LionsXII tap on Young Lions, again Sundram's team receive a boost from S-League side, who are set to welcome new faces

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SINGAPORE - Thirteen players from the Courts Young Lions have climbed aboard V Sundramoorthy's ship embarking on Singapore's Malaysian football adventure in 2012 under the LionsXII banner.

And the LionsXII will inherit more than just players from the Young Lions, with the backroom staff of the S-League club joining Sundram's crew.

Young Lions and national team manager Eugene Loo will be the manager of the LionsXII, and he will take with him goalkeeper coach Lee Bee Seng, fitness coach Aleksandar Bozenko and kitman Omar Mohamed.

National team and Young Lions physiotherapist Yeo Hwee Koon has left the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), with Majid Khan joining the LionsXII side.

Speaking to Today, Loo said yesterday: "We are joining LionsXII to help the team start off on the right foot, and while there will be replacements found for the Young Lions team, (all of us) will oversee, so to speak, Young Lions matters and help whenever needed.

"It's a team effort, and we are aware of the increased need to travel next year, and there will contingency plans in place, in case any one of us is unable to."

Loo, Lee, Bozenko and Omar are all part of national coach Radojko Avramovic's set-up and they will balance their LionsXII duties with their roles in the national team, while also continuing to help out with the Young Lions in the S-League.

The Young Lions are set for an injection of new blood both on their player roster and backroom personnel.

While his contract details have yet to be ironed out, former Singapore international Robin Chitrakar has been confirmed as the club's head coach, with K Kalaiselvan moving from handling the FAS's community outreach programme to take over as team manager.

Today understands Tanjong Pagar United goalkeeping coach Lim Queen Cher is set to join the Young Lions, while on the playing front, Danish forward Benjamin Kristofferson-Lee and Etoile FC's 20-year-old left-sided player Sirina Camara look set to join the fold.

Said Loo: "We are looking to find a replacement kitman and fitness coach for the Young Lions, because Omar and (Bozenko) can't be in two places at once."

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) have yet to release a confirmed Malaysia Super League (MSL) fixture list, but Loo is already in possession of the tentative schedule, and the planning has already begun.

"We've to thank FAM for the tentative list, and plans have already been made, based on the list we have. I don't foresee any big changes in the schedule that will affect our preparation for the start of the season," said Loo.

The LionsXII face Johor FA at the Jalan Besar Stadium today in a closed door friendly, their first of three warm-up fixtures before the season kicks off on Jan 10 with a tasty home clash against MSL champions Kelantan.

The team will travel to Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday to face PKNS (Wednesday) and ATM (Friday).

Loo is looking forward to set sail into Malaysian football.

He said: "You can feel the buzz in the air, with people ready to embrace that nostalgic feeling again. There's just something magical about it. It's an honour to be part of this history-making side.

"This team belongs to the fans, and I hope that fans start supporting us from the start and work towards success - not just of this team - but of Singapore football."