Author: Lion City Sailors
The Lion City Sailors were originally pencilled in to battle in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) playoffs, but the club will now get direct entry to the ACL group stage.
The AFC confirmed the fact today (21 June) in a media release that revealed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK)’s “one (1) direct slot has been redistributed to SGP in accordance with Articles 3.16 and 3.17 of the Entry Manual” for AFC club competitions.
This means that the Sailors go straight into the competition courtesy of being the top local side in the Singapore Premier League in 2022.
The draw for the group stage will take place on Thursday, 24 August and fixtures are scheduled to take place between September to December 2023.
This will be the Sailors’ second appearance in Asia’s top-tier club competition after a debut outing in 2022 that yielded two wins and one draw.
Leading a young and hungry Class of 2023, Sailors’ captain Hariss Harun is looking forward to the opportunity to battle the cream of the continent once again.
“The club’s aim has always been to make it back to the ACL and we’re all happy to be able to compete with Asia’s top clubs once again,” said the 32-year-old, who also played in the ACL for Malaysian giants Johor Darul Ta’zim in 2019 and 2020.
“We’re all aware of the size of the challenge ahead, but challenges like these are what you live for in football and as a team, we will relish this chance. Right now, we’re very much focused on trying to regain the Singapore Premier League (SPL) title but we are excited about embarking on our second ACL campaign.”
“What’s your first impression of Mom?” was the first question Nathan Mao shot across the table at his father, Lincoln.
His second question was equally probing, pointed even: “Would you have preferred to have a son who focuses purely on studies and did not play football?”
The father-son pair were playing the Sailors’ Father’s Day game: Jenga Jive-talk – the Sailors’ own twist on the classic Jenga – with each tile corresponding to specific questions crafted to spark both inane and meaningful conversations between players. The game comes with “joker” tiles that allow players to ask questions of their own as well.
And it quickly became clear that this chip – Nathan and his straight-forward cheeky maturity – came off the old block.
Lincoln did not flinch at either question crafted by his son. His first response demonstrated a very clear – and heartwarming – memory of Nathan’s mum, Grace. His answer to the second question came lightning quick, and like every good dad joke, drew from references that the child is well-familiar with – and will inevitably squirm at.
“Definitely not,” was Lincoln’s immediate response to the question: “Would you have preferred to have a son who focuses purely on studies and did not play football?”
The cheeky dad-joke-punchline – a sweet one – came a second later: “You’re my choice in any multiverse.”
Nathan was hit so hard by the line he failed to find his words. “(That’s) too chummy, or rather too cheesy!” he remarked behind a visible squirm you would expect from any 15-year-old.
Nathan made history as the Singapore Premier League’s youngest-ever player at 15 years and 5 years old when he came on in the 4-3 defeat against Tampines Rovers on 31 March, playing with a maturity beyond his lean years, and it was clear the family approach to football had some part to play in this.
Jenga Jive-talk was designed to create banter between father and child, but in the case of Nathan and Lincoln, it drew out the close relationship they share.
“I feel that with all the coaches and video software at the club, Nathan’s getting a lot of feedback already,” said the 44-year-old.
“My role is more like a cheerleader. The conversations we have at home revolve around character, resilience rather than actual performances. Football is a wonderful thing with so many teachable moments that can be translated outside of the pitch.”
It is an approach from his biggest supporter that Nathan appreciates.
“My dad’s been there, he does all the small things that you only notice a few years later, things that you don’t really give a lot of appreciation when it actually happens,” said Nathan.
“He’s so busy with work but he still makes time to go out and spend time with me. He’s definitely a role model for me.”
Like most fathers Lincoln’s hopes for his son extend far beyond the sport.
“My wish for him is to continue to do our best, stay humble, stay thankful and continue to grow as a person and as a player. At the end of the day, it’s about the journey – not the destination.
“I hope he ends up wherever he wants to be – which is to be a successful football player. But even if he doesn’t, it’s important he enjoys the process and is thankful for every step he takes.”
It is evident that Nathan remembers every step of his journey thus far, and it is also evident that alongside the game of saccharine-sweet words, Nathan also packs cheeky barbs in his arsenal.
When Lincoln pulled the question: “What activity am I really bad at, and how did you find out?”, Nathan pounced.
“Football,” he said, flinching just a little, even as it was Dad who squirmed and chuckled uncomfortably this time.
“I knew that when I was six years old, and I was already better than you.”
Lion City Sailors have reached a mutual agreement with Risto Vidaković to go our separate ways.
