S.League All-Stars announced

Source

SINGAPORE, 30 March 2011: The S.League All-Stars side to face the TAKE ACTION With Albirex Niigata (Singapore) Selection in the S.League Cares, TAKE ACTION With Albirex Niigata (Singapore) Charity Match at Jalan Besar Stadium this Saturday, 2 April has been officially announced.

The S.League All-Stars are coached by three-time S.League Coach of the Year, Richard Bok of SAFFC.

Bok is assisted by another Singapore football stalwart, S. Subramani of Home United.

Courts Young Lions skipper Hariss Harun will lead the All-Stars for the first half, with Balestier Khalsa’s Paul Cunningham wearing the captain’s armband for the second half.

All proceeds raised from the Charity Match will directly support the Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief efforts.

Football fans who attend the Charity Match can also contribute through donation boxes which will be placed around the stadium.

“We really hope that many, many people are coming down for the match,” said Bok.

“The S.League Cares, TAKE ACTION Foundation and Albirex Niigata (Singapore) have come together to raise funds for the people of Japan, so I hope to see a full stadium on Saturday.”

Four players from Bok’s SAFFC side make the squad, with goalkeeper Shahril Jantan, defender Shaiful Esah, midfielder Mustaqim Manzur and forward Fazrul Nawaz in the list of 22.

Meanwhile S.League champions Etoile are also represented by four players: defender Sirina Camara, midfielders Hicham Bouchemlal and Maxime Belouet and forward Jonathan Toto.

The S.League All-Stars team is:

Goalkeepers: Shahril Jantan (SAFFC), Izwan Mahbud (Courts Young Lions)

Defenders: Paul Cunningham (Balestier Khalsa), Afiq Yunos (Courts Young Lions), Sirina Camara (Etoile), Obadin Aikhena (Gombak United), Walid Lounis (Gombak United), Jeremy Chiang (Gombak United), Emmeric Ong (Hougang United), Shaiful Esah (SAFFC)

Midfielders: Armanizam Dolah (Balestier Khalsa), K. Vikraman (Balestier Khalsa), Hariss Harun (Courts Young Lions), Hicham Bouchemlal (Etoile), Maxime Belouet (Etoile), Carlos Alberto Delgado (Hougang United), Fazli Jaffar (Hougang United), Jordan Webb (Hougang United), Mustaqim Manzur (SAFFC)

Forwards: Vitor Borges de Souza (Balestier Khalsa), Jonathan Toto (Etoile), Fazrul Nawaz (SAFFC)

While not every club is represented in the All-Stars squad because of S.League match commitments, they are nevertheless contributing to the cause.

Home United, for example have donated proceeds from their match against Woodlands Wellington on 27 March to the relief efforts.

Meanwhile, Tampines Rovers will also be placing donations boxes in their designated ‘home’ blockbuster clash at the Jalan Besar Stadium on 1 April against Home United.

A host of Japanese footballing royalty, including former internationals Hidetoshi Nakata, Masaaki Sawanobori and Masakiyo Maezono have confirmed their participation for the TAKE ACTION with Albirex Niigata (Singapore) Selection side.

Tickets priced at $12 (Grandstand) and $6 (Gallery) for the S.League Cares, Take Action With Albirex Niigata Singapore Charity Match will go on sale from Friday, 01 April at the Albirex Niigata (Singapore) office at Jurong East Stadium and the FAS office at Jalan Besar Stadium.

Match Details
S.League All-Stars vs TAKE ACTION with Albirex Niigata (Singapore) Selection
Date: Saturday, 2 April 2011
Time: 5.00pm
Venue: Jalan Besar Stadium

Ticketing Information
Tickets will go on sale on Friday, 1 April 2011.

Where:
Albirex Niigata (Singapore) office
21 Jurong East St 31
#04-04 Jurong East Sports Complex S(609517)
Tel: +65 6334 0511
Fax: +65 6334 0510

Where:
Football Association of Singapore office
100 Tyrwhitt Road
Jalan Besar Stadium S(207542)
Tel: +65 6293 1477
Fax: +65 6293 3728

Tanjong Pagar provide transport to Clementi

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Tanjong Pagar United will be providing shuttle transport to Clementi Stadium for fans who wish to head to their first home game in the 2011 season.

The match, which will be held on 31 March 2011, will see the Jaguars take on the Courts Young Lions.

The shuttle buses will depart for Clementi Stadium from the following locations.

Pick-up Point 1: Tanjong Pagar Community Club entrance, 101 Cantonment Road
Departure Time: 1830hrs

Pick-up Point 2: Queenstown MRT Station Bus Stop A outside Block 181, Commonwealth Avenue
Departure Time: 1830hrs

The shuttle transport service is free of charge for all passengers.

A return service will also be available to both locations after the end of the match.

Singapore football 'not in crisis'

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FAS president Zainudin Nordin (left) is confident that national coach Radojko Avramovic (right) will be able to rebuild the national team. TODAY FILE PHOTO

by Shamir Osman
04:46 AM Mar 31, 2011

SINGAPORE - Yesterday's draw for the Asian qualifiers of the FIFA 2014 World Cup threw up a possible tasty treat for football connoisseurs here, with Singapore drawn to meet either Malaysia or Chinese Taipei in the second round of the contest come July.

Ranked 15th in Asia, Singapore received a bye into the second round and with AFF Suzuki Cup champions Malaysia favourites to advance in their first round clash, a Causeway derby is definitely on the cards.

While Football Association of Singapore (FAS) president Zainudin Nordin assured fans that no effort will be spared, ensuring Radojko Avramovic's Lions are well prepared for the potential derby against the South-east Asian champions, the public should not expect instant success from a Singapore side that is in the process of rebuilding.

Despite a slew of poor results last year, Zainudin, speaking at the FAS Annual General Meeting (AGM) yesterday, said: "I wouldn't say we are in a crisis. We've made progress and are competing at a level where there are higher expectations, and we're facing difficulties moving further.

"We need to rebuild, rejuvenate and bring in the younger players and groom them for the long term."

Singapore won the Asean championship in 2004 and successfully defended the title in 2007 to join Thailand as the only three-time winners of the trophy. But in a huge shock, the Lions failed to qualify from the group stages in last year's tournament.

"We will always try our best, but I don't want people to immediately think we will win the next national team assignment. The reality is it takes time to build ... I would like people to look at our young players," said Zainudin, the Mayor of Central Singapore District.

He drew attention to the under-15 and under-16 teams of the National Football Academy (NFA). "I'm excited that the under-15 and under-16 boys are playing good football. I want us to see them as the future of Singapore football. They are technically different from our past NFA boys, you will see that this is the generational change we are talking about."

Both teams will participate in the Lion City Cup in June, and they will face youngsters from Everton, Benfica, Juventus and Flamengo in a competition the football chief expects will excite local fans.

Zainudin also threw his weight behind national coach Avramovic, who has been heavily criticised of late.

"To nurture a winning team is going to take some time, and FAS have tasked Avramovic to begin this rebuilding and rejuvenating process. We are confident that Avramovic will be able to do it, as he has proven his capabilities of rebuilding our national team in the past," said Zainudin.

Last year was a truly disappointing one for the Serb, who took the reins here in 2003.

The Lions missed out on qualifying for the 2011 Asian Cup finals in their final group game, and then came the shock in the Suzuki Cup.

But Avramovic's initial impact on the national team when he first arrived, bringing success to a flailing Singapore side by blooding youngsters like Khairul Amri, Baihakki Khaizan and Shahril Ishak, gives Zainudin confidence.

With a five-year strategic plan in full swing, S-League clubs receiving more money, and the FAS on the verge of announcing partnerships with foreign Football Associations, Zainudin is looking forward to the future.

He said: "These are exciting times, and I urge all football-loving Singaporeans to support local football."

Transformation continues as Albirex down Geylang

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Paul Green
info@sleague.com

It is a totally different Albirex Niigata (Singapore) team this season, as many have been saying since their pre-season performances showed us how much the influx of new players in 2011 has helped them prosper.

They might have had a setback when they lost three games in a row to the top three of the Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League, which as it happened coincided with the devastating earthquake and tsunami in their native Japan, but they seem to be over that now.

Either side of those three games their form has been solid, and they had just beaten the Courts Young Lions 5-0 four days before meeting Geylang United at Jurong East Stadium on Wednesday night.

The White Swans, now resplendent in their new adidas strip of orange and blue, began this game well, with Bruno Suzuki Castanheira testing Eagles goalkeeper Nazri Sabri in the first minute and Ryuta Hayashi dragging a shot just wide of the left-hand upright in the eighth minute.

But then their opponents Geylang suffered a double early blow when attacking midfielder Masrezwan Masturi had to leave the field with a swollen knee, not for the first time this season, and Romanian midfielder Vasile Ghindaru felt his hamstring go again, with less than 15 minutes on the clock.

