S'pore announces line-up for Malaysia Cup

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SINGAPORE: After a 17-year hiatus, Singapore is fielding a team to compete in the 2012 Malaysia Football League which starts on January 7.

The team's name, logo and line-up were revealed to the media on Monday.

The team will be called Lions XII where the number 12 signifies the fan acting as the 12th player in motivating the footballers.

The team will be led by Malaysia Cup veteran V Sundramoorthy who will be the Head Coach for the team. He will be assisted by another veteran Kadir Yahaya.

Shahril Ishak is named the team captain while Hariss Harun will be his deputy for the 28-man squad.

The team comprises a mix of youth and experienced players which include the likes of Khairul Amri and Agu Casmir.

The Football Association of Singapore said marketing plans to ensure maximum support for the team will be announced at a later date.

For now, the Jalan Besar Stadium, which is the venue for the LionsXII home matches, will see its capacity increased to 6,000 seats from the current 4,000 seats.

A top five target has been set and coach Sudramoorthy says playing on Jalan Besar's artificial surface could work in Singapore's favour.

He said: "They also have artificial pitches in Malaysia and they will start training there before playing against us. But playing in Singapore with home ground (advantage) and everything, it would be a big advantage to us."

The Lions XII's first official training kicks off on December 7.

They will find out next week which Malaysian team they will take on in their first match on January 10.
Lions XII squad:

Goalkeepers:
Izwan Mahbud, Hyrulnizam Jumaat, Al-Faiz Ishak

Defenders:
Safuwan Baharudin, Juma'at Jantan, Shaiful Esah, Irwan Shah, Shakir Hamzah, Sevki Sha'ban, Shahir Hamzah, Madhu Mohana

Midfielders:
Hariss Harun (Vice Captain), Safirul Sulaiman, Izzdin Shafiq, Isa Halim, Taufiq Rahmat, Raihan Rahman, Shahdan Sulaiman, Yasir Hanapi, Shahril Ishak (Captain), Firdaus Kasman, Pravin Guanasagaran,

Forwards:
Khairul Amri, Gabriel Quak, Fazli Ayob, Khairul Nizam, Agu Casmir, Sufian Anuar