Category: News
The Lion City Sailors have scored 77 goals in 25 games since the launch of the club in 2020, and are already widely recognised as an irrepressible attacking force.
This well-oiled attacking machinery is something that new Sailors Head Coach Kim Do-hoon will rely on, but it is the defensive structure of the team that has been the main focus for the Korean since he took the reins in late June.
The Sailors have registered just four clean sheets in 14 outings last season and another four in 11 matches this term, and improving this figure seems to be Kim’s first step in turning the Sailors into a side that plays to his football philosophy.
His Ulsan Hyundai side that won the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) in 2020 was as well known for their strong defence as their eye-catching brand of attacking football.
And it is an approach that has been popular with the Sailors.
“In his opening address to us, he acknowledged the fact that we do concede quite a bit, although we’re a decent attacking side which scored a good number of goals,” said Gabriel Quak.
“So there’s not much things to be tweaked and changed on the attacking part. What he is trying to implement now is tactical shape and trying to get us into a defensively-solid unit.”
Sailors defender Amirul Adli echoed similar sentiments.
“Coach Kim has implemented a system to make us more disciplined and organised both on and off the pitch,” he said. “He’s focusing on building the foundation of the team – that’s his main priority now.”
It has been less than a month since Kim took over, but his influence has already been keenly felt. As someone who believes in playing a brand of high-octane attacking football, the South Korean is proving to be a demanding coach who always challenges his players to go beyond their limits.
Gabriel noted that intensity of training sessions has been “higher than usual”, while Adli revealed that Kim has set a pull-up challenge for the team with each player having to hit more than 10 repetitions daily.
“I think what he’s trying to do is to push us outside our comfort zone and get us used to the high level of intensity that he wants,” said Adli.
“By setting challenges, he wants us to be mentally stronger so that it will feel normal to us when we face tough situations next – instead of feeling afraid.
“It’s true that Coach Kim is pretty straight and firm with us, but at the same time there is this positive atmosphere around the team with everyone wanting to show what they can do.”
Having played three friendlies against Albirex Niigata (S), Tanjong Pagar United and Geylang International, the Sailors are slowly getting to grips with Kim’s demands and philosophy.
The 50-year-old has a fine track record of developing players in Korea, and he has already shown the personal touch of his man-management method by speaking to the players individually to bring more out of them.
“We already had a couple of one-on-one conversations. He’s clearly done his homework on the team before coming here, so he knows what we all can offer. He’s told me his expectations of me and also what I can work on further,” said Gabriel.
“For me, this is a really important aspect of a player-coach relationship. I really value this two-way communication and I believe I can improve even further with him around.”
Kim’s first official game in charge of the Sailors comes on Friday night (July 23), and it is perhaps the hardest task in local football – a top-of-the-table away clash against reigning champions and league leaders, Albirex.
The Sailors are currently one point adrift of the White Swans, and gunning for a victory that will see them take control of the Singapore Premier League (SPL) title race with less than 10 games to go.
Shahdan Sulaiman, Saifullah Akbar and Song Ui-young are all unavailable due to suspension, and the responsibility of dictating the tempo in the middle of the park will likely fall on new arrival Hariss Harun.
Gabriel is personally excited at the prospect of playing alongside his national team captain at club level.
“Hariss is a welcome addition to the team, he definitely gives us a big boost going into the end of the season,” said the 2020 SPL Player of the Year.
“We have a few players out for this game, but how this team’s built is that we’ve got capable players in every position and whoever steps up will be ready to give their all.
“We know what’s at stake. One point is not good enough… it’s our coach’s first game in charge and I’m confident that we can put up a good show to get the win that we want,” added Gabriel.
Like Gabriel, Adli is ready to give his all in this crucial six-pointer.
He declared: “Everyone knows how important this game is. For us, we’re aiming to win every single game so we can become champions.”
Bundesliga giants and 2021 German Cup winners Borussia Dortmund (BVB) and Singapore Premier League (SPL) club Lion City Sailors (LCS) have forged a two and a half-year partnership. The commitment will see a series of youth development programmes, coaching, educational and professional exchanges as well as football training camps in Germany, among others, that will bring the two football clubs together with one common goal.
This partnership between BVB and LCS will harness the growing commitment to build a strong infrastructure for Singapore’s youth football development and overall support the growth in areas of sports science, sports medicine, analytics and talent scouting.
Benedikt Scholz, Head of International & New Business and Managing Director of BVB Football Academy said: “We are proud to solidify this partnership with LCS, one of the most exciting football clubs in the SPL. Establishing key partners of this scale and ambition has always been a central part of our vision for BVB, enabling us to keep sharing and contributing towards the growth of youth football in Asia.
“We are looking forward to working with LCS to bring to life our key objectives in youth development and sport education.”
