LionsXII vital to national team, says Avramovic Serb says players will get enough chances to prove themselves at the national level

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SINGAPORE - With injuries blighting his start to the year, Agu Casmir has yet to set the Malaysian Super League (MSL) alight, even losing his spot in the LionsXII first XI.

But the 27-year-old's surprise inclusion in Radojko Avramovic's 25-man Singapore squad for their final Group A World Cup qualifying fixture against Iraq is perhaps proof of the Serb's vow to give opportunities to all players to shine, and also of the importance of the LionsXII project to the national team.

Speaking to Today before he revealed his selection on Monday, Avramovic said: "The players selected for the LionsXII are there because they are the core of the national team, the aim was to have them train together as a group and give them the opportunity to prove themselves," the 62-year-old Serb said.

"I played a part in selecting the players and coach for LionsXII, and we've had a few meetings discussing the things happening in their competition, but that's all.

"I don't interfere in the daily running of the team, that's up to the head coach (V Sundramoorthy)."

Comparisons have been drawn between the LionsXII and Malaysian counterparts Harimau Muda, who now play in the S-League. Several in the fraternity have credited the development system in Malaysian age-group teams for their recent regional success that has seen them win the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup as well as back-to-back SEA Games (under-23) titles in 2009 and 2011.

"They've kept their team training and playing together for years and, unfortunately, that's not a model we can follow. At the moment, the Courts Young Lions and LionsXII present the only possibility of player development for the national team," said Avramovic.

"Young Lions is the first step (for a player to show if he has national team potential) and then he will take the second step into the LionsXII team. If we can set that in order, I don't think the national team will have a problem," added Avramovic, who will also pay close attention to what he believes are much improved clubs in the S-League.

Avramovic's biggest task this year is the AFF Suzuki Cup, and there are suggestions he may call time on his nine-year stint as national coach when his contract expires at the end of 2012.

But he said: "Problems exist no matter who the coach is ... but this year my only aim is the Suzuki Cup, I'm not thinking about the personal side of things, how long I will stay, or who will be coach after me.

"There will be no sentimentality when I select players this year, there will be opportunities for players to prove themselves, but only the best will go to the Suzuki Cup to compete, where we aim to play in the final."



Lions' squad

Goalkeepers Hassan Sunny, Izwan Mahbud, Hyrulnizam Juma'at, Joey Sim

Defenders Baihakki Khaizan, Juma'at Jantan, Shaiful Esah, Safuwan Baharudin, Shakir Hamzah, Daniel Bennett, Delwinder Singh

Midfielders Firdaus Idros, Shi Jiayi, Hariss Harun, Isa Halim, Shahril Ishak, Yasir Hanapi, Shahdan Sulaiman, Ruzaini Zainal, Mustafic Fahrudin

Forwards Patrick Paranjody, Qiu Li, Agu Casmir, Khairul Nizam, Fazrul Nawaz