Forum: Commendable showing at AFF ME Cup

Our men’s national football team performed commendably at the 2024 Asean Football Championship. Going into the tournament with low expectations, the team held their own and competed well against more illustrious opponents.

On the club front, our clubs have also performed well regionally this year. Our club ranking at AFC competitions has improved and Lion City Sailors has reached the knockout stages of the AFC Champions League 2. In the domestic league, players are now better conditioned and able to sustain a higher pace of play throughout matches.

But, even though there have been more positives than negatives this year, there are definitely areas for improvement.

The Asean Football Championship has shown that the gap between ourselves and so-called minnows has closed further, and the men’s team is ending the year with a lower Fifa rank compared with 2023. Although there are strategies to game the Fifa ranking system, a higher rank would enable a team to be seeded more favourably and therefore encounter easier opponents during competitions.

To be the best versions of ourselves is a never-ending process. There are plenty of positives to take away from this tournament, but one swallow does not make a summer. We will be at it again with the Asian Cup qualifiers starting in March 2025 and should aim to become the better version of ourselves again.

Edwin Goh Xian Jun