Little excitement over foreign football hopefuls The 2011 batch return home as S-League clubs call for a minimum standard and more time

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SINGAPORE - They came from Serbia, England, Romania, Australia, China and Bosnia, hoping to make an impression at the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) centralised trials conducted last week and snag contracts with S-League clubs.

After three friendly games in the space of a week, the 26 foreign hopefuls have left Singapore. They were outplayed and outscored in two of the matches, falling 5-3 to Balestier Khalsa and enduring a 5-1 hammering by the national under-23 side bound for the SEA Games.

They also drew 4-4 with Etoile FC.

At best, six players, including 28-year-old Aussie Matthew Osman, former Burnley FC midfielder Michael King, an Englishman, and Danish forward Benjamin Kristoffersen Lee, whose father was born in Singapore, have shown potential.

When contacted yesterday, Gombak United chairman, John Yap, said: "To be fair, they went up against well-oiled teams who have been playing as a unit all year round. And you can't see much of any player in just three games.

"It would have been better if the players were sent to clubs, where they could train and play with the S-League regulars. That way they could have shown what they were capable of and be assessed accordingly."

Another club official, who declined to be named, called for trial players to spend a longer time with the teams, to minimise the impact of jetlag and the time to acclimatise to local conditions.

"We've seen some potential in the group, but it was too short a time to assess them properly and they appeared lethargic as time went on," he said.

As part of its disbursement of subsidies, the FAS have set aside S$110,000 for each club to recruit two foreign players, but it comes with conditions. The players must be below 21 years old, willing to take up Singapore citizenship, sign a two-year contract and be two notches above national players.

It is the last condition that club officials have a problem with. Several assert the footballers on show were just not up to the mark.

While one club official called for a pre-selection filter to assure a minimum standard of footballers, another bemoaned their lack of fitness.

He said: "The FAS technical team must see that a minimum criteria is met before these footballers come here for trials, otherwise it would be a waste of time for everyone."

The trials were funded by the FAS and they include airfare and accommodation for the players.

In response to queries from Today, FAS deputy director of marketing and competitions, Ridzal Saat, said: "This trial is part of our ongoing initiatives to complement the scouting efforts of S-League clubs. I am happy to note that some of them find the players on trial from the A-League as well as young players from Arsenal, Burnley and Steaua Bucharest reserve teams, might not be suitable for their teams.

"I am sure they have other quality players in mind, and I look forward to seeing them in action next season."

The FAS centralised trials were introduced in 2009 and the last two editions have seen a total of five players, including current Balestier skipper Paul Cunningham, earning contracts.