The Sailors wish him the best in his future endeavours.
The search for a new Head Coach to take the club forward has already started, and announcements will be made when the process is completed.
Daan van Oudheusden and Pablo Muñiz will take interim charge of the first team, starting with the 25 June SPL fixture against Hougang United.
“It has been a pleasure working with Risto. While it is unfortunate that we are moving in different directions, we are grateful for his commitment to the team from the moment he walked into Mattar Road,” said Technical Director, Luka Lalić.
“We wish him well, and hope he enjoys every success in the future.”
The Lion City Sailors Women’s Team missed the opportunity to seize top spot from Albirex Niigata (S) in the Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL), as they were held to a 1-1 draw with the White Swans at Yishun Stadium on Sunday (18 June) evening.
The reigning WPL champions had led for the majority of the game and looked set to claim an important victory to leapfrog Albirex to the summit of the 10-team standings, but were foiled by a late equaliser.
The result means the Sailors remain second behind the White Swans on goal difference, with Head Coach Yeong Sheau Shyan lamenting the first points her Sailors have dropped this season.
“It was a bit disappointing not to win, especially since we were leading until the last part of the match, and we had so many chances too. I think our young players created many chances, but were unfortunate not to convert them,” she said.
The Sailors put out a strong lineup, with playmaker Venetia Lim starting in the heart of midfield while goalkeeper Noor Kusumawati Rosman got the nod for her first start in 2023.
After dominating early proceedings, the Sailors took a deserved lead in the 18th minute with Nur Izzati Rosni converting a penalty with consummate confidence after Khairunnisa Khairol Anwar was brought down in the area.
Albirex did go close before half time, but Dini Dannisha’s header was repelled by Wati.
The Sailors created several chances after the break but just could not put those away.
Miray Altun found herself in a promising position in the 64th minute but could only shoot into the side netting. Then substitutes – 15-year-old Ardhra Arul Ganeswaran and 16-year-old Josephine Ang – came on to carve out a few good openings, but were unable to net that important second goal.
It seemed like the match was done and dusted, but Albirex’s Tina Afrida Nasmi scored to level the score three minutes into injury time.
Captain Ernie Sulastri Sontaril drew several positives despite the dropped points.
“We should have closed the game with the chances we created today, but we didn’t and, disappointingly, we conceded a goal too. The upside is that we were not complacent today, pushed through till the end and showed a lot of fighting spirit,” she said.
“We played very well today, especially in terms of holding our backline, but luck was not on our side. We now need to rest and recover well, analyse this game, and see what we can improve on,” added the 33-year-old.
Sheau Shyan shared similar sentiments.
“All the clubs are challenging us, and we cannot be complacent if we want to retain the title. We need to focus on our weaknesses and improve on them, especially in terms of scoring more goals,” she said.
“We are in a good position to win the title, so I am hopeful we can maintain the momentum, and furthermore, we have several good young players coming up to the team.”
Watching the young ones come through and get WPL game time is a source of optimism for Ernie, who is also captain of the National Women’s Team.
“Bringing in the young players in the second half is important, both to expose them to higher levels of competition in the WPL and also to bring out their potential. I’m proud of how they’ve performed so far, and I’m confident they will continue to improve,” said Ernie, who is confident that the Sailors will continue to get better as a team.
“We will work on our finishing in the coming weeks for our preparation because we know our opponents will sit back when they face us. We have to be able to find space in our opponent’s half and get better at converting our chances.”
The Lion City Sailors Women’s team will look to return to winning ways against Balestier Khalsa this Sunday (25 June) evening at Choa Chu Kang Stadium.
In celebration of Father’s Day, we sidestep pleasantries and get properly stuck into the family lives of our Sailors and their relationship with their dads.
We sit our Sailors across from their fathers and pit them against one another in a friendly game of Jenga – with a sneaky Sailors’ twist – to cut through the noise and fuel real conversations.
From cutting jibes to heartwarming revelations, the responses to the Sailors’ very own Jenga Jive-talk were as varied as they were interesting.
In the first of this two-part series, we put Sailors Women’s Team forward Lila Tan on the spot with her father, businessman, David Tan.
Lila Tan sat across from her dad, David, in the Lion City Sailors Training Centre’s player recreation room and posed a question which momentarily stumped him.
“What is one thing that your daughter or sons will change about you?”
Seconds of silence hung heavy in the air before David responded with a bludgeon.
