Reading next for Sports School stars?

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SINGAPORE - Even as the Football Association of Singapore explore the possibility of overseas stints and competitions for the Republic's under-15 and under-16 teams, two of the brightest stars from the junior squads could be heading for Europe soon.

Adam Swandi and Hanafi Akbar, the two No 10s who left their mark at the 23rd Canon Lion City Cup, are back at the Singapore Sports School, studying and training.

The general manager of the school's football academy, S Varatha Rajan, told MediaCorp yesterday they planned to contact England's Reading FC and explore an attachment for the two youngsters.

The club, currently competing in the Championship in England, have one of the best youth programmes in the country.

"We want to give Adam and Hanafi up to three months of attachment with overseas clubs and Reading is one of them," said Rajan. "We have to get their parents' permission for this and it has to be after their exams."

Under-15 star Adam, who wowed the fans and foreign coaches with his creativity at the Lion City Cup, will sit for his Secondary 3 exams in October. Hanafi, the left-footed wizard in the under-16 side, is studying for his N Level examinations.

Rajan is also talking to their parents to see how the Sports School can help the boys pursue a professional football career.

"For Adam, especially, there is a possibility that he can get a good education and football development at Reading if his parents want him to go there. He is one of the smartest guys to pass through our Sports School's football academy and will get the best of both worlds," said Rajan.

Former Lions striker Fandi Ahmad, who now works with the Genova International School of Soccer and is a scout for Serie B club Vicenza Calcio, is also looking to send the players to Italy for a short stint.

He said: "I've been in touch with Rajan and the two boys, and we are working something out. There are also other promising talent in both the under-15 and under-16 sides and we should be looking to help them, too."

Jita Singh, FAS' head of game development, cautioned against rushing the youngsters off to Europe. He suggested that they consider playing in Asia first.

"We must bear in mind that apart from Europeans fighting to get noticed, some of Africa's best young talent are also heading to Europe. If our boys don't make it, they could return home disillusioned," said the former Malaysia Cup winning coach.

MediaCorp understands the FAS are in talks with the Spanish, French and Australian FAs, and it could result in more overseas exposure for Singapore's juniors.

"We are not only working to develop Hanafi and Adam, but everyone in both squads because they will form the backbone of our 2015 SEA Games team and future senior national squads," said Jita.