Category: News
Make no mistake about it, the 1-1 draw against Balestier Khalsa at the Toa Payoh Stadium on Sunday night (8 August) was a disappointing result for the Lion City Sailors.
Trailing league leaders Albirex Niigata (S) by four points before kickoff – but with two games in hand – the Sailors could have reduced the gap to just one point. This after watching the White Swans’ surprising first defeat of the season on Friday, falling 2-1 to Tanjong Pagar United at the Jurong East Stadium.
In the end, Kim Do-hoon’s men had to be content with whittling down the deficit to three points, after a frustrating game in which the Sailors struggled to break down a dogged Tigers unit.
The Sailors went 1-0 down on the hour mark through a Šime Žužul’s strike that came against the run of play, but rallied, displaying a gritty determination to get back into the game.
Creating chance after chance, the Sailors reaped their reward five minutes into injury time when Jorge Fellipe’s goal-bound header was denied by a blatant Ensar Brunčević handball. Stipe Plazibat duly buried the resulting penalty to earn his side a share of the spoils.
It was not the result that the Sailors wanted, but one that they can still take heart from – they are very much still within touching distance of the summit.
“It wasn’t easy for us. The pitch was bumpy and we couldn’t really play our way of football,” explained Stipe, whose goal was his 11th of the season. “We were definitely the better team and had a few shots, but we just couldn’t find that final pass. Balestier didn’t really create one apart from that goal.
“We upped the tempo (after conceding) to be more direct and aggressive then we got the goal to draw level. After everything that has happened in this game, we can be satisfied with this one point although we’re still disappointed not to win.”
Right back Naqiuddin Eunos echoed similar sentiments – acknowledging that the Sailors were “not able to work our attacking moves into the box” through their typical passing style of play until adopting a more direct route towards the end.
“In the first half we were decent – we were playing our usual football without getting the results that we normally do,” explained the 24-year-old, who got his first start under Kim. “For the final 40 minutes (including the 10 minutes of injury time) after we went down, everyone pushed up – from the full-backs to the central midfielders.
“We had a lot more chances from there and perhaps we should have just played in this manner from the start. Going more direct is not what we usually do, but sometimes you just have to do it to get a result from a difficult game like this.”
The Route One approach was exactly how Balestier got the opening goal against the Sailors, with Shuhei Hoshino’s knock-on from Zaiful Nizam’s long free-kick causing all sorts of trouble before Croatian hotshot Žužul pounced to tap into an empty net.
Admitting that the defence “switched off” for that moment, Naqiuddin knew the team ought to have done better.
“We all know what Balestier’s strength is – they have tall players and are very good at set-pieces. We prepared throughout the week for this, but yet this happened,” said the former Singapore Under-22 player. “I think we lost focus for that second… that’s something that we have to learn from. We cannot afford to let in such easy goals.”
There were further reverberations in the process of conceding that goal, with Sailors captain Hassan Sunny suffering an unfortunate collision with the towering Jorge that left him needing lengthy medical attention. An oxygen mask was put on Hassan who was carried off the pitch on a stretcher in what was a worrying scene for all watching. The 37-year-old custodian was then rushed to the hospital with a suspected neck injury.
Both Naqiuddin and Stipe concurred that it was “not nice” to see a teammate lying down on the pitch, almost motionless. “I didn’t even think of the goal conceded, I was just hoping he will be okay,” added Stipe.
Rudy Khairullah deputised for Hassan in the last half-hour against the Tigers and the reliable 27-year-old may well find himself starting in next Sunday’s (15 August) fixture against title rivals Tampines at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
Turning their attentions to the crunch tie between last season’s top two local sides – Tampines finished 2020 second in the eight-team SPL, with the Sailors two points behind in third – Naqiuddin and Stipe know exactly what is at stake.
“We’ve one week to prepare for this game and we’re definitely up for this battle. We need to get all three points and nothing less,” declared Naqiuddin.
“We’ve to treat our last eight remaining games as cup finals and not slip up anymore,” added Stipe. “We need to start from the very beginning and take control of each game.”