“I think there’s nothing to change. For them about me: nothing to change,” he said, before adding, “Maybe they want me to have more time with them – this is the only change.”
The father-daughter pair were playing the Sailors’ Father’s Day game: Jenga Jive-talk – the Sailors’ own twist on the classic Jenga – with each tile corresponding to specific questions crafted to spark both inane and meaningful conversations between players.
And the Tans were right up in it.
David went next and picked a question for Lila from the Sailors’ from-left-field category: Would you want your dad to be in your crew during a zombie apocalypse?
“I would not because you would run very slow and we probably would die,” said Lila. “You have a knee injury so you can’t run very fast.”
Her words drew a quick riposte from Dad.
“My pick-up (acceleration) is better than yours,” he spat back. “It’s just the speed (that loses out) only.”
Lila’s face immediately twisted with a wild incredulity that seemed to encapsulate at least half of what Jenga Jive-talk was designed for, and the Tans did not disappoint, fully embracing the other side of the game as well – real conversations.
“He is so stubborn! He’ll never let me or my mum win in an argument – he’ll always try to have the last word,” said Lila, who threw in what seemed like a sharp finishing jab for good measure. “Right?”
David seemed to prove his daughter’s point, but what seemed like a move to grab the last word went a tad further into the realm of real emotions – emotional baselines, if you will.
“To her, it’s stubborn, to some other people it’s wisdom – it’s how you perceive it. We’ve been through certain things in life before, so we want to advise you and not want you to go ‘bang the wall’, he explained.
“Okay, sometimes it’s good to bang the wall and learn things the hard way, but sometimes it’s good to heed advice so that you no need to go through so much hardship or obstacles in life. After all, parents just want our kids to head to a bright destination and fulfil all their potential.”
It appeared that tough love – but real and deep love – was bubbling to the surface. And right behind that raw emotion, came a fragment of David’s philosophy of life.
“Sports actually help my kids in their studies,” he declared, with a smile that went against the grain of Singapore culture.
“A lot of parents have the misconception that if their kids spend too much time on sports, their studies will deteriorate – but it’s the reverse,” explained the 53-year-old who dabbled in various sports, including track and field and football.
And David has ensured that his children embrace that neat little trick of leveraging sporting passion to drive what future academic success he believes will inevitably follow.
Lila and her three younger brothers have all committed to football. She is now starting to establish herself in the Singapore Women’s National Team, while 18-year-old Louka is with Hougang United’s Under-21s, 15-year-old Lukyan is with the Sailors Under-15 side, while youngest sibling, 8-year-old Lael trains with the ActiveSG Football Academy.
“When you use more time to do sports, you have less time for studies,” admitted David. “And that’s when effective time management comes in. So, when they study, they’re focused so their results could actually be better that way.”
And David goes even further.
Apart from joining his children in casual kickabouts, David also takes the time to go through videos that illustrate good examples of passages of play, coaching philosophy of top-class managers, all to help develop a better understanding of the game in his children.
As Jenga Jive-talk went on there was a soft touch to David’s approach that came to the fore, surprising even Lila.
“In three words, describe my ability in the kitchen,” asked Lila.
David paused. Lila squirmed.
And just as Lila was going to surrender to a snarky remark about her cooking, David exclaimed: “Not so bad!
“If it’s something that you want to do, you’ll do it well – even food. I’ve tasted your cooking and it was good – she cooks pasta and omelette quite well, I have to say,” said David, to more squirming from Lila, who came back with a soft touch of her own.
“I appreciate the effort he puts in (sending) us to training and back. Despite it being late at night around 10.30pm and after a long day of work, he’ll be there, nonetheless, for us – I’ve never really told you this, but I really do appreciate it.”
Having just turned 20, Lila is still trying to figure out her direction in life – she is currently fussing over which university to go for and whether to pursue football long-term, and she has David firmly in her corner.
“I want her to be happy – and to do what she has passion for,” he said, with Lila nodding quietly to herself.
“If she’s doing what she truly likes, she will be happy and that’s really the biggest factor.”
It will be a clash of the Deloitte Singapore Women’s Premier League’s (WPL) best defence, against its best attack when the Lion City Sailors face Albirex Niigata (S) on Sunday (18 June) evening at the Yishun Stadium.
The Japanese side have scored a whopping 17 goals in just four WPL matches and lead the 10-team WPL standings with a perfect record of four wins. The Sailors are level on 12 points and have scored eight goals fewer – but go into this fixture as the only team not to have conceded a single goal in all four WPL matches so far.