The partnership will see an annual training camp in Dortmund for the LCS Football Academy’s elite team, with an additional training stint pencilled in for selected footballers from the Academy’s scholarship programme.
Suresh Letchmanan, Managing Director of BVB Asia Pacific further highlighted: “We are very excited about this partnership; it is an incredible milestone for both BVB and LCS. Both clubs are dynamic and progressive brands with a commitment to developing talented youth players and these common beliefs make the two organisations ideally suited.
“We will be working closely to implement creative and innovative activities with LCS in the coming months that harness the passion of our clubs and connect with our fantastic fans in and around Asia.”
The Sailors are excited at the prospect of a partnership that will boost its drive for development of the club and its LCS Football Academy that is aimed at growing into an elite youth development hub.
“We are delighted to partner with BVB, a club that has shown a tremendous commitment to youth development, fan engagement and the growth of the sport in general,” said LCS Chief Executive Officer, Chew Chun-Liang.
“We are an ambitious club with a vision of becoming one of the best in Asia. To get there, we must learn from the best, and in BVB we have found a partner that is among the best in the world,” he added.
“We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with BVB.”
The Lion City Sailors were in high spirits when news surrounding the restart of the Singapore Premier League (SPL) came through earlier today (7 July 2021).
The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) revealed in an announcement that fans will be allowed back into stadiums when the SPL returns to action after a FIFA International break on 17 July – and the news was met with much cheer among the Sailors.
“Fans are at the core of everything we’re aiming to achieve at the Sailors, and we’re delighted to be able to once again welcome fans to our matches,” said Sailors’ Chief Executive Chew Chun-Liang.
The return of fans could not have come at a better time for the Sailors who return to SPL action on 23 July, against title rivals Albirex Niigata (S) in a top of the table clash.
The Sailors trail the league leaders by a solitary point in the eight-team SPL standings, and with just 10 games of the season to go, this match could play a key role in the SPL title race.
“There has been a spring in the step of our players since our new Head Coach, Kim Do-hoon took charge, and having fans in the stands will be a great welcome for him,” said Chun-Liang.
“And there is no doubt that fans will further boost the team in this important match too – the players are excited at the prospect of being able to perform for our loyal fans who haven’t been able to watch us “live”, and I’m looking forward to the match, that’s for sure.”
The FAS revealed that up to 250 eligible fans will be allowed to each SPL match starting from 17 July, with prevailing safe-distancing and security protocols in force. The FAS announcement outlines these details that are in accordance with Sport Singapore guidelines.
SPL fans will still be able to watch every match “live” on broadcast at Singtel TV, StarHub TV and live streaming online via the SPL Facebook page and YouTube channel, as well as the Facebook page of 1 Play Sports.
Lion City Sailors will have to wait until next season to make their debut in Asian Football Confederation (AFC) competitions.
This comes after confirmation from the AFC earlier today (7 July 2021) that all matches of the AFC Cup 2021 ASEAN Zone have been cancelled due to the challenges imposed by the global pandemic in finding a suitable host to stage the centralised matches.
The ASEAN Zone comprises Groups G, H and I as well as the Playoff Stage that would have followed. The Sailors were drawn in Group H alongside Kedah Darul Aman FC of Malaysia, Indonesia’s Persipura Jayapura and the Vietnamese side, Saigon FC.
Geylang International was slated to be Singapore’s other representative in the competition, in Group I.
“We were looking forward to competing against regional clubs, and all of us are disappointed that our portion of the AFC Cup competition has been cancelled,” said Sailors Chief Executive, Chew Chun-Liang.
“But we are acutely aware of the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Sailors remain supportive of measures that help keep football fans, players and staff, across the region safe.”
New Sailors Head Coach Kim Do-hoon will now shift his focus to the Singapore Premier League (SPL). The Korean will have to drive his charges to finish among the top three local clubs in the SPL to earn the right to compete in the region next season.
Said Chew: “We will continue to work hard to achieve success locally to ensure we qualify for AFC competitions next season and work towards our vision of competing and doing well in the region.”
The Sailors are currently second in the eight-team SPL standings, one point behind Albirex Niigata (S). Kim’s men will take on Albirex on 23 July in a top of the table clash that marks his first game at the helm.
Lion City Sailors will resume the hunt for the Singapore Premier League (SPL) title with a mouthwatering top of the table clash when the league resumes after a break for FIFA international fixtures.
The Sailors will face league leaders Albirex Niigata (S) at the Jurong East Stadium on Friday, 23 July, just one point behind the Japanese side who lead the eight-team standings with 27 points from 11 games.
The Sailors have 26 points following an eight-match unbeaten run that started on 7 March, in a 2-2 draw with Albirex that the club hopes can continue against the same opponents.
This comes after the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) announcement of the updated SPL fixtures earlier today.
