The 12-0 annihilation of the Singapore Under-15 football team in West Java during a friendly last weekend is a disgrace to Singapore football (Cubs concede a dozen goals against Indonesia; June 12).

Never in the history of Singapore football has any of its national teams suffered such a drubbing in an overseas game.

The result must be demoralising for the Under-15 team and will now leave them with fear when they face opponents in competitions such as the Asean Football Federation Under-15 Championship and the 2018 Asian Football Confederation Under-16 qualifiers to be held this year.

Football Association of Singapore technical director Michel Sablon says that the fitness level of the team was a weakness and the older bulkier opponents was the reason for the thrashing.

That is no excuse, since he claims that the FAS had been trying to improve the team's strength and fitness levels for more than a year.

Also, why pit a younger team against bigger older boys, where the prospect of losing is inevitable?

The FAS should investigate this training tour, as it is now becoming a norm for our youth teams to be thrashed in overseas games.

Where is our national pride?

It is high time we have a report card on where our youth soccer development and training programmes now stand, and come up with corrective action.

George Pasqual