And that water-tight defence could make all the difference.
“We haven’t conceded any goal yet this season, and we will aim to maintain that status after this Sunday too,” said Sailors’ captain Ernie Sontaril, who acknowledged the fact that her team will have their work cut out for them.
“We are not going to be complacent at all. Albirex have several experienced players, and we all know they have a player who had previously played in the FIFA Women’s World Cup (Kana Kitahara, who is the current WPL top scorer with eight goals). Albirex are very good at set pieces, and we must also be careful about that.”
“But I am confident that our team can break through their back line, score goals, and claim the three points.”
The Sailors last played some three weeks ago on 27 May, notching up a well-deserved 2-0 victory over Tanjong Pagar United, but Head Coach Yeong Sheau Shyan is confident that the break has been well-utilised.
“We have played a few friendlies and it was important for us to do that to keep our momentum going and maintain our form. We have had consistent training sessions as well, and we are well-prepared and confident of our capabilities,” said the 43-year-old.
But like her captain, Sheau Shyan is taking nothing for granted, instead warning her charges of the danger that the White Swans pose.
“Many teams in the WPL can play long balls, but Albirex does it very well and can convert those chances from long balls into goals. Albirex have good attacking options, and it will be devastating for us if they catch us on the counter-attack,” she added.
Ernie remained confident that the Sailors’ Women have put in enough work to secure their backline and the three points, come Sunday – perhaps especially because of the Sailors’ not-so-secret weapon.
“We have been consistently training and working on our game plan that coach Sheau Shyan has set up for the Albirex game, and we have focused on strengthening both our attack and defence – and we are confident,” she said.
“A crucial element to our success so far is the fantastic support we’ve received from our fans – The Crew. We know they will be backing us at Yishun again, and we will play our best for them this Sunday.”
Eight Lion City Sailors players have been named in Takayuki Nishigaya’s 26-strong Singapore National Team’s squad which will face Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands in the upcoming FIFA international window.
The quartet of Lionel Tan, Hafiz Nor, M. Anumanthan and Hami Syahin kept their places in the squad after being called up for the friendlies against Hong Kong and Macau in March – matches which the Lions drew 1-1 and won 1-0 respectively.
Lions captain Hariss Harun returns to the fold after missing those two matches due to an examination, while there are also recalls for Adam Swandi and Shawal Anuar who have impressed for the Sailors in the Singapore Premier League (SPL).
Goalkeeper Zharfan Rohaizad rounds off the Sailors’ Lions contingent and he is champing at the bit for the opportunity to make his first-ever appearance for the senior national team.
The 26-year-old has enjoyed a standout campaign in between the sticks thus far, having played every minute of the Sailors’ 13 matches and recording the highest number of saves across the league with 50.
“I’m happy to have gotten the trust of Coach Nishigaya and called up for this squad. It’s a huge honour for me to be called up amongst a field of top goalkeepers in the country,” said Zharfan, who was first called up to the national fold in 2019 and was also part of the 2020 ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup squad.
“I’ve always said my dream is to play for the national team one day and I really hope I’ll play a part in these two friendly matches. The decision lies with the coaches but it is also down to me – I have to put in my best to show what I’m capable of during training to get a starting opportunity,” he added.
“My target is simple – to take as much as I can from my involvement with the Lions and bring it back to club level where we are all pushing hard to win the SPL title.”
The Lions will take on Papua New Guinea on Thursday, 15 June before entertaining the Solomon Islands three days later on Sunday, 18 June.
Both matches will be played at the National Stadium.
As the final whistle sounded at the Bishan Stadium on Wednesday (7 June) night, several heads among those in the Lion City Sailors’ camp hung low, with some even dropping their knees to the ground.
The Sailors mustered 14 shots, with six on target, but ended the evening with just a solitary goal – and a single point – in a 1-1 draw against Singapore Premier League title rivals Tampines Rovers.
The result does little for the Sailors’ title charge, putting Risto Vidaković’s charges third in the nine-team SPL standings, on 27 points.
Tampines are second on 30 points, level with league leaders Albirex Niigata (S) who have a superior goal difference, and have played a game less than their two closest rivals.
Despite the draw, Risto was pleased with what he saw from his charges.
“Nothing went wrong today. We had many chances, but we just failed to capitalise on them. I am proud of my players because they gave everything and worked hard,” said the Sailors’ Head Coach.
“They followed my instructions with attention and exhibited dedication in their performance today. We created a lot of chances, so that is very good, but we missed a lot of these chances also – so we need to work on that.