The FAS revealed that while the SPL was initially scheduled to resume on 2 July, fixtures were rescheduled to allow clubs to have at least two weeks of preparation time with their respective players who were called up for international duty with the Singapore National Team. These players were required to serve a Stay Home Notice upon their return to Singapore, ending on 4 July.
This decision was made in consultation with SPL clubs, and takes other scheduling factors into consideration.
Tampines Rovers will represent Singapore in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) 2021 (East) Group Stage from 25 June to 10 July in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. To accommodate the Stags’ ACL participation, the Sailors who were initially scheduled to face Tampines on 11 July, will play the match on 4 August instead.
After taking on Tampines, Sailors will line up against Balestier Khalsa (8 Aug) before facing the Stags again on 15 Aug.
In light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation, all SPL matches will continue to be played behind closed doors.
Lion City Sailors defender Ho Wai Loon has joined Balestier Khalsa on loan till the end of the season.
Abdil Qaiyyim joins Geylang International
Lion City Sailors defender Abdil Qaiyyim has joined Geylang International.
The experienced centre-back was a key player for the Sailors in the club’s debut season last year, making nine appearances in the Singapore Premier League (SPL).
Abdil, 32, first played for Home United – the previous iteration of the Sailors – in 2011. He left the following year, but re-joined Home United again in 2015.
Since then, Abdil has proven himself to be an upstanding stalwart of the club, where his consistency, bravery, and no-nonsense style of defending has helped establish him as one of the most reliable centre-backs in the league.
A well-respected leader in the Sailors dressing room, Abdil has made over 120 appearances in all competitions for the club, and played an integral role in Home United becoming Asian Football Confederation Cup (AFC Cup) Asean Zone champions in 2018.
Abdil also brought a sharp sense of humour to the dressing rooms he was a part of, with the laughter he consistently fuelled being a key facet of the healthy team dynamic.
Sailors Chief Executive Chew Chun-Liang said: “There is no doubt that Abdil has been one of the most respected players at the club over the past few years. His professionalism and dedication have never been in doubt, and we are especially grateful to him for helping to stabilise the ship in the Lion City Sailors’ debut season last year.
“After discussions with Abdil, we agreed to let him join Geylang so that he can enjoy more regular first-team football. We thank our counterparts at Geylang for their collaboration, and we wish nothing but the best for Abdil.”
Speaking about his move to Geylang, Abdil said: “It has been wonderful playing for the Sailors, but I felt this was the right decision to go to a new club for more playing time.
“I am excited to start playing for the Eagles, and I would like to thank the Sailors for everything they have done for me. I wish the Sailors all the best, and will continue being a Sailors fan in the team’s quest for silverware.”
The Lion City Sailors will no longer play their upcoming Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup matches in Singapore.
This comes after the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced on Thursday (May 27) that it will withdraw as host for Groups H & I of the AFC Cup Asean Zone Group Stage.
The Sailors, who are in Group H, were initially scheduled to take on Vietnamese outfit Saigon FC, Indonesia’s Persipura Jayapura, as well as Malaysian side Kedah Darul Aman in Singapore from June 29 to July 5.
Explaining the reasons for their withdrawal as hosts, the FAS said in a statement: “The FAS has been working with all parties to provide a safe environment for all participants of the tournament.
“However, the erratic COVID-19 situation regionally has made the inbound travel challenging for the overseas participating teams. In the interest of all the players, the officials and the local community, the FAS has decided not to host the AFC Cup 2021 Group Stage matches.”
Sailors chief executive Chew Chun-Liang said: “While we look forward to competing in this regional tournament, we fully understand and respect the FAS’ decision to withdraw as hosts for the AFC Cup games. We remain confident that the team will still be able to achieve their goals in the competition.”
A new venue for the Sailors’ AFC Cup games has yet to be confirmed.
The Lion City Sailors will head into the upcoming international break boasting an eight-match unbeaten run, after they overcame the Young Lions 1-0 in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday evening (May 22).
But the in-form Sailors were made to work hard to beat Philippe Aw’s men who put up an organised and resolute display to keep their more illustrious opponents at bay.
Indeed, it took a sublime free-kick from set-piece specialist Shahdan Sulaiman in the 44th minute to breach the Young Lions defence.
Despite dominating possession against a Young Lions side that went down to 10 men after defender Syahrul Sazali had been sent off in the incident that led to Shadan’s free-kick, the Sailors were just unable to find a second goal.
Nonetheless, the solitary goal from Shahdan was all that was needed for the Sailors to secure the three points and leapfrog Albirex Niigata (S) to the top of the table, if only for a day. Albirex face Geylang International on Sunday (23 May).
While eyebrows were raised over the Sailors’ inability to beat the Young Lions – who are winless this season and rooted to the bottom of the SPL table – by a bigger margin, centre-back Amirul Adli insists there is nothing to be overly concerned about.