“We lost one of our foreigners and a national team player in the space of two minutes, which threw our game-plan out the window,” admitted Eagles coach Mike Wong after the match.

“We had to make a lot of structural changes to cover for those key losses,” he explained.

Albirex went on to win it 3-1, having led from a goal on the stroke of half-time, which, though cancelled out on 74 minutes by the visitors, was followed by two more second-half goals to put an even bigger smile on the face of the always cheerful Albirex coach Koichi Sugiyama.

It must also have pleased celebrity guest Hidetoshi Nakata, who took his seat in the stand at half-time with little fuss or ceremony, and the former Serie A star would have seen the second-half goals as well.

“I never even knew he was here!” said a surprised Sugiyama after the game, when told of the former Japan international’s presence at the game.

In winning by two clear goals at the finish the home team did not have things go their way all the time, though their coach seemed unperturbed about the conceding a goal so late in the second half, which might have given Geylang just enough time to hang on for a point.

“I felt with our change of pace and our superior possession we could always do enough to win the game,” he said.

“They (Geylang) may have lost two good players, but I knew they were tactically very sound, so we still had to work very hard for the points. Having said that, I expected them to tire towards the end and that’s what happened.”

What the Albirex coach omitted to mention was that Geylang had a man sent off in the last six minutes, Jonathan Xu getting his early shower for a second caution in the game.

Albirex had just regained the lead shortly before that.

The first goal had come about when, just before half-time, the centreback conceded a free kick out wide on the right, which was expertly driven towards goal by the White Swans’ driving force, the irrepressible Tatsuro Inui.

The ball might well have beaten Nazri as it torpedoed its way towards the roof of the net, but just to make sure, Albirex defender Norihiro Kawakami got his head to the ball to force it past the despairing dive of the keeper.

Having seen Geylang withstand a barrage of first-half attacking from the White Swans only to lose a goal in stoppage time might have daunted many teams, but the visitors showed their fighting qualities as soon as play resumed.

Syed Fadhil got the better of his man down the right and sped to the by-line on 56 minutes. His firm cross was ideal for Shah Hirul to latch onto, but the shot, when it came, was fortuitously glanced over the bar for a corner by Albirex defender Kawakami, whose touch was not entirely an intended one.

Then followed more magic from an inspired Fadhil, who once again got to the by-line with some panache.

From there he produced the perfect cross on 74 minutes to allow Hafiz Rahim to steer the ball past a beaten Yoshito Matsushita.

Geylang took heart from their impressive comeback and threatened Albirex for the next ten minutes with Kim Jae Hong, Fadhil and Jung Hee Bong giving the home defenders plenty to think about.

“We did well to come back,” said Wong, “but we tried to play football as we looked for a winner and then gave away possession when we shouldn’t have done.”

A free kick had looked promising for the Eagles with 83 minutes played, but after a number of players had combined out wide on the left, the ball was intercepted in the middle of the field by the home side and promptly despatched in the direction of the Geylang goal by the Albirex midfield.

White Swans substitute Yosuke Saito dashed through the middle and slipped the ball in behind an undermanned Geylang defence for Musashi Okayama, himself a substitute as well, to drill his shot past an exposed Nazri.

Once Xu had been sent off, Hirul had to leave the field too with a cut lip in the last minute, leaving the visitors down to only nine men as their substitutions had been exhausted.

Albirex made the most of this as Shotaro Ihata laid on a neat through pass inside the Geylang penalty area for Inui to steer home and make it 3-1.

A fourth win of the season for Albirex, then, after seven games played, and two of those victories coming at Jurong East, a far cry from last year’s barren run at the ground where not a single win was recorded.

Geylang, meanwhile, are having a horror start to the new season.

They have won only twice now in seven games and have not collected a single point on their travels thus far.

“We are going to have a shortage of players for our next game again,” noted a distressed Wong.

The two who came off early, plus Yasir Hanapi, who got his fourth yellow card of the season, will be out for the next game against Tanjong Pagar United, with the injured pair no better than an even chance of recovering in time.

For Albirex, however, their season holds great promise as they move into fifth spot with this win and boast a goalscoring record second only to Home United and, as their matches have shown, a range of players who are capable of finding the net.

No fewer than seven different players have scored for the Japanese team this season, fully illustrating their versatility in all departments of the game.

And that versatility could see them haul their way even higher up the table in good time.

FAS want to help Siddiq

Source

by Shamir Osman
04:46 AM Mar 31, 2011 The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) are looking at ways to help former national under-23 goalkeeper Siddiq Durimi.

The 22-year-old, who has missed training sessions with Home United since early March, had his contract terminated by the club with effect from March 24, according to a report in The Straits Times yesterday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the FAS annual general meeting yesterday, football chief Zainudin Nordin said: "Every player is important to us as our talent pool is small. We will look into how we can help him."

Zainudin did not reveal any details. The situation surrounding Siddiq is unclear, with some in the football fraternity saying he is facing financial difficulties. Shamir Osman

FAS 29th Annual General Meeting-Football development plans on track

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FAS 29th Annual General Meeting

SINGAPORE, 30 March 2011: The 29th Football Association of Singapore (FAS) Annual General Meeting was successfully held today at the National Football Academy Conference Room, Jalan Besar Swimming Complex Office Block.

In his address, FAS President Zainudin Nordin expressed his disappointment over the performances of the National Under-23 and National “A” teams, both of which did not meet the targets that were set in 2010.

Mr Zainudin however added that he was pleased to report that FAS has made good progress in the implementation of the FAS Strategic Plan 2010-2015 which was launched a year ago.

FAS Strategic Plan 2010-2015

In April last year, FAS launched a comprehensive Strategic Plan designed to take Singapore football forward.

The plan was endorsed by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, Singapore Sports Council as well as leading football officials including FIFA President Sepp Blatter and AFC President Mohamed bin Hammam.

Mr Blatter acknowledged the FAS Strategic Plan and said: “The Strategic Plan that FAS has devised is one of the most comprehensive developed by a Federation that I have witnessed. Having read and understood your strategic goals, I am confident it will take Singapore football to greater heights.”

He added: “Despite budgetary constraints, the FAS has a strong record of generating considerable returns on its investment, a definitive strength of Singapore football.”

FAS has made steady progress in the implementation of its Strategic Plan in 2010.

National Football Syllabus

The National Football Syllabus, which was endorsed and commended by FIFA and technical staff from both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, was introduced as the main coaching manual that all youth coaches, including COE coaches, will use to develop young players from 8 to 18 years of age.

FAS has also adopted the 4-2-3-1 playing system as the system that is appropriate for Singapore. This system of play would be used by all our national teams. This is the playing system that is being used by the 2010 FIFA World Cup Champions, Spain, as well as other top teams in the world.

Junior COEs

As part of the long-term development pathway and to start nurturing players from a young age, FAS started the Junior COE and operated two centres in 2010 for Under-8s, Under-10s and Under-12s.

There has been a noticeable improvement in the overall level of technical skills of the JCOE players. Plans are already in the pipeline to increase the overall number of JCOEs.

National Football Academy

Singapore football has continued to progress steadily at the various age groups’ levels through the concerted efforts within the National Football Academy (NFA). The various NFA teams also participate in the COE and Prime League competitions – playing against players who are older than them.

The NFA Under-14 team play in the COE Under-16 League, while the NFA U-15 and U-16 teams play in the COE Under-18 League. Both the NFA U-17 and U-18 teams play in the Prime League. These NFA teams have generally done well in these domestic competitions.

Youth Olympic Games

In August 2010, the NFA Under-15 team captured the imagination of the whole nation when they won the bronze medal in the inaugural Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games.

The “Cubs” won the hearts of Singaporeans and residents with their attractive brand of football and a ‘never-say-die’ approach towards the game.

Prominent VIPs who supported the Cubs in person at the Jalan Besar Stadium included President S.R. Nathan, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament.

FIFA also singled out the following 4 “Cubs” in its YOG technical report for their outstanding performance during the YOG. They are:

1. Mohamad Hanafi Bin Mohd Akbar
2. Muhd Muhaimin Bin Suhaimi
3. Jonathan Tan Zen Yang
4. Ammirul Emmran Bin Mazlan

In recognition of their achievement, FAS has nominated the following for the 2011 Singapore Sports Award:

(a) Team of the Year (Team Sports): Singapore U-15 (YOG Team)
(b) Sports Boy of the Year: Jefferey Lightfoot
(c) Meritorious Awards: Ammirul Emmran
Mohd Hanaffi
Mohd Mohaimin
(d) Coach of the Year: Kadir Yahya

NFA Under-14 Team

Our Under-14 team participated in the 2010 AFC U-14 competition held in Sabah. Three players from this team, namely Faizal Raffi, Zulfadhmi Suzliman and Elivin Sasidharan, were identified by AFC and named in their AFC U-14 All-Stars team – highlighting these players’ future potential.

The Under-14 team have graduated to the 2011 NFA Under-15 team and will participate in the 2011 AFC Under-16 qualifiers.