“But we perhaps didn’t help ourselves by conceding first,” said the 54-year-old.
The Sailors dominated early proceedings and could have gotten off to a flying start after just three minutes.
Maxime Lestienne’s delicious out-swinging corner was cleared by the Tampines defence with the ball finding its way to combative midfielder M. Anumanthan, whose instinctive volley was parried away by Tampines custodian Syazwan Buhari.
Abdul Rasaq Akeem, who made his fifth start of the season, almost opened the scoring in the 20th minute, dribbling past Shuya Yamashita and into the Tampines penalty box before launching a rasping shot that was tipped over by Syazwan.
Rasaq did put the ball into the Tampines goal, but his 39th minute tap-in off a Maxime cross was chalked off for offside.
The Sailors were made to rue those missed oppportunities as Gavin Lee’s charges went ahead in the 58th minute, through Faris Ramli – with the former Sailor curling a shot past Zharfan Rohaizad in the Sailors’ goal.
Nevertheless, the Sailors pressed and capitalised on the numerical advantage after Yasir Hanapi was sent off in the 63rd minute for a second bookable offence following a late challenge on Súper.
The Sailors came close to an equaliser in the 67th minute, first with Rasaq’s close-range header bouncing off the crossbar, then the rebound was lashed towards goal by Maxime, a rasping shot that was somehow cleared off the line by Yamashita.
It took a penalty for the Sailors to finally break Tampines’ resolve. Faris was adjudged to have fouled Maxime following an 80th minute on-field VAR review, with the Belgian then slamming home from the spot to level the tie.
With substitutes Haiqal Pashia and Rusyaidi Salime introducing extra impetus to the side, the Sailors almost snatched all three points in the 90th minute with Maxime setting up Diego Lopes, who smashed a right-footed shot that forced Syazwan to tip over the bar.
Sailors defender Súper (Manuel Herrera López), who put up an outstanding display at the heart of defence, rued the Sailors’ inability to capitalise on chances created.
“We came to win the game and close the gap between us and Tampines and Albirex, so we were naturally disappointed not to get the three points. We need to focus on the next game now,” said the 32-year-old.
“Tampines is an excellent team, and it is not easy to play against them. But the positives are we had several key chances, but we were just unlucky.”
However, Súper drew on the positives of an improved defensive display from the side after they conceded four the last time out.
“We played very compact today when we were defending, and we pressed aggressively to win the ball back, which is something that we need to maintain from now on.”
“I can assure you that everyone in this team is mentally strong, and we are determined to get the three points against Young Lions this Saturday,” declared the Spaniard, of the Sailors’ next SPL assignment, hosting the Young Lions at Bishan this Saturday (10 June).
Fired-up Sailors ready for Tigers battle
A resounding 3-2 comeback win over Albirex the last time out (21 May) put the resilient Lion City Sailors back on the right track for their assault on the 2023 SPL title and they will look to continue in the same vein when they face Balestier Khalsa at Bishan Stadium on Thursday (1 June) night.
Sitting third in the table with 23 points, the Sailors trail SPL frontrunners Tampines Rovers and second-placed Albirex by six points and four points, respectively. As such, nothing less than a win is key for Risto Vidaković’s men to gain some ground in the title race.
Their next challenge will not come easy, with fourth-placed Tigers displaying a dynamic style of football with players who are not afraid to get physical. The stakes are high, but Sailors midfielder M. Anumanthan called for a calm and assured approach from his side.
“Everyone knows how important this game is, so there isn’t a need to put extra pressure on ourselves,” said the 28-year-old, who has also featured at the heart of defence in recent matches.
“Balestier has been playing quality football recently, but we are getting stronger as a team now as witnessed from our second-half performance against Albirex. We’ll go out there and try to perform to the best of our abilities.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge and helping the team get the three points. We have to take this as any other game, follow the coaches’ instructions for us, and I’m sure we can win – we know we have the ability to.”
Anu revealed how the Sailors’ morale was boosted tremendously from the comeback win against Albirex and emphasised the need to build on the momentum.
“Football consists of two halves, and when we were down in the first half, we knew it wasn’t the end, and we believed that we just had to push through. After scoring the first goal, we gained momentum and won. Optimism and positive attitude played a huge part in our victory over Albirex,” said the Singapore international.
“Of course, we need to improve on more aspects of our all-round game, but everyone’s feeling positive and we’re out to beat Balestier. That win will count for nothing if we do not build on it and keep getting wins under our belt.”
