SINGAPORE: The Singapore national football team will not be able to tap on the services of Lion City Sailors midfielder Song Ui-young and the Thailand-based players for the 2024 ASEAN Championships.
Song, born in South Korea and received his Singapore citizenship in 2021, said he had communicated his reasons to the Lions’ head coach Tsutomu Ogura.
“Song has asked not to be considered for national team selection because of family matters.
All of us in the staff and the team are supportive of his request, and we hope that he will be back in contention to don the Lions jersey in the near future,” shared Ogura, who named his 26-player squad for the competition on Dec 6.
Notably absent from the Lions squad are Fandi Ahmad’s sons who are plying their trade in Thailand – Irfan Fandi (Port FC), Ilhan Fandi, and Ikhsan Fandi (both BG Pathum) – as well as Jacob Mahler, who is currently sidelined due to injury.
Although the Lions will be without several players mentioned above, they will be pleased that Safuwan Baharudin has received clearance from his Malaysian Super League club, Selangor, to join the Singapore national team.
“We are delighted to be able to include Safuwan on our Mitsubishi Electric Cup campaign, and we are appreciative of Selangor, who worked closely with us to release him for this tournament, which sits outside the FIFA window,” said Ogura in a post by the Football Association of Singapore.
Additionally, in a welcome boost to the team, veteran midfielder Shahdan Sulaiman is set to make a highly anticipated return to the squad.
Despite being plagued by injuries in recent years, the Hougang United player has staged a strong comeback this year with his performance in the Singapore Premier League, demonstrating his resilience and determination to reclaim a spot with the Lions.
“… I was quite surprised because I wasn’t recalled for the past few windows. At the same time, happy to finally get a call-up under this new coach,” shared the 36-year-old.
“But I still need to make the final 23 matchday squad. So, I am still fighting for a spot. Here, it’s still the same; everyone is fighting for a place. Everybody is hungry; The spirit is quite high.”
The competition, also known as the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup, began on Sunday, Dec 6, with two Group A matches taking place. Cambodia held Malaysia to a 2-2 draw while defending champions Thailand trounced Timor Leste 10-0.
Singapore are drawn in Group A alongside Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Timor Leste. In Group B are Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar, and Laos.
The Lions will begin their campaign on Wednesday, Dec 11, as they host Cambodia at the National Stadium at Sports Hub. They will then travel to Vietnam to take on Timor Leste at the Hang Day Stadium.
“All the work in the past few months was done in preparation for the Mitsubishi Electric Cup. It’s now time for our team to rise to the challenge and bring pride to Singapore.
This will be a tough challenge, and we hope our supporters will come and help us turn the National Stadium into a fortress,” added Ogura.
The Lions’ final two matches will be against Thailand on Dec 17 before they take on Causeway rivals Malaysia on Dec 20 at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
As four-time champions, having triumphed in 1998, 2004, 2007, and 2012, Singapore will seek redemption in the biennial tournament. However, their recent performance in the 2022 edition was a disappointment, as the Lions failed to advance beyond the group stages.
Despite a promising start, with victories over Myanmar and Laos, they were ultimately undone by a goalless draw against Vietnam and a defeat to Malaysia in their final group match.