NFA Under-18 Team

The NFA U-18 team performed well in 2010, finishing in second place in the Great Eastern - YEO'S Prime League.

Eight players from the Under-18 team, namely Safuwan Baharudin, Raihan Abdul Rahman, Shakir Hamzah, Nazrul Ahmad Nazri, Muhd Zulfahmi, Eugene Luo, Khairul Nizam and Khalili D’ Cruz, were subsequently promoted to the Young Lions for the 2011 S.League season.

Overseas training

Besides providing our emerging talents with the best training and competitions programs locally, international match exposure which comes from playing against top European and Asian teams has been identified as being critical for the overall development for our elite youth players.

In 2010, FAS sent our YOG team to train and play matches in London. Our other NFA teams were also sent overseas to play international matches to prepare for their various AFC assignments in 2011.

Coaching

Developing good coaches is another of FAS key drivers and FAS has a Coaches Pathway in place. FAS has trained more coaches over the years and currently has 1,399 coaches on its register.

FAS Technical Director Slobodan Pavkovic has been conducting weekly Coaches Morning sessions designed to upgrade the coaching abilities, knowledge and techniques of all NFA, COE, and SSS youth coaches. FAS Coaching Instructors were also invited to attend these sessions and the FAS National Football Syllabus was the main coaching manual for all sessions.

FAS is also happy to note that more of our ex-national players have taken up coaching and are actively pursuing AFC coaching certification. From the last AFC “A” Certificate Course that was completed last year, ex-national players including Aide Iskandar, S.Subramani, Nazri Nasir, V. Selvaraj and Steven Tan all obtained their AFC “A” Certificates.

Later this year, FAS will be conducting the AFC Pro-Diploma course, which is the highest coaching qualification in AFC, for our elite local coaches who already possess the AFC “A” certification to further enhance their tactical and technical capabilities and capacities. More details will be announced once FAS has finalized the details with AFC.

FAS also aims to send our local elite coaches for overseas attachments as part of our Strategic Plan, to further enhance their coaching capacities and capabilities through valuable overseas coaching exposure.

MOUs

FAS will be signing MOUs with some of the top Asian and European Football Associations and Clubs to adopt their best practices in areas such as coaching, youth development, refereeing, football science and medicine, as well as to have attachment programmes for our top players, coaches and referees.

The first MOU signing will take place next month and FAS will make the official announcement closer to the date.

Refereeing

Singapore’s FIFA Referees and Assistant Referees continue to be appointed by FIFA & AFC to officiate in international competitions and matches.

Singapore was represented in the FIFA World Cup Finals when FIFA Assistant Referee Jeffrey Goh Gek Pheng was appointed for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

It was the third consecutive FIFA World Cup that a Singaporean match official had been appointed by FIFA to officiate in this prestigious competition.

FOOTBALL SCIENCE & MEDICINE

Football Science and Medicine is another key driver of our Strategic Plan and FAS has expanded the Football Science and Medicine team with two new additional full-time personnel – a physiotherapist and fitness and conditioning trainer – to support our various national teams.

FAS is also exploring the possibility of employing a sport psychologist to better equip our players with the mental demands of the game.

TECHNICAL & MANAGEMENT COURSES

As part of FAS Plan to enhance the capabilities and capacities of our officials and coaches, FAS organised in 2010 the 1st FIFA Pro-Active Grassroots Course for our grassroots volunteers, the 1st FIFA Administration & Management Course, for our S.League, National Football League and Women’s Premier League club officials along with the 1st AFC Goalkeeping Level 1 Course for our S.League goalkeeping coaches.

More such courses will be organised in 2011.

S. League

There were several milestones achieved in the 2010 season – the 15th season of the S.League - most notably with Etoile FC winning their first S.League title and also picking up the League Cup in February 2010 to make it a memorable double in their maiden season.

Another milestone was achieved when StarHub became the first broadcaster in the history of the S.League to pay for the rights to showcase two “Live” matches every week on their channels, expanding the reach of the S.League whilst bringing local football closer to our fans.

Aleksandar Duric also achieved a significant milestone in 2010 when he became the first player to score 300 S. League goals.

On the regional front, SAFFC again represented Singapore and the S.League in the 2010 AFC Champions League. In their second appearance in the AFC Champions League, the Warriors recorded a milestone in local football history when they achieved their first win in the AFC Champions League after defeating Henan Jianye 2-1 in a group match that was played at Jalan Besar Stadium.

Corporate Partners

FAS continued to reach out to the private sector to seek sponsorships for the S.League and for our football excellence and development programmes.

Sponsors such as YEO’S renewed their co-title sponsorship of the S.League for another three seasons in 2010 with an increased amount of $1.8 million. Field Catering and Supplies (Polar Mineral Water) extended its sponsorship deal with FAS and the S.League for another five years till 2014.

In 2010, the FAS welcomed into our football family Tiger Airways as the Official Airline Partner for Singapore’s youth football teams which include Under-14 to Under-18 teams in the National Football Academy.

Other notable corporate partners include Great Eastern Life Assurances Co Ltd, Nike, Asia Pacific Breweries, Certis Cisco, Sunrise & Co Pte Ltd, amongst others, indicating a strong corporate presence in the S.League and FAS.

Looking Ahead:

2014 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION MATCHES

The national team will participate in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers later this year.

We received a bye to the second round of qualifiers where we will face the winner of the Malaysia vs Chinese Taipei clash on 23rd and 28th July 2011.

The Asian Football Confederation has ranked Singapore 15th in Asia for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers. Four years ago, we were ranked 29th in the World Cup 2010 Asian qualifiers, where we qualified for the third round for the first time in our history.

FAS is in the midst of rebuilding the national team. The core team will comprise of players below the age of 23, although a few experienced and committed players will be selected to strengthen the national squad.

2011 SEA GAMES

Our U-23 team, which includes 16 players from the 2009 SEA Games bronze-winning team, has begun its preparations for the SEA Games in Palembang, Indonesia, where our target is to qualify for the final having won the bronze medal in 2007 & 2009.

Our technical staff will also spare no efforts to strengthen the team technically and tactically in preparation for the 2011 SEA Games. Our specialist striker coach V. Sundramoorthy will also be working with our strikers closely, not only the SEA Games team but also the NFA teams, to coach and guide our strikers so that they will become more prolific in front of goal.

23rd LION CITY CUP

Football fans can also look forward to top quality football action during the 23rd Canon Lion City Cup that will be held in June 2011. Singapore will be represented by the bronze-winning YOG team (NFA U-16) and the NFA U-15 teams.

In line with the FAS Strategic Plan 2010-2015, FAS is pleased that the youth teams from established Clubs such as Everton FC, Juventus FC, Benfica and CR Flamengo would be competing in the tournament. The opportunity to play against these top youth teams will enable our elite young talents to gain competitive match exposure.

FUNDING FOR S-LEAGUE CLUBS

With the support of our partners, FAS has managed to secure additional funding for the S.League. Our Clubs will see an increase of 40% in funding, in terms of cash subsidies and KPI based subsidies this year.

FAS is confident that with these additional funds, our clubs will enhance their management capabilities and invest in strengthening their respective teams to raise the quality and tempo of the game for the benefit of our fans and Singapore football.

CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE

FAS is helping our clubs get their youth development system right so that they have more and better quality local players who come through their pipeline, which will in turn provide the national coach and the technical team with a bigger base of players to choose from.

In order to increase the pool of young talents, FAS has decided that from 2011, all local S.League Clubs must operate their Club COE U-14, U-16 and U-18 programmes.

The funding for this COE programme is over and above the additional funding of 40% which has been provided for clubs this season.

The Club COE programme will enhance the tactical, technical, physical and mental capabilities of players by providing quality coaching and support services. FAS will be closely monitoring and auditing this programme.

FAS COUNCIL 2011 - 2013

The following 21 Council Members were approved by the affiliates of FAS at the Annual General Meeting and the new FAS Council will serve a two-year term which commences on 1 April 2011.

NEW FAS COUNCIL (1 APRIL 2011 – 31 MARCH 2013)

ADVISORS : Mr Mah Bow Tan
Assoc Prof Ho Peng Kee
PRESIDENT : Mayor Zainudin Nordin
VICE PRESIDENTS : Mr Tan Soo Nan
Mr Lim Kia Tong
HON TREASURER : Mr Sarjit Singh (new)
MEMBERS : Mr Samuel G. Panthradil
Mr Zulkifli Baharudin
Mr Bennett Neo Gim Siong
Mr Michael Kuah
Mr Ng Mui Kim
Mr Jackson Yap
Mr Leong Kok Fann
Mr Bala Chandran s/o A Kandiah
Mr Mohd Muzammil
Mr Daisuke Korenaga
Dr Dinesh Nair (new)
Mr Tan Chong Huat (new)
Ms Ang Lay Kwang (new)
Mr Tan Seng Hua (new)
Mr S Thavaneson (new)
Mr Koh Siong Ling (new)
Mr Lim Eng Lee (new)

OUTGOING COUNCIL MEMBERS

FAS President Zainudin Nordin thanked the 10 outgoing Council members for their contribution to the development of Singapore football, and informed members that this is part of the rejuvenation process for the FAS Council.