Hafiz Nor, who pulled off an incredible goal-line clearance against the White Swans, sang from the same hymn book as he spoke about the team’s growing confidence under Risto’s tutelage.
“Day in and day out, we’re progressing very well as a team in the game model that Coach Risto has laid down for us. We’re feeling great from the win against Albirex, but that game is now over – we’re fully focused on the next game now,” said the utility player, who is the Sailors’ current top appearance-maker with 70 in all competitions.
“Although we beat them 3-0 earlier this season, they’re not an easy side to play against. We cannot underestimate them and we need the utmost focus to get the three points against them.”
While the Sailors will be the away side at Bishan on Thursday, Hafiz is backing the fans to turn up in full force to inspire the team to an eighth victory of the season.
“We’ve been so touched by their support and it was a sweet moment for the team to celebrate with them after our comeback in the last match. I’m sure they’ll be there again to give us that extra energy from the stands even though they’ll be sitting at the away side.
“We’re going to give our all to repay their love for us,” declared Hafiz.
They stroked the ball around patiently, moving the ball smoothly from back to front before a sliver of an opportunity peeked through the crowd with the ball slipping through the same gap, nestling in the back of the net.
The score read: Lion City Sailors 1-0 FC Porto.
This was the Sailors Academy’s Under-12 Elite team, up against Portugal’s finest, and storming into the lead in the quarterfinals of the inaugural Porto International Youth Cup – as Asia’s sole representative.
They eventually lost the game 5-2, but their fearless execution of the Sailors’ Academy philosophy of passing football won the admiration of those watching – something they did throughout the tournament that took place from 6th to 8th April 2023.
The Sailors’ Academy boys were Asia’s only representative in the 12-team competition, and flew the flag proudly, giving a good account of themselves against academies more steeped in history, bringing immense pride to Sailors’ Academy Head of Foundation Ashraf Ariffin.
“We knew we’re going to face strong teams that are better than us, but did we prepare for it specifically? No, not really. We continued to prepare in the same way as we did for our weekend matches in the domestic PUMA Youth Champions League (YCL),” he said.
“Our coaches are trying to instill belief in our teams and the boys truly stuck to our principles of play, and they applied our game principles at levels beyond their usual, especially that opening goal against Porto.
“We did eventually lose – one of those goals were conceded due to us trying to build from the back – but I didn’t want to alter our football just because we were playing against a very strong team. And I must say I’m really proud of the boys.”
Played in a seven-a-side format with 20-minute halves, the Porto International Youth Cup saw the Sailors’ Elite U12 team consisting of players born in 2011 line up against the likes of Benfica, Braga and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the group stages.
The aim of participating in the competition was for the players to test themselves against the cream of the crop in Europe – a rare opportunity for aspiring Sailors trainees.
With the top four from the two six-team groups qualifying for the quarter-finals, the Sailors did enough to finish fourth to set up a last-eight clash with hosts Porto where they eventually bowed out.
It was a creditable performance, especially considering a number of players had to cope with fasting during a tournament that took place during the month of Ramadan.
“They had to wake up around 4.30am for Sahur every morning and most of them fasted at least half, if not three-quarters of each day, until they could not take it. I salute them for their determination, and they didn’t let that affect their performances.
“Some of them really stepped up and showed they could play at levels that they haven’t hit before. They gave a really good account of themselves and that was clear to me watching the team scoring in most games and even if we did lose,” he said.
While it was an encouraging overall display, Ashraf is under no illusions of the improvement needed for his trainees to make the step up and go neck and neck with their European counterparts.
“In Singapore, we are usually the aggressors, playing with more intensity and at a higher tempo. But when we went to Porto, the tables were turned.
“In terms of 1v1 duels and the level of aggression, we definitely need to improve. Being exposed to this level of football only serves to make our boys realise how much they need to work to get to where they aspire to be,” he said.
“Back here, they’re doing pretty well playing against players one year older than them in the YCL but they now realise they’re still quite far away from their peers in Europe.”
The Sailors’ U12s Elite side has continued to do well since returning to Singapore, recently crowned champions of the U12 category in the second YCL season, and are already looking forward to more such overseas experiences.
And these are written into the Sailors’ Academy structure.
Its Elite Under-13 and Under-15 teams are on their way to two-week training trips to Feyenoord Rotterdam and Porto respectively between 27 May to 11 June, while the U11 boys will travel to Sweden in July for the Gothia Cup.
