Republic's teams drawn in separate groups as Newcastle take over Benfica in youth tourney
Apr 26, 2011
SINGAPORE - Skipper Jeffrey Lightfoot wants a spot in the final at the 23rd Canon Lion City Cup. If he is to lead the Singapore under-16 side out in the final at Jalan Besar Stadium on June 26, then they will first have to finish in the top two of Group B, which features the under-15 teams of Flamengo of Brazil and Everton of England.In the draw conducted yesterday at Football Association of Singapore (FAS) headquarters at Jalan Besar Stadium, the Singapore under-15 team were pooled in Group A, with the under-15 sides of Juventus of Italy, and England's Newcastle.
The nine-day tourney will kick off on June 18 with the opening game featuring the Singapore under-15s' clash with Newcastle. Top Portuguese club Benfica were initially pencilled in for the tournament but were unable to compete due to school examinations and Newcastle were drafted in to replace them.
Teams to watch will be the samba boys of Flamengo and Juventus, whose under-15 side boasts a list of achievements including winning the Manchester United Premier Cup and Giovanissimi Nazionali National Championship.
Many local fans will recognise the Singapore under-16 side, who cheered the nation with their run to a bronze medal at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games held here last year. Besides the captain Jeffrey, one would expect star forwards Hanafi Akbar and Muhaimi Suhaimi to also figure prominently if the team are to make the semi-finals.
Japanese coach Koga Takuma was hired last week to get the team ready and after the draw, he played it safe when he said: "I'm happy that the team will have the opportunity to play Flamengo and Everton because it will provide them with the chance to experience two different styles of play - South American and English. What I hope for the team to get out of the tournament is match experience against quality sides."
The Republic's under-15s were crowned champions at the recent 2011 International Youth Football Invitational in Hong Kong and boast Best Player Award winner and tournament joint-top scorer Adam Swandi.
The two Singapore teams could have been drawn together, and coach Dejan Gluscevic was happy they avoided meeting the seniors.
"We're happy that we're not in the same group as the under-16s because it provides both teams with the chance to gain more match experience against these top teams. With the two teams that are in our group, we might be viewed as underdogs, but I trust in the players to deliver and do well."
Lifelong Flamengo fan, Francisco Zoroastro Campos, the president of the Fla-Cingapura fan club, was part of the draw and he is already planning to rally the 50 members to support their team.
"Flamengo will bring a very strong team, they are training very hard. Flamengo is very good, this year in January they were the under-18 champions in Brazil. I think they can win all the games and win the championship."
Group A: Singapore, Juventus, Newcastle
Group B: S'pore under-16, Flamengo, Everton
* only under-16 team in the tourney
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