The outgoing Council members are:

Lt-Gen (Ret) Ng Jui Ping
Assoc Prof John Koh Nam Sang
Mr Jeffrey Beh Eng Siew
Dr Benedict Tan
Mr Tay Bong Hua Jeremy
Dr S Krishnamoorthy
Mdm Cynthia Phua Siok Gek
Ms Linda Phua Puay Yong
Mr Goh Ek Piang
Mr Jayadev Unnithan

Charity Match: S.League All-Stars vs Albirex Niigata Singapore All-Stars

We have seen the earthquakes and tsunami render damage on the lives of our fellow Japanese friends. We felt the aftermath that it has brought. Now it's time to show your support, to show that we care.

We are expecting a very good turnout on Saturday with lots of special guests so if you have a banner with a message for the people of Japan, bring it along!

Come join us... TAKE ACTION!!!


Charity Gala Dinner @ Resort World Sentosa

Source: S-League Facebook

Balestier seize draw with late flourish

Source

Elwyn Lee
info@sleague.com

It was adrenaline-pumping stuff at Hougang Stadium on Tuesday evening as a scintillating game of football between Hougang United and Balestier Khalsa unfolded before vociferous fans of both sides.

Football ended up the winner, the score between the battling cats tying at 2-2 in the end.

Hougang looked home and dry after a fifth-minute advantage earned by Duncan David Elias was doubled just after the break by a Carlos Delgado strike.

But the Cheetahs’ initial thrust could only be sustained for three quarters of the game, and the Tigers roared back into contention with two goals of their own in the final 20 minutes.

Kim Young Kwang’s punishing brace on 77 and 83 minutes eventually forced a draw between the two sides, a result that would have delighted Salim Moin but left Aide Iskandar deflated, having turned 36 a day earlier.

“It was two points lost, instead of two gained,” lamented the Cheetahs coach as he looked back at the goals.

“Their first came out of nowhere… caught us (out). We started well in the first 20 minutes (of the second half), but in the last 20 we gave away too much space.”

Things started promisingly enough, though, after Hougang had claimed the early advantage through Elias.

His left-footed free kick, taken from 20 yards out, soared above a sea of bodies and ended in the top right corner of the Tigers’ goal. That set the tempo for the Cheetahs as they confidently went on the prowl, harassing a Balestier backline that looked hapless at times.

The visitors came closest to scoring in the first half when Nurhilmi Jasni came down from the right into the Cheetahs’ six-yard box, but the midfielder’s attempt to find an unmarked Vitor Borges at the other end was met by a timely clearance in the middle of the box for Hougang.

Despite a torrent of pressure on their goal, Balestier uncannily managed to parry away the efforts raining down onto their goal.

Goalkeeper Joey Sim was kept busy, aided by his defenders, who were harried ever so often.

It could have been more goals for the rampaging Hougang cats, but 1-0 seemed enough going into the break.

Only a couple of minutes into the second half, it became 2-0 when Delgado scored his third S.League goal soon after the teams returned to field. The Argentine was inside the Tigers’ box when the mercurial Jordan Webb crossed from the left for him to connect.

The target-man headed forcefully, only to see the ball come off Sim’s left post and roll menacingly close along the Balestier goal-line. With Webb coming in with a view to finishing the job, a melee ensued as Tigers and Cheetahs pushed and shoved.

But Delgado got the better of all others as he pounced near the penalty mark and struck home.

Mamadou Diallo then came close to making the game almost unsalvageable for the Tigers when, on 56 minutes, he chewed up half the field with a run from the middle into the box.

A double-fisted clearance from Sim denied the Guinean his goal, a moment that was to prove crucial as the game unfolded.

The Tigers were on the upswing, and their forward march came courtesy of defender Paul Cunningham being tasked with a more advanced role by his coach Salim.

With strikers Borges and Kim already on the field, the Tigers coach then brought on a third orthodox forward in the form of Andrew Tan on 71 minutes in place of defensive midfielder K. Sathiaraj.

The dividends were reaped six minutes later.

A long ball from the middle was delivered to Kim, who was preying dangerously near the edge of the Hougang box. Left unmarked and carefully staying onside, Kim deftly latched on and pushed into the box before neatly sidefooting his shot past Cheetahs custodian Fadhil Salim.

A remarkable comeback was on the cards, and it duly happened with another six minutes gone.

Borges played provider this time as he sent in the ball from the right. Using all of his 1.9m frame, the Korean towered above his marker and, with a downward header, placed the ball expertly into the left corner beyond Fadhil’s reach once again.

So 2-2 it was, and that was how it stayed in the remaining minutes.

Even if it did turn out to be an even contest, the benefit of great end-to-end, tooth-and-nail battles was worth savouring for both sides.

Certainly Salim felt quite happy with his charges as he spoke to sleague.com afterwards.

“We showed character to make a comeback in the second half,” said the silver-haired man.

“I pushed Paul further upfield to partner Kim. It was our same style of play, offensive – and we had the character.

“I spoke to the team about that during the break, I told them to go forward and get the point, or even a win if possible.”

The win did not come, but the point was enough for Balestier to hold their ground at seventh in the league table.

Hougang move up a spot from ninth to eighth ahead of Geylang United, who face Albirex Niigata (Singapore) 24 hours later.

NAKATA TO PLAY IN S-LEAGUE CARES EXHIBITION MATCH

Source




SINGAPORE (30 March 2011) – Former Japanese World Cupper Hidetoshi Nakata will turn out for Singapore’s Albirex Niigata in a fund-raising exhibition match called the S-League Cares, Action for Japan’s Earthquake Victims.

In the match that will be played between Albirex and the S-League All-Stars, two other former Japanese players will also take part and they are Masaaki Sawanobori and Masakiyo Maezono.

The exhibition match has been scheduled for Jalan Besar Stadium on 2 April 2011 with the kick-off at 5pm.

Other than the game itself, a gala dinner will also be held at Resorts World Sentosa where Nakata has pledged several personal items to be sold as auctions.

Tickets for the game have been priced at SGD$12 (grandstand) and SGD$6 (gallery) and where they will go on sale at Albirex Niigata’s office at the Jurong East Stadium on Thursday onwards.

VIP tickets are priced at SGD$200.

Fazrul goal halts Bulls’ winning run

Source

Koh Yizhe
info@sleague.com

An early goal from Fazrul Nawaz was enough to condemn his former club to their first loss in four games as SAFFC defeated Gombak United 1-0 in Monday’s match of the Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League.

The 25-year-old, who moved from Gombak to the Warriors in the off-season, was at the right place at the right time to stab Taisuke Akiyoshi’s shot past goalkeeper Zakariah Nerani for his fourth goal of the season.

“I thought it was a very important and morale-boosting win for us,” said a delighted Richard Bok, head coach of SAFFC.

“The whole team worked hard, and congrats to them! They worked their socks off tonight, each and every one of them.”

With the victory, SAFFC ended the Bulls’ three-game winning streak, while elevating themselves to second spot with 15 points from seven matches.

Gombak remain in fifth spot with ten points from six games.

The Warriors made several changes from the side that suffered a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Tampines Rovers last week. Playing away at Jurong West, where they did not enjoy a good record in past years, Bok deployed a very defensive 4-2-3-1 formation, with Noh Rahman and Rhysh Roshan Rai guarding the back four.

Without the suspended Mislav Karoglan, Fazrul was preferred over Indra Sahdan to play as the lone striker, with Akiyoshi, Mustaqim Manzur and Ivan Jerkovic manning the supply lines.

The Bulls meanwhile made only one change from the side that beat Balestier Khalsa 2-1 three days ago, as Ismail Yunos started in defence ahead of an off-colour Jeremy Chiang.

Park Kang Jin and Kwon Jin Sung meanwhile kept their places in attack for the hosts, and it was the two Koreans who combined to craft the first chance of the match.

In the third minute, Park created space for himself on the left side of the penalty box before sending a cross into the danger zone. Although Kwon was able to meet it with his head, SAFFC custodian Shahril Jantan was equal to the effort.

It did not take long for SAFFC to create an opening of their own, and they almost took the lead in the ninth minute when Fazrul’s header from a Shaiful Esah corner was cleared off the line.

The striker was however not to be denied three minutes later.

A loose ball found its way to an unmarked Akiyoshi, who blasted the ball towards goal. It went past a host of players, but the former Gombak hitman applied a decisive touch to direct the ball into goal.

Having taken the lead, SAFFC were content to soak up the pressure for much of the match.