Tampines fixture rescheduled to 21 Sept
A packed Lion City Sailors’ August fixture list has been lightened, after the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced a rescheduling of the Singapore Premier League (SPL) match against fellow title challengers Tampines Rovers that was originally to be played on 4 August.
The away fixture at Our Tampines Hub will now take place on Tuesday, 21 September at the same venue.
In its announcement, the FAS said the postponement was to provide Tampines adequate time to prepare after serving a quarantine after the team returned from their Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) group stage exploits in Uzbekistan between 25 June and 10 July.
Instead of facing Tampines twice in the next month, the Sailors will now battle the Stags on Sunday, 15 Aug before the rescheduled match some five weeks later on 21 Sept.
The Sailors played out an enthralling 3-3 draw with Tampines in the club’s season opening fixture in March.
The Sailors’ August schedule will now see four SPL fixtures instead of five, starting with next Sunday, 8 Aug, against Balestier Khalsa at the Toa Payoh Stadium, with Tanjong Pagar United (20 Aug) and Hougang United (27 Aug) following after the Tampines fixture.
It has been four years since Hariss Harun played in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) – then known as the S.League – but on Friday evening (23 July) at the Jurong East Stadium, the 30-year-old marked his return, helping Lion City Sailors to a 1-1 draw against defending champions Albirex Niigata (S).
But while Hariss was proud to make his Sailors debut – he officially linked up with the team in June – he admitted that his performance against Albirex left much to be desired.
“It was great to make my debut for the Sailors at last, after waiting for so long. Playing in Singapore again was good but I have to adjust to playing in artificial pitches again week in week out as in Malaysia, games were played mostly on grass pitches,” said Hariss, who had spent nearly eight years across the causeway with Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT).
“My performance against Albirex was definitely not my best, and I wasn’t happy with it. That said, I am determined to improve to try and help the team more.”
The Sailors struggled to contain Albirex in the first-half, and went a goal down on the stroke of half-time through a Ryoya Taniguchi penalty.
But the introduction of playmaker Diego Lopes at the break saw the Sailors gain a foothold in the game. And in the 72nd minute, the Brazilian played a key pass in the final third to set fellow substitute Hafiz Nor free on the left flank. Hafiz then squared the ball for Stipe Plazibat to equalise from close range.
Hariss pointed to Diego’s introduction as the turning point in the game, explaining: “In the first half, we tried to rattle them (Albirex), but they adjusted after a while and we struggled a bit.
“But we were more positive in the second half, and tried to play the ball more on the ground rather than going direct. After all, with Diego coming on, it’s only normal for us to play into his feet more often because that’s what he is good at, and he certainly gave us more quality in attack.
“Overall, considering how the match went, a draw was probably a fair result.”
The Sailors, however, would have likely come away from the Jurong East Stadium empty-handed, if not for the heroics of captain Hassan Sunny in goal.
The 37-year-old shot-stopper pulled off a string of stunning saves to keep the Sailors in the game, and Hariss credits Hassan for inspiring the team with his man-of-the-match display.
“Hassan was amazing, he kept us in the game. It would have been a different story without his saves, some of which were jaw dropping,” gushed Hariss. “He is our captain, and seeing him pull off those saves gave us confidence…there is no doubt he was the best player on the pitch (on Friday night).”
The draw leaves the Sailors second in the table, just one point behind current league leaders Albirex. With the Japanese side still needing to play the Sailors at the Jalan Besar Stadium in September, Hariss is confident that his new team will be able to end the season as SPL champions.
“We went into this game wanting to seize the initiative and win. It didn’t happen, but to remain close and within a point of Albirex is important,” he said.
“Our target remains winning the SPL title, but there’s still much work to be done. Every match matters, and every point counts. We have to focus on one game at a time.
“The good thing is, the team is getting better under Coach Kim (Do-hoon), so we must continue to improve to take our game up another level or two, and hopefully, we will finish top at the end of the season.”
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.”
