| James Kon |
LOOKING to revive Singapore’s dominance in the regional youth football scene, Young Lions will be looking to prove themselves by reaching the final of the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy (HBT) for ASEAN Youth Football Tournament 2018.
The Young Lions will face Lao PDR tonight at 8pm for the first Group B encounter at Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas.
In a press conference yesterday, Young Lions head coach Fandi Ahmad highlighted the importance of team spirit to win any football game.
“We have to work as a team and not individuals. Football is about team. Think for the team and not for yourself. Play for the team and not yourself,” he said.
Highlighting the importance of winning the first game of the tournament, Fandi Ahamd, who is a former Singapore national footballer said, “The first match is always very crucial in any tournament. If we win the first game, you will get the confidence of doing well for the team.
“Having only three teams in the group, importantly we have to win the first game. We can’t talk about going to the final if we can’t even win the first game. First, we must get the three points then see what will happen in the next match. In fact, Cambodia and Lao will be thinking the same where the first game will be a decider in a group of three or four teams.”
On the Singapore team being placed in Group ‘B’ with Lao PDR and Cambodia, he felt that there are no easy matches in any football games for Singapore.
“Ninety minutes in a football game, anything can happen. In the last few years, our football team has been on a very low key because of the development. We are trying to restart with our new president and the new exco, which is doing very well. With this bunch of players, we hope to promote them to the national team to succeed the ageing players,” Fandi said.
“Lao PDR and Cambodia, they are not easy opponents. Many countries in the region have already overtaken us which is a fact. We are trying to revive and hopefully we can produce more players for the country.”
Asked on the preparation of the Young Lions for HBT, the former national Singapore player said, “We don’t have much preparation for the tournament as we are currently playing in the Singapore Premier League which started three weeks ago.
“We played three matches – won two matches and lost one. Our players are mostly students and national service men. One of the reasons we couldn’t submit the confirmed list of players early is because of the difficulty in getting leave for the boys. We are here, preparation is through our league matches where we have started training since January 8. The boys are very determined and they would like to win the tournament. This would be a very good exposure and experience for the team as half of the squad never played in any international matches before.”
Team manager Eric Ong echoed Fandi’s statement on not to be complacent and also hailed the importance of regional tournaments for youth development.
“There is no such thing as an easy game, the whole ASEAN football have improved and HBT is very important for the youth teams in the region to improve so that ASEAN can rise up in Asian football,” the manager said.
Fandi Ahmad also hopes that his team can do better than the previous edition of HBT in 2014.
“The Young Lions has better experienced players especially that we have been playing in the Singapore Premier League for the last two seasons. We are better prepared now than before. We are determined and this is demonstrated in the league. Last season, the Young Lions only won a game and had six points for the whole season last year, while this year, we played three matches and already have six points, so this shows some improvement.
“We have good commitment from the players. We are not only coming here to play well but also win the final. It’s a very significant (achievement) if we win; we are trying to get to the Asian games via this tournament. Hopefully, we will get selected to go to the Asian Games in Jakarta.”
Asked about the opening match between Brunei Darussalam and Timor Leste, Fandi Ahmad commented, “It was a tough game. I think that Timor Leste were more determined to go forward while Brunei were contested in the midfield and was lacking the firepower up front. Brunei kept the ball well but couldn’t break through to the front. Timor Leste have strong and very physical as well as fast players. I think Brunei will improve in the next game.”
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