Kwon had a great opportunity to bring his side back on level terms when he had a one-on-one with Shahril, but his first touch to round the keeper was too heavy, and the defence cleared the danger.

Obadin Aikhena then fired a free kick over from distance, before he gave the SAFFC goalkeeper some catching practice with a weak header from a corner just after the half-hour mark.

Three minutes before the interval, the Bulls had yet another opportunity to draw level when they caught SAFFC on the break, but Park took too long to shoot and the SAFFC backline snuffed out the danger.

The Warriors did have a chance to double their lead at the end of the half when Walid Lounis brought Fazrul down right at the edge of the penalty area. However, Jerkovic lifted the resulting free kick just over the bar.

Gombak were having quite a lot of the ball, but they were unable to fashion multiple chances as the Warriors backline held firm.

The pairing of Noh Rahman and Roshan did an excellent job of keeping the Bulls at bay, and even when the ball managed to get past them, Daniel Bennett and Bah Mamdou were a steady force with accurate interceptions and timely tackles.

As a result, even though the hosts continued to see plenty of action in the second half, they were unable to craft as many chances as the first.

Instead, Fazrul almost single-handedly willed SAFFC into repeatedly threatening his old side.

First, his shot on 52 minutes clipped a defender, before a strong header eight minutes later was saved by Gombak custodian Zakariah.

The former national striker was eventually replaced by Indra on 73 minutes, and was given a loud round of applause at the ground where he once did the business for Gombak.

Bulls head coach Darren Stewart tried to shake things up by bringing on Ruhaizad Ismail and Zulkiffli Hassim midway into the second half, but they were unable to threaten SAFFC’s goal.

With the final whistle looming, Gombak were given an opportunity to steal a point when they were awarded a free kick for a foul on the edge of the penalty box. However, Aikhena blasted his shot against the wall and allowed SAFFC to claim all three points.

“It was definitely a tough game,” said Stewart.

“We could have gotten something from this match, and it would be harsh if people say we did deserve to lose. We just went to sleep for one minute and we were punished, then we just couldn’t get back in although we tried and tried.

“It didn’t drop for us today, it wasn’t our day.”

Despite the defeat, the 44-year-old said he was satisfied with the display from his players.

“It was a gutsy performance from my players. I am not disappointed one bit by the performance, only with the result,” he emphasised.

“We set out to be tough to beat, and we were. It took a tough club to beat us so I have no complaints at all.”

SAFFC coach Bok was equally complimentary to Gombak, admitting that his side could not gain real control the match despite holding the lead for over 70 minutes.

“Gombak are a tough team to play,” said the 41-year-old.

“Not a lot of teams can control a match against Gombak. They move the ball well and especially in the attacking third, they pass and run well.

“We were playing away, and so we had to be defensively sound to cut off their movement in the middle. We needed to stifle their movement, and I think we did reasonably well in that aspect.”

He also singled out his centreback pairing of Mamadou and Bennett for praise.

“Bah Mamadou, together with Daniel Bennett, had a superb performance,” he beamed.

“They were a pillar of strength at the back. They were composed and intercepted plenty of balls. It is wonderful to see them working well together.”

Bok and his charges now look forward to a good break before they return to Choa Chu Kang, where they face archrivals Home United on 7 April.

“We have played two big teams in Tampines (Rovers) and Gombak after them. Now, we have a good break and some time to prepare before the Home United game.”

FAS to hold more talks with Fandi

Source

by Shamir Osman
Updated 12:20 PM Mar 29, 2011 SINGAPORE - He has kept himself busy since his return to Singapore last month. The Fandi Ahmad Academy is up and running and he has co-authored a book - Optimal Fitness for Junior Champions, Ages 7-17 - to help the development of young athletes.

While he continues to explore business opportunities, Fandi (picture), Singapore's first millionaire footballer, also wants to help Singapore sport and the wheels are now in motion for the former FC Groningen and Niac Mitra forward to be more involved in football.

Responding to queries from MediaCorp yesterday, Football Association of Singapore (FAS) president Zainudin Nordin said: "I met up with Fandi last week for a preliminary discussion. It was a fruitful meeting and we will see each other again to explore further some of the initial ideas that were discussed."

Fandi, who is working with the Genova International School of Soccer (GISS) and is also a scout for Serie B club Vicenza Calcio, had expressed a desire to open a professional pathway for Singaporean footballers into Europe recently.

There has been some talk that the 48-year-old, who guided SAFFC to the S-League title in 2000 and served as assistant national coach to Radojko Avramovic in the successful 2004 Tiger Cup campaign, would like to rejoin the coaching set-up at FAS but there have been no firm proposals so far.

"Our discussions are still in the preliminary stages and I'll share more with our stakeholders once the details are finalised," said Zainudin, who is the Mayor of Central Singapore District.

Solving a striking problem

Source

Youngsters must work hard and be dedicated, says striker coach Sundram

By Sazali Abdul Aziz

March 28, 2011

msazali@sph.com

TNP PICTURE: GARY GOH


THE lack of goal-scorers stuck out like a sore thumb when the national Under-23 team crashed out of the two-legged Olympic qualifiers without scoring a goal last week.

Are our young national strikers not up to the mark?

V Sundramoorthy, the man tasked last month to arrest the problem at youth level, believes it will take time for youngsters to blossom.

But first of all, they must show the three Ds - dedication, discipline and determination.

Said the FAS' first-ever specialist striker coach: 'It's a long term thing...We need to pick the talent, train and educate them right.

'Over time, when you can see something develop, you can polish these boys.'

To be sure, Sundram, also called The Dazzler during his playing days, knows more than just one or two ways to bulge the net.

His name alone struck fear into opponents' minds.

Time and again in the 1990s, his goals have brought the Kallang faithful to their feet, including a gem of a bicycle-kick against Brunei in 1993.

Now, the 45-year-old's task is to impart the art of scoring to strikers from the National Football Academy (NFA), the Centres of Excellence (COEs) and the Courts Young Lions squad.

He said: 'What I teach them are the basic techniques of finishing...Get that right and scoring will be easy for them.'

So has he found any potential stars among the youngsters he's worked with?

'I can't say yet...I've worked with them and a number of them have good potential,' said Sundram.

'Only time will tell. They will need to show dedication and a strong work ethic.'

Cycle

Sundram also has a philosophical view on the striking issue.

'It's a cycle,' he said.

'In certain generations, you may find a number of talented boys. In some others, the number is much less.

'Maybe in the next batch of boys, we may find more talented strikers, but less players in another area.'

He pointed to the Young Lions team he was in charge of in 2007, which featured strikers Khairul Amri and Fazrul Nawaz.

Both have since gone on to become regulars in the senior national team.

When asked about the national Under-23 team's losses (0-2 and 0-1) to Yemen over two legs in UAE, Sundram's response was two words: Khairul Nizam.

'We miss Nizam,' he said.

'He has the talent and the nose for goals. The boy has got that extra something that can be worked on.'

Courts Young Lions striker Nizam, who turns 20 this June, received an eight-month ban from all football-related activities and a $2,000 fine for his involvement in a brawl during a game against Beijing Guoan last year.

Six Courts Young Lions were punished for the fracas, but his punishment was the most severe.

Serving NS

Nizam, who at 17 was dubbed the new Fandi Ahmad, is now in national service with the police.

He trains once a week with his teammates, but is still not able to take to the pitch until his ban ends in May.

'To make his comeback work, Nizam must be mentally and physically ready to take on the challenge,' said Sundram, who added that not training and playing regularly for almost a year, will take its toll on the player.

Nizam's absence was sorely felt by the Under-23s in both ties against Yemen, and also at last November's Asian Games.

At the Games, Singapore managed to score only one goal in three games, finishing at the bottom of their group which included Qatar, Kuwait and India.

Despite being known for his spectacular strikes, Sundram's outlook on goalscoring is, actually, a simple one.

'For me, it doesn't matter how you score,' he said with a smile.

'It doesn't matter if you use your foot, head, chest, or even backside. As long as the ball is over the line, it is a goal.'

Show you care, say Nakata and FAS

Source

by Ian De Cotta

Mar 28, 2011

SINGAPORE - As Japan struggle with their rescue and rebuilding efforts following the magnitude 9 earthquake and tsumani on March 11, one of the country's biggest sports stars, Hidetoshi Nakata, and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) are teaming up to raise funds for the victims.

Two events under the "S-League Cares, Take Action with Albirex Niigata project" have been scheduled: A gala dinner with Nakata, who played for Japan in the 1998, 2002 and 2006 Fifa World Cups, at Resorts World Sentosa on Thursday, and a charity match on Saturday at Jalan Besar Stadium.

The ex-Japanese striker will turn out for Albirex Niigata against an S-League All Stars side.

"Everybody knows the disaster in Japan is very big," the 34-year-old said at a press conference at Resorts World yesterday. "We are trying to manage things by ourselves, but this time we need help from other countries.

"The victims need to feel that other people care for them."

