by Philip Goh Haw Hann
05:56 AM Mar 08, 2011
23rd Canon Lion City Cup
SINGAPORE - Seven months after igniting the nation with their exhilarating run to the bronze medal in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, Singapore fans will find out just how much last year's national under-15 boys' team have progressed in the 23rd edition of the Canon Lion City Cup.
Having graduated to the national under-16 team, the likes of Jeffrey Lightfoot, Hanafi Akbar, Ammirul Emmran and Muhaimi Suhaimin will take on the under-15 teams of professional clubs Everton, Juventus, Benfica and Flamengo in the tournament, which will be held at Jalan Besar Stadium from June 18 to 27.
After a two-year break, this year's Lion City Cup will be an under-15 tournament featuring six teams. Besides the four big names, the hosts will field their own under-15 and under-16 teams.
At a press conference yesterday, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced a three-year tie-up with local sports marketing agency The Red Card to promote the tournament.
The event has reeled in new title sponsors, Canon. The digital imaging giants will spend up to S$1 million over the next two years.
There is every reason to believe that some of the boys in the teams from the four famous club sides who will strut their stuff at Jalan Besar could go on to become household names on football's biggest stages.
Said FAS president Zainudin Nordin: "If we want to achieve higher goals in the future, we need to challenge our boys as far as possible, playing in good, tough tournaments.
"On our part, our responsibility is to train them to the best of our abilities and ensure that they are prepared for this tournament - physically, mentally and football-wise."
That may ring true for the under-15s. Guided by Serbian coach Dejan Glusevic, the team won the 2011 International Youth Football Invitational two months ago, defeating Taiwan, Guam and hosts Hong Kong.
The under-16s, though, have no coach at the moment.
The Youth Olympic Games heroes are being handled by a panel of coaches from the National Football Academy.
The next under-16 coach will be a Japanese, as part of a tie-up between the Japan Football Association and FAS. The Japanese coach will be named within the month.
There is some concern over the absence of a recognised coach for the team but Darren Stewart, who guides S-League side Gombak United, believes it is not a problem.
"The tournament is still three months away and if a coach is announced soon, there's more than enough time to prepare the boys. It's no big deal."
If all goes well, then the boys will play in front of a special guest. Plans are afoot for two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho to be here during the tournament as a football ambassador for Flamengo and Brazil.
What: 23rd Canon Lion City Cup
When: June 18 to 27
Where: Jalan Besar Stadium
Teams: Everton, Juventus, Benfica, Flamengo (all under-15s); Singapore A (under-16 team); Singapore B (national under-15 team)
Format: Two groups to play in round-robin format. Top two from each group proceed to semi-finals.
All 10 matches will be carried live on StarHub and ticketing details will be announced soon.
  Jeffery Lightfoot and Co will be up against some formidable opposition at the Canon Lion City Cup. TODAY FILE PHOTO Copyright © MediaCorp Press Ltd |
No comments:
Post a Comment