Young Lions scramble to beef up squad after losses to Sundram's team

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SINGAPORE - As a new set of Lions get set for their Malaysian football adventure, the ones left behind are already feeling the brunt of their ex-team-mates' departures.

The Courts Young Lions will continue to ply their trade in the S-League next year, but with pre-season training scheduled to start this month, neither the players nor the backroom staff can confirm if they will still be involved with the club.

Young Lions team manager Eugene Loo is also expected to relinquish his role with the club and join V Sundramoorthy's LionsXII squad as team manager.

K Kalaiselvan, who is in charge of Football Association of Singapore's (FAS) community outreach programme, is expected to take over Loo's post.

The squad have lost 13 players to the LionsXII - who are representing Singapore in Malaysia's domestic football competitions from next month - and scrambling to fill their 30-man roster for next year.

They have already signed Etoile FC's 20-year-old left-sided player, Sirina Camara, with forwards Jonathan Toto (Etoile) and Sherif El-Masri (Home United) poised to join, along with Dane Benjamin Kristofferson-Lee, who came here for trials conducted by the FAS two months ago.

But head coach Robin Chitrakar's future is uncertain as he has yet to come to terms with the FAS.

"My contract runs out this month, and I'm still in discussions with them," was all he would tell Today.

There is some good news though: Three outfield players and a goalkeeper from the national under-18 side are in line to make the step up to the Young Lions, along with former Tanjong Pagar midfielder Gary Loo.

Loo put pen to paper yesterday and he said: "I signed after speaking to Robin and Kalaiselvan, and I'm obviously excited. I think it will be a good place for me to develop."