Nakata spent most of his career playing in the Italian Serie A, and a season with Premiership club Bolton before retiring in 2006.

Nakata was in Hong Kong attending a charity gala when the disaster struck his homeland, and as the tragedy unfolded, he appealed for support for his fellow countrymen.

Singapore is the first to organise a charity match and it will be the first time he will be using his footballing talent for such a cause.

"I came here immediately because Singapore organised these two events at such short notice. It is incredible and very meaningful for the relationship between Japan and Singapore."

S-League clubs Albirex, Home United, Courts Young Lions and Etoile FC were among the first here to donate proceeds from their matches.

This is the first time the FAS are involved raising funds for a cause outside the Republic.

Said FAS president Zainudin Nordin: "We told Albirex it was painful to watch what was happening in Japan and we needed to do something to help the victims there. We have had a short period to get things together, but we want to help our friends and got things going as fast as we could." Ian De Cotta

Nakata, FAS team up for Tsunami fundraiser

Source

Monday, 28 March 2011 12:26

\Singapore: Hidetoshi Nakata’s Take Action Foundation has teamed up with Singapore’s S.League to raise funds for the Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief efforts.

Among the events planned is a charity match between an S.League all stars select and a host Japanese football legends – led by former Roma, Parma and Fiorentina superstar Nakata – Japanese S.League players and members of Albirex Niigata Singapore, the satellite club of the J.League side.

The match is scheduled to take place on April 2 at Jalan Besar Stadium.

“We have seen the earthquake and tsunami render unimaginable damage on the lives of our Japanese friends,” said FAS President Zainudin Nordin.

“Many have already given generously to support the ongoing relief efforts and we are also doing our part, through the ‘S.League Cares, Take Action with Albirex Niigata Singapore’ series of events.

“Given the Great Eastern-YEO's S.League's close association with Albirex Niigata Singapore and their steadfast support of the FAS since the club's debut in the competition in 2004, it is only right that the S.League is showing support and solidarity to its Japanese brothers.”

“We have always maintained close ties with the Japanese community through Albirex and we want to present a camaraderie that can only be found in football.”

Tampines’ S.League match rescheduled

Source


Monday, 28 March 2011 12:18


Singapore: AFC Cup 2011 Group G joint-leaders Tampines Rovers will play the cancelled S.League fixture with Woodlands Wellington on April 4, a crucial run of three domestic matched for the Stags in the run up to their continental clash Hanoi T&T.

Tampines’ game against Woodlands on March 21 was called off after 16 minutes play due to inclement weather and the rescheduled fixture comes three days after their top-of-the-table meeting with Home United.

Tampines moved into second place in the S.League standings on Thursday with a 1-0 victory of Singapore Armed Forces that took them level on points with Home, although the 2004 AFC Cup quarter-finalists moved three clear on Sunday with a 2-0 win over Woodlands in Yishun.

Rovers take on the Home on April 1 and could go three clear at the top of the S.League if they defeat the Protectors and win their game in hand against Woodlands three days later.

Steven Tan’s side then face defending champions Etoile on April 8 in their last domestic fixture before facing Hanoi T&T in Vietnam on April 12.

Friendly Football - Malaysia vs Etoile FC Highlights

Malaysia hold S-League Champions Etoile FC

Source


March 28, 2011



PETALING JAYA (27 March 2011) – Malaysia held Singapore’s S-League champions Etoile FC to a 1-1 draw in a friendly that was played last night at the artificial turf of the Jalan Besar Stadium.

The ASEAN champions, who had scored a 2-0 win over Hong Kong at the Shah Alam Stadium last month, took the lead in the seventh minute of play off a header from Ahmad Fakri Saarani following a cross from Mohd Asraruddin Putra Omar to beat Etoile FC keeper, Antonin Trilles.

With the 1-0 lead at the break, Malaysian chief coach K. Rajagobal made several changes to his starting line-up and that allowed Etoile FC to push forward in search of the equalising goal.

And after coming close on several occasions, the French side finally scored in the 62nd minute when Hicham Bouchemlal slammed home.

The Malaysians are using the game as part of their preparation for the FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifying round which will be start in June.

S.League Cares, TAKE ACTION with Albirex Niigata (Singapore)

Source

Great Eastern-YEO’s S.League, Albirex Niigata (Singapore) and Hidetoshi Nakata’s TAKE ACTION Foundation have launched S.LEAGUE CARES, TAKE ACTION WITH ALBIREX NIIGATA (SINGAPORE), a series of fundraising events for the Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief efforts.

Among the events lined up in the coming week include a Gala Dinner on Thursday, 31 March at Resorts World Sentosa and a Charity Match between the S.League All-Stars and TAKE ACTION With Albirex Niigata (Singapore) Selection side at Jalan Besar Stadium on 2 April.

A host of Japanese footballing royalty, including former internationals Hidetoshi Nakata, Masaaki Sawanobori and Masakiyo Maezono have confirmed their participation for the TAKE ACTION with Albirex Niigata (Singapore) Selection side.

Together with current Albirex Niigata (Singapore) players, Coach Koichi Sugiyama has also included Japanese players from other S.League clubs including Tampines Rovers’ Seiji Kaneko and Akihiro Nakamura, and Home United’s Kenji Arai.

The S.League All-Stars are coached by three-time S.League Coach of the Year, Richard Bok of SAFFC, who will pick a team consisting of local and foreign S.League stars. Richard Bok would be assisted by another Singapore football stalwart, S. Subramani of Home United.

The Gala Dinner, hosted by Nakata, will see guests having a sit-down formal dinner with the Japanese superstar at Resorts World Sentosa. Nakata has also generously donated memorabilia which will be auctioned at the dinner. Guests could also auction for a “Bench Seat”, a once-in-a-lifetime chance to sit with Nakata and other Japanese stars at the bench during the Charity Game on 2 April.

Guests can purchase a seat to attend the dinner in Resorts World Sentosa by emailing the Football Association of Singapore through info@fas.org.sg to get more information about the dinner.

All proceeds raised from the fundraising events, including the Charity Match, will directly support the Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief efforts.

“We have seen the earthquake and tsunami render unimaginable damage on the lives of our Japanese friends,” said FAS President Zainudin Nordin.

“Many have already given generously to support the ongoing relief efforts and we are also doing our part, through the S.LEAGUE CARES, TAKE ACTION WITH ALBIREX NIIGATA (SINGAPORE) series of events.

“Given the Great Eastern-YEO’s S.League’s close association with Albirex Niigata (Singapore) and their steadfast support of the FAS since the club’s debut in the competition in 2004, it is only right that the S.League is showing support and solidarity to its Japanese brothers.

“We have always maintained close ties with the Japanese community through Albirex and we want to present a camaraderie that can only be found in football.”

On 11 March, a massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake occurred near the northeastern coast of Japan, creating extremely destructive tsunami waves which hit Japan after the earthquake, and triggering evacuations and warnings across the Pacific Ocean.

The earthquake and tsunami have caused extensive and severe damage in northeastern Japan, leaving thousands of people confirmed dead, injured or missing, and millions more affected by lack of electricity, water and transportation.

Singapore is the first to organise a charity match and it will be the first time Nakata will be using his footballing talent for such a cause.

"I came here immediately because Singapore organised these two events at sucj notice. It is incredible and meaningful for the relationship between Japan and Singapore.

"But I am not too concerned about how much we can raise for the victims. I'm just concerned about doing something to help - big or small, it doesn't matter.

"It's just not about the money we are going to raise, but it's also about making the people in Japan feel cared for."

In addition to Albirex Niigata (Singapore), other S.League clubs have also done their part for the Japanese earthquake relief efforts with Home United, the Courts Young Lions and 2010 S.League Champions Etoile donating proceeds from their matches.

Football fans who attend the Charity Match can contribute to the relief fund through Red Cross donation boxes which will be placed around the stadium.

Tickets priced at $12 (Grandstand) and $6 (Gallery) for the S.LEAGUE CARES, TAKE ACTION WITH ALBIREX NIIGATA (SINGAPORE) Charity Match will go on sale from Thursday, 31 March at the Albirex Niigata (Singapore) office at Jurong East Stadium and the FAS office at Jalan Besar Stadium. VIP tickets will be sold at $200.

Match Details
S.League Cares, TAKE ACTION With Albirex Niigata (Singapore) Charity Match
S.League All-Stars vs TAKE ACTION with Albirex Niigata (Singapore) Selection

Date: Saturday, 2 April 2011
Time: 5.00pm
Venue: Jalan Besar Stadium

Ticketing Information
Tickets will go on sale on the afternoon of 31 March from 2pm onwards.

