FAS reviews Singapore's showing in SEA Games football

FAS reviews Singapore's showing in SEA Games football

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said on Wednesday (Jul 29) that it “acknowledges that the Singapore public, as it should, expected more from its (National Under-23) team during the SEA Games”, following a review of their performance.

In a statement, FAS also said it was “hugely disappointed that key staff have taken to the press to engage in a public spat”.

National head coach Bernd Stange and former national under-23 coach Aide Iskandar were hauled up by FAS for trading accusations publicly in the aftermath of the Young Lions' poor showing at the Games. Singapore crashed out of the Games after losing to Indonesia in the Group A match.

Stange and Aide’s behaviour not only “violates the teamwork and respect” FAS seeks to promote within the organisation, it also “explicitly violates the FAS Code of Conduct and Terms of Employment Contract”, said the association.

FAS added that efforts will be made to review the team management decisions before and during the tournament, and tactical decisions taken by coaching staff. It will also review the preparation of the team and players for the tournament, including a relook at the rest and training schedules.

Additionally, FAS said it would make the effort to review the involvement of parties and communication between management, technical and support staff so that issues will be managed upfront.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

Singapore footballers struggle against 10-man Laos

Singapore footballers struggle against 10-man Laos

Singapore failed to get their SEA Games campaign off to a winning start after they could only muster a 1-1 draw against 10-man Laos at the Zayarthiri Stadium in Naypyidaw, Myanmar on Sunday night.

Courts Young Lions forward Sahil Suhaimi gave Singapore the lead in the 27th minute but substitute Khuanta Sivongthong’s 86th-minute equaliser prevented Aide Iskandar’s men from securing all three points.

Laos were reduced to 10 men after just two minutes after defender Saychon Khunsamnarn was shown a straight red card for a late challenge on LionsXII forward Shahfiq Ghani.

The Lions dominated possession after that but were struggling to find any rhythm in attack and hardly troubled the Laos goalkeeper.

But they did manage to break the deadlock in the 27th minute when Zulfahmi Arifin’s lob over the Laos defence was well controlled by Sahil, who then volleyed the ball into the bottom right corner.

Singapore set up camp in the Laotian half in the second 45 minutes but poor passing in the final third of the pitch prevented them from extending their lead.

Laos never stopped running and were rewarded for their hard work in the 86th minute when Sivongthong rose the highest to head a free-kick past Singapore goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud.

Singapore will next play Vietnam - who trounced Brunei 7-0 earlier Sunday - on December 10.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

2015 SEA Games to be held from 5 to 16 June

2015 SEA Games in Singapore to be held from 5 to 16 June

Come mid-2015, expect plenty of sporting action in Singapore.

That's when the 2015 South-East Asia Games will take place - from the 5th to the 16th of June.

The Singapore Sports Council said it picked the dates for several reasons - one of which is the mid-year school holidays.

The last two times that Singapore hosted the SEA Games - in 1983 and 1993 - it was also in the middle of the year.

According to the Singapore Sports Council, the favourable weather in June and the school holidays will make it easier for families and students to be part of the event.

The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) said the number and type of sports will be finalised at a later date.

SSC added that football will start its preliminary rounds a few days before the opening ceremony on 5 June 2015.

Mr Lim Teck Yim, CEO of Singapore Sports Council, said: "How can we get families to think about vacations in Singapore during the school holidays through working with different agencies and different parties to create staycation packages? So the SEA Games becomes more than the Games."

The dates for 2015 will also mean that the Games will end before the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Instead of an athletes' village, organisers are considering housing the athletes in hotels within the city to give them easier access to the main venue, the Singapore Sports Hub.

All in, some 7,000 athletes and officials will be in Singapore for the 12 days of competition and festivities.

And the Singapore Sports Council is optimistic that it will stay within budget.

Mr Lim said: "One of the strategies that we are trying to use to manage our budget is to come out with our procurement early enough so that if we need to look for alternatives which are more cost effective, we will be able to do so and have time to do so."

Due to the unique branding of the SEA Games, organisers feel that the corporate sector in Singapore too can play a bigger role.

Local businesses can contribute through partnerships and sponsorships to the success of the Games.

Meanwhile, response has been mixed over having the 2015 SEA Games during the June school holidays.

Some observers say doing so would enable more children to be involved in related activities, but others are concerned parents may already have other plans during this period.

But they believe the Games will help to get even more Singaporeans excited about sports, and on the whole stimulate the economy.

One sports equipment store has 31 branches islandwide.

It said sales have been brisk in the past whenever a major sports event is in town.

The outlet is planning to have in-store promotions once the dates draw near.

Teddy Lin Zhen Jiang, Deputy CEO of SportsLink, said he expected to see many Singaporeans making their plans for holidays. But he hopes Singaporeans will support their own country and make adjustments to their travelling plans.

Vincent Ng, founder of Wufang Singapore and former wushu athlete, said he hopes the Games will inspire more Singaporeans to take up sports.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~