan Besar Stadium.

The ex-Japanese striker will turn out for Albirex Niigata against an S-League All Stars side.

"Everybody knows the disaster in Japan is very big," the 34-year-old said at a press conference at Resorts World on Sunday. "We are trying to manage things by ourselves, but this time we need help from other countries.

"The victims need to feel that other people care for them."

Nakata spent most of his career playing in the Italian Serie A, and a season with Premiership club Bolton before retiring in 2006.

Nakata was in Hong Kong attending a charity gala when the disaster struck his homeland, and as the tragedy unfolded, he appealed for support for his fellow countrymen.

Singapore is the first to organise a charity match and it will be the first time he will be using his footballing talent for such a cause.

"I came here immediately because Singapore organised these two events at such short notice. It is incredible and very meaningful for the relationship between Japan and Singapore."

S-League clubs Albirex, Home United, Courts Young Lions and Etoile FC were among the first here to donate proceeds from their matches.

This is the first time the FAS are involved raising funds for a cause outside the Republic.

Said FAS president Zainudin Nordin: "We told Albirex it was painful to watch what was happening in Japan and we needed to do something to help the victims there. We have had a short period to get things together, but we want to help our friends and got things going as fast as we could."

-News courtesy of Channel Newsasia-

Etoile FC 1-1 Malaysia

FT 1-1

Friendly match with friendly outcome!