Where:
Albirex Niigata (Singapore) office
21 Jurong East St 31
#04-04 Jurong East Sports Complex S(609517)
Tel : +65 6334 0511
Fax : +65 6334 0510

When:
Thursday 31 March, 2.00pm to 6.30pm
Friday 1 April, 8.30am to 6.30pm


Where:
Football Association of Singapore office
100 Tyrwhitt Road
Jalan Besar Stadium S(207542)
Tel: +65 6293 1477
Fax: +65 6293 3728

When:
Thursday 31 March, 2.00pm to 6.30pm
Friday 1 April, 9.00am to 6.30pm
Saturday 2 April, 3.00pm onwards

Rams stress positives despite defeat at Bishan

Source

Ko Po Hui
info@sleague.com

Following a 0-2 defeat to title contenders Home United on Sunday evening, Woodlands Wellington are now without a league goal for 466 minutes since the start of the S.League season.

Despite bearing that dubious distinction, however, Rams coach R. Balasubramaniam was determined to focus on the positives in a match where his side largely managed to restrict their hosts at Bishan Stadium.

“Even it is a defeat, we should look on the positive side, and tonight we made them work for their two goals,” he said at the post-match press conference.

“Those were not given to them on a platter, they had to work for it unlike against some other teams. I told my players that if we were to go down, we have to make the opponents work, and we did that here.”

It was not a game without its scares for the visitors, though, and Korean forward Kim Dae Eui, making a surprise start after missing recent games due to injury issues, almost netted his second goal of the season after just two minutes.

Eluding the attention of his marker Munier Raychouni on the edge of the penalty area, the 36-year-old placed his shot well, only to see the ball bounce away off the upright, much to the relief of a stranded Amos Boon.

Eight minutes later, the Rams gave themselves a chance to break their season-long duck with former Protectors protege Goh Swee Swee knitting the threadwork up front.

Moving along the right flank, he spotted and laid the ball neatly to his skipper Sazali Salleh, who was making inroads from the middle of the park.

But the lack of striker’s instinct deterred the seasoned midfielder from taking the first opportunity, and a square ball to the left ended up giving the Home backline time to regroup and snuff out the danger.

Injury concerns then prompted both sides to withdraw one key man each, Kim coming off first after just 19 minutes with a recurrence of the hamstring pull that had kept him out recently in the first place.

The enforced departure disappointed Protectors coach Lee Lim Saeng, who had felt confident about Kim’s participation.

“Because of the hamstring injury, he had not started for the last two games for us,” he explained.

“But he looked good when I checked with him in training, and that’s why I decided to start him today. At this stage, we can’t assess the seriousness of his injury until we check with the doctor.”

The former Suwon Samsung Bluewings star was replaced by the nippy Asraf Abdul Rashid, who immediately made an impact against his former employers.

A corner kick from the midfielder was latched on to by the towering Frederic Mendy, whose header was forced off the line by Sahairi Ramri.

Woodlands then lost custodian Boon on 28 minutes with a badly twisted ankle, but the one-time Protectors custodian had already conceded a goal by that point, when he could do nothing to stop a well-taken free kick by Qiu Li from the edge of the box on 24 minutes.

Boon’s replacement Ang Bang Heng almost failed to last ten minutes on the pitch after a tangle with his own defender, but Balasubramaniam was able to breathe a sigh of relief once the goalkeeper, who had last turned out for Balestier Khalsa three years ago, was cleared to continue.

Qiu was guilty of squandering a sitter at the stroke of half-time when he failed to put the ball away from close range, and once again Sahairi stood out with a crucial clearance.

Yet the noticeable thing as the game wore on was that Woodlands looked perfectly capable of ruffling a few feathers among the Protectors, only for the telling touch to elude them in the final third.

“That was something we were working on the whole of last week,” confirmed the Rams coach when asked on their attacking performance. “I think we still have a lot more to learn.”

Balasubramaniam was however pleased with the continued progress shown by Leonardo Alexio da Costa, who had two great chances to score and managed to string a few useful passes to his teammates as well.

One notable moment from the Brazilian came on 76 minutes, when he capitalised on a rare error by Home centreback Valery Hiek to turn his way into the box, although the final shot did little to stretch Lionel Lewis.

He also put his height to good use three minutes later when he connected with an Ali Imran Lomri free kick inside the six-yard box, but could only send his header agonisingly wide.

“I think it’s unfair to pin the blame on him for the team’s inability to score,” stressed Balasubramaniam as he defended his main striker.

“As I mentioned before, he only joined us in mid-January, and for a time we weren’t sure if he was coming at all. He will need some time to get used to things, but from tonight’s performance I can see that he’s improving.”

It is the finer details, however, that separate scoring and missing, something Mendy underlined when he scored with a simple tap-in to double Home’s advantage on 57 minutes.

The Frenchman was perfectly placed to score with a simple stretch of his long legs after Ang could only parry a powerful thunderbolt from the right by Juma’at Jantan.

Home stopped scoring after that, though not for want of trying, and that left Lee unconcerned by the relatively meagre return of goals on this occasion.

“I’m confident that my strikers will score more goals in our upcoming matches, as I believe in them for doing so,” confided the Korean.

“If this team cannot create chances, we are finished. But we created chances, and if we keep creating chances, we can score goals and this club will have a good future.”

He was however concerned about a number of hard tackles that had taken place in the match.

“I think more protection for the players should be given by the referee,” he urged.

“Tackles like those we had seen tonight could have caused serious injuries to the players. All the players have a responsibility to protect one another, we don’t want to see any player hurt by a serious injury because he was tackled.”

Balasubramaniam however offered a different perspective.

“Tackles are part and parcel of the game, and it’s something that go across the board,” said the 37-year-old.

“In defending, we have got to do something, we can’t just allow the strikers to get away easily. Are we supposed to just sit there and watch Mendy do his thing?

“This is men’s football we are playing, it is a game we should play like men. My players were just doing what they need to do.”

Five-star Albirex outclass Courts Young Lions

Source

Kenneth Tan
info@sleague.com

The theme for the day was charity, with all revenue from match ticket sales donated to relief efforts for the recent Japan earthquake.

But what the 1,519 fans present at Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday evening did not expect was that the Courts Young Lions, who hosted the match, were equally as generous in conceding five goals to visitors Albirex Niigata (Singapore).

One goal in the first half and another four in the space of 15 second-half minutes ensured the Japanese team snapped their three-match losing streak in fine style.

The sight of the relatively clean jersey of Albirex goalkeeper Yoshito Matsushita after the game said everything about the chances the Young Lions created.

Until his substitution just before the hour mark, lone striker Shahfiq Ghani hardly had a sniff of the Albirex goal, not helped by the lack of width provided by wingers Fazli Ayob and Nazrul Ahmad Nazari.

Vanda Sports CEO Ian Mullane, whose company takes charge of the Young Lions’ marketing, publicity and matchday operations, was even seen shaking his head in disbelief after the fifth goal.

Perhaps the fact that the bulk of the squad had been involved in the two-legged Olympic qualifiers last week took a toll on this young side, as coach Robin Chitrakar explained after the match.

“You can see the boys’ performance in the second half wasn’t good especially,” said the 34-year-old.

“One of the reasons is because we played two games in three days in UAE. Next thing, we have a long journey back, we travelled a total of about 12 hours so we couldn’t train the next day.

“We only had two days of training before playing this match. The long journey took the toll in the second half when the boys couldn’t push as hard as they wanted to.

“All compliments to the Albirex side as they played a really good game. You can see from their technique and mobility which our boys could not cope with,” he added.

The Jalan Besar stands were initially rocked by the sight of a stunning goal on 13 minutes.

There seemed no danger when Albirex skipper Shimpei Sakurada received a slide-rule pass from Atsushi Shimono just outside the arc of the box, but the shaven-headed midfielder stunned the crowd by flicking the ball up and unleashing a left-footed screamer into the top left corner of goal, giving Young Lions custodian Jasper Chan no chance at all.

It was the 23-year-old’s first start of the season after a lengthy spell out with a knee injury, which explains a couple of nervy moments he had during the first half.

Firstly, miscommunication between him and centreback Eddie Chang led to an Albirex corner. Then he came out but failed to collect the ball, resulting in the loose ball falling to Kazuki Kobayashi, who unleashed a powerful shot from range which he tipped wide to redeem himself.

Albirex were the more confident side, with their players spraying the ball around and having more composure on the ball, unlike the hosts, whose quality with the final ball was found lacking.

It was evident that the visitors’ football was of a different level.

Other than a couple of wild efforts from Afiq Yunos and Syafiq Zainal, they only had one significant attack in the first half.

A breakaway after a clearance from an Albirex corner saw Nazrul running almost the full length of the pitch in an attempt to set up Shahfiq, but his through pass lacked weight and direction as the ball rolled straight into the arms of Matsushita.

The impact of captain Hariss Harun’s exclusion due to injury was sorely felt.

The Young Lions did start the second half in a slightly more confident manner, putting the Albirex defence under good pressure for the first ten minutes. However, that was not enough for them as they fell further behind after that wave dissipated.