Reflecting on his team being unable to hit their usual attacking stride on the day, Adli said: “It was just one of those days where the team just found it hard to get the momentum to attack as fluidly as we usually do.
“But that’s football – there will be some days where things just don’t seem to go the way you want. The Young Lions were also well organised too, making life difficult for us.
“But we never gave up and kept working hard as a team to get the win. I’m really proud of the team’s mentality, because we kept to the plan and tried playing positively even though it was a difficult day. And ultimately, what matters the most is that we got the three points.”
While the Sailors did not find their usual fluency in attack, they remained solid at the back to keep out the Young Lions and claim their fourth clean sheet of the season.
This, says Adli, is down to the players in the team developing a better understanding with one another, having now played together for nearly half a season.
“It’s great to see that we defended very well, and stayed compact as a unit throughout the game,” Adli explained.
“I definitely feel that the team understands one another better as the season goes by, and the solid defensive performances we’ve shown in the past few games is due to the team defending as a unit.
“We have been working hard in training to be more organised from top to bottom, and thanks to that, it has made the job of the backline much easier.”
The team will now break for the upcoming internationals – in which eight Sailors, including Adli, will be involved in Singapore’s World Cup qualifying campaign – before regrouping in the middle of June for their Asian Football Confederation Cup (AFC Cup) group stage matches.
This means the Sailors’ next SPL match will take place more than a month later, on July 3, against reigning champions Albirex.
And Adli believes it was vital that the Sailors headed into the international break on a high.
“The win (against Young Lions) was very important as we know how consistent Albirex can be,” Adli declared. “Finishing positively before the internationals is exactly what we need, as it puts us in a great position when we face them after the break.”
Adli also expressed his appreciation for interim head coach Robin Chitrakar, who took over the reins of the team after Aurelio Vidmar left the club at the end of April.
Coach Robin, who has guided the Sailors to victory in all three of the matches he was in charge, will return to his primary role as the club’s Head of Youth Development once new head coach Kim Do-hoon links up with the team next month.
Said Adli: “It has definitely not been easy for coach Robin to take on this responsibility, but he has done a great job. He has guided the team to maximum points in these past three matches, and everyone appreciates the work he has done for the team.”
Kim Do-hoon may have been confirmed as the new head honcho of Lion City Sailors earlier this week, but Robin Chitrakar’s job as the club’s interim head coach is not done just yet.
With coach Kim only officially linking up with the team in June, Robin will still be in charge for the Sailors’ Singapore Premier League (SPL) clash against Young Lions on Saturday (May 22). He will hand over the reins to the AFC Champions League winner during the ensuing international break.
But while the 44-year-old’s time at the helm may have been short, there is no doubt he has done well to build on the foundations laid by former head coach Aurelio Vidmar.
Under Robin, the Sailors have continued to play an attacking, possession-based style of football that is pleasing to the eye. But they also displayed an ability to dig deep and play gritty when needed, as shown in their narrow wins over Geylang International and Tanjong Pagar United.
Reflecting on the Sailors’ last two games against the Eagles and Jaguars, Robin said: “We knew how difficult it would be – teams are now becoming more aggressive and tighter at the back against us.
“But I’m proud that we’ve managed to overcome those challenges to win. It just shows that this team has leaders and a lot of character, and is determined to win every game.”
The Sailors have now won five straight matches, and are unbeaten in their last seven. More importantly, they remain hot on the heels of current league leaders Albirex Niigata (S) – the Sailors are currently second in the table on 23 points, just one behind the reigning SPL champions.
Despite what has been an ‘amazing’ experience with the senior squad so far, Robin is focused on ensuring a smooth handover to Kim, and returning to his primary role as Head of Youth Development at the Sailors.
“I’m grateful to the club for giving me this opportunity (to be interim head coach). It’s been great to manage these consummate professionals who are always respectful, and are willing to put in the hard work,” said Robin. “But my main role at the club is to take care of young players , and that isn’t going to change.
“For me, the most important thing is to keep the things in place for coach Kim to take over. He’s a coach whose achievements speak for themselves, and I’m sure he’ll take the club to a whole new level.”
For now, though, Robin’s attention is firmly fixed on the game against his former side, Young Lions, this weekend, as he seeks to end his interim head coach stint on a high.
While the Young Lions are still winless this season, they have proven themselves tough to beat on their day, having held title-chasing Hougang United to a 1-1 draw previously, and only just falling to a narrow 2-1 defeat to Albirex last Saturday.
And Robin insists the Sailors cannot afford to be complacent against Philippe Aw’s young charges.
“Obviously we want to continue the winning momentum to close the gap on Albirex, but a victory will not be so straightforward,” Robin declared.
“I’ve watched them play this season – they were leading against Hougang before conceding an equaliser in the last minute, and they could easily have forced Albirex to a draw. Coach Phillipe has got them pretty organised, so we definitely need to dig deep again to get the three points.”
