Lions on course for a two-week camp FAS happy to hear S-League clubs willing to back national cause

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SINGAPORE - The Lions came together for their final training camp six days before the first leg of their crucial second round Asian World Cup qualifier against Malaysia at the Jalan Besar Stadium on July 23.

This time, national coach Rodojko Avramovic (picture) could have at least two weeks to prepare the Singapore team for their opening Group A away match with China on Sept 2, in the third round of the qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

It will be vital, especially with China scheduling all their home games in Kunming, which is 1,900m above sea level.

Today understands the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) have prepared a proposal that will call for S-League clubs to release their national players for at least two weeks before the China tie.

The proposal includes warm-up matches for the Lions and a rescheduling of S-League fixtures and it will be presented to the various chairmen of the clubs for consideration.

In a report yesterday, Today revealed that the club chairmen were willing to help the national cause and FAS general secretary Winston Lee said: "We are planning to make sure Raddy (Avramovic) gets the time he needs to prepare for China and there are a lot of issues we are addressing to achieve this.

"The S-League and the presidential elections on Aug 27 are things we have to work around, but I am glad that the S-League clubs have already come out to say they will support us."

The FAS are also continuing to work to see if midfield dynamo Hariss Harun and central defender Safuwan Bahrudin could be available for the all-important opening match, and the home clash with Iraq four days later.

Hariss, 20, is scheduled to enlist for National Service on Aug 10 in the Singapore Police Force, while Safuwan is midway through his stint with them.

When contacted yesterday, Avramovic expressed relief his team is injury-free.

The Serb, 61, has already touched base with the Australian medical team that helped prepare the Socceroos when they drew with China 0-0 in Kunming three years ago in the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup.

Avramovic does not want the talk to dwell on the thin air at the Tuodong Stadium.

"China are a good team and we should be focusing on this, not the atmosphere there," he told Today.

"I don't see any problem playing in Kunming. If Australia could play there without problems, then we should be able to do it as well. We have already got in touch with them on how they prepared for the match and the information is helpful."

While acknowledging the special kind of atmosphere generated between the two arch-rivals in the recent Causeway derbies, Avramovic does not want it to reach a similar level next month.

"That was just too intense for everybody and, hopefully, with China it will be less so," he said.