The angle looked to be beyond Tatsuro Inui when Albirex were awarded a free kick at the right-hand side of the box on 55 minutes, but the cultured left-footer jolted the crowd again with a curling effort that sailed over everyone, including the stranded Chan in goal.

That broke any ounce of resistance that the hosts were capable of as they conceded another three in the minutes that followed.

The third came on 58, when Albirex centreback Norihiro Kawakami outjumped Chan to head home an Inui corner.

The fourth, coming nine minutes later, was almost a replica of the third when substitute Shuhei Hotta sent a powerful header past Chan from a corner with his first touch of the game, having ghosted into an attacking position.

The rout was completed on 70 minutes largely due to Chan’s mad rush of blood to the head.

The danger seemed minimal when a clever Sakurada long ball sent Yosuke Saito en route to goal, considering Afiq was covering the Albirex striker, but the custodian chose the peculiar option of rushing out of his goal. The result was a superb lobbed finish by Saito over Chan and into the empty net.

Despite Chan’s shaky performance, Chitrakar refused to blame his custodian.

“I think the whole team should take the blame, it’s a team error. This is a team sport, no one should take the blame individually,” he said.

Izzdin Shafiq had the chance to pull a consolation back for the Young Lions late into the game, but his 30-yard effort sailed wide of goal.

Despite the manner of this defeat, Chitrakar is not pressing the panic button just yet.

“Of course the spirits are down (after this game), but I’m sure from the next training session onwards they will correct what they have done wrong and move on from there.”

Meanwhile Albirex coach Koichi Sugiyama was modest as always when he spoke at the post-match press conference.

“Although we won this game, we have many things still to improve,” he noted.

“The Young Lions played in Olympic qualifiers and had a tight schedule, I heard, thus they didn’t play well. Also, after we scored two, their defence’s pressure on us became weak.”

The 39-year-old attributed the victory to his team’s ability to convert set plays into goals.

“We didn’t play well in the first half, but in the second half we played well, especially in set plays,” he noted.

“We are lucky on those set plays. In the past five games, we only scored against Woodlands through a set play, but this time we scored three, so we are happy.”

He also had words of gratitude for club supporters and well-wishers who have been donating to Japan’s disaster relief efforts.

“I appreciate that many people donated for the Japan disaster, we really appreciate Singaporeans’ kindness!”

Etoile FC 1 Malaysia 1 GOALS

Malaysia Goal






Etoile FC goal

Etoile vs Malaysia Live Update

Etoile vs Malaysia Live Streaming
The match will be update here live. Keep on refreshing for update.
or go to our twitter. http://twitter.com/sgfootball


Goals for the match -> http://sporefootball.blogspot.com/2011/03/etoile-fc-1-malaysia-1-goals.html
[LIVE STREAMING REMOVED AT 9.59PM DUE TO THE GAME WHICH HAS ENDED.]

- Etoile Starting with Toto, Bouchemlal.
- No Safee Sali tonight. As this not a fifa sanctioned match
- Goalllllllllllll Malaysia!!! 1-0 the Champions lead.
- Malaysia take a lead with a sharp header frm Ahmad Fakri on 7 mins!
- Malaysia leading Etoile 1-0 after 7 minutes. Spurred on by traveling fans who's creating a big ruckus on the top tier stands at the JBS.
- Toto hits crossbar
- Talhi is replaced by Fougeroud. Talhi looks injured.
- Toto hits crossbar again!
- first half score, Etoile FC 0 Malaysia 1
- M'sia sub gk Sharbinee Allawee just pulled off an insane save to keep e scores at 1-0.
- Amirulhadi shot over the bar!
- GOALLLL !! for Etoile FC! 1-1 !
- 12 corner kick for Etoile FC already
- yellow card for Etoile FC no 12.
- Badrol comes in for Malaysia
- freekick to Etoile FC
- yellow card for Sabre Abu
- full time score, Etoile FC 1 Malaysia 1
- An S-League club have just held the AFF Cup Champions 1-1
- A highly entertaining match with both teams playing attacking football for 90 minutes.
 
Etoile FC vs Malaysia Match Statistics
Source
Taken from S-League site

Ultras to Singapore!

Source

As always hardcore football fans both ultras, fanatics, fans and other supporters, will face the national team friendly matches for the month of March 2011. As promised by the FAM, they will hold a Class A game every month, but it seems they failed to deliver on their promises. Class A crucial match for the national team to score points for the eye to improve their ranking positions are still more than 100 above.

When ranking improves, the more votes for a championship and an invitation to hold friendly matches with other countries is certainly readily accepted by other countries. Certainly a great country in the world wants to hold football matches with countries that have a better ranking at least a ranking of 100 and below.

But that does not mean we will not support the national team, no matter the opponent, the enemy or even as a supporter of the team we need to stand behind the team. Thus, the ultras of Malaya (UM) is holding the delegation to Singapore by bus. We welcome anyone to join this group regardless of background, do not need to be ultras to join us. Because this is a national mission, not only the mission of UM. Estimates for one participant about RM60-80 does not include the ticket price. It is open to private passport holders only. Passport group is not made, please note. Buses are expected to depart Saturday morning and return home immediately after the game, this trip takes only one day, is expected to return to the Selangor / Kuala Lumpur Sunday morning.

To the people of Johor, especially Johor Bahru, come join us. Jalan Besar Stadium, Johor Bahru is the only monkey sekangkang JB. Let us enliven sorakkan volume for players MALAYSIA!

All those interested please call my own, -012-9312374 Aref, his brother Freddie Lutfi 012-2463357 or 017-3028192 or email to aweeff@gmail.com

Aref

Etoile is not just a field test of a player

Source

Saturday, March 26, 2011
Source: Sports D5



Image © D5 Sports
FC Etoile is not just against the usual tests, Malayan tiger team should take the opportunity to gain experience against the teams the club status. Look back at the launch of the new jersey at Wisma FAM. (Photo archive)



KUALA LUMPUR, (D5) - There is no reason for the Malayan tiger team to act casually while travel to Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore.

Due to several factors, class A international matches and had forgotten it in conjunction with FAM find a way to continue its plans provide at least one game every month.

Although only met with club team status, the threat of force should not be taken lightly and is certainly a clash of different experiences as an opponent to have a physical advantage.

FC Etoile is a French professional clubs who are among eight teams invited to enliven the outside of the Singapore League.

The entire team is represented by the talent of the French coach who guided the birth of the Italian, Guglielmo Arena.

They came out the first team to win the league championship but never beat the S Singapore national team last year.

FC Etoile is now ranked third S League after six games, which saw them lose and draw once in their last action.

Tiger of Malaya should be alert to the central machinery led FC Etoile Beloute Maxime, 24, who until now have been blowing up four goals in the S. League

Meanwhile, the coach of Tiger of Malaya, K. Rajagobal did not make big changes and are expected to apply the same pattern as the previous game.

"Through this new game I can evaluate the seriousness of a player to represent the country. If only the important games are new wants in earnest, they are not designated as a national player, "he said.

He, however, is expected to make a little debris in the center to test midfielder Selangor, Azidan Sarudin.

Focus will also be provided at the center of defense who will be given that responsibility.

This position has a rival as well as the return Zafuan Aidil Abdul Razak Ahmad Muslim means strong coupling and Fadli Shaas before this is not a guarantee while Kelantan was an excellent season, helping Rizal Fahmi Abdul Rosid experience with the national squad.

This game also provides an opportunity to K. Rajagobal to examine the ability of the players who will face the 2015 Asian Cup qualifiers and pre-World Cup qualifying.

Clubs raise funds for Japan: Courts Young Lions vs Albirex Niigata & Etoile vs Malaysia

Source

TWO friendly matches, one gala dinner, a host of S-League and international stars, and one ultimate aim - to raise funds for the Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief efforts.

The S-League and Albirex Niigata Singapore have jointly organised a gala fund-raising dinner and a charity football match next week.

Under the banner of S-League Cares. Take Action! With Albirex Niigata Singapore, the dinner will be held at Resorts World Sentosa next Friday.


The following day, the S-League All- Stars will take on a Albirex Singapore Selection side at Jalan Besar Stadium.

The match will be graced by former Japan internationals Hidetoshi Nakata, Hiroshi Nanami, Masakiyo Maezono and Tsuyoshi Kitazawa.

In another charity event, S-League champions Etoile FC will play AFF Suzuki Cup champions Malaysia in a friendly match at 8pm at Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday.

Tickets are priced at $6 (adult) and $2 (student/senior citizen) and will be on sale on match day at the stadium from 7pm onwards.

Fans who purchased tickets to watch the S-League match between Courts Young Lions and Albirex Niigata, which kicks off at 5pm, can stay on to watch the Etoile vs Malaysia charity game. All proceeds raised from the fund-raising events will go into supporting the Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief efforts.

Live update is at here http://sporefootball.blogspot.com/2011/03/etoile-vs-malaysia-live-update.html

or for faster update, go to our twitter. http://twitter.com/sgfootball