Akram Azman stays calm as Lion City Sailors defender receives first Lions call-up

SINGAPORE – When Akram Azman was informed of his maiden national team call-up, he displayed the calmness and composure typically associated with a seasoned campaigner.

These are also the same qualities that have propelled the 24-year-old defender onto the fast track in his footballing career.

In less than three months, Akram has made an extraordinary leap from the Singapore Premier League’s bottom club Tanjong Pagar United to the title-chasing Lion City Sailors (LCS) and, now, the national team.

As captain of the struggling Jaguars, he had caught the eye with his impressive performances, which led to the Sailors snapping him up in January.

On March 14, there was more good news, as he earned his first Lions call-up ahead of a friendly against Nepal and an Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong.

Asked how he felt when notified of his first call-up by Lions team manager Eric Ong, Akram said: “I was pretty calm about it, because I just kind of feel like, ‘Okay, it’s a national team call-up, it’s something nice’ and I informed my friends and my family and I think they’re very happy for me.

“The messages have been coming in non-stop today, congratulating me, so it’s been really nice to know that they are supporting and are behind me.”

When asked about his accelerated development, he said: “Honestly, I didn’t think too much about the timeline. If I’m being called up, it’s happening at the right time.

“With the quality of players that you have at LCS, I think it’s only natural for the national coach to be looking around in the same pool of players... and that will kind of like help fast track my progress into the national team.”

The 1.75m defender is the only new face in the 22-man squad, as Singapore coach Tsutomu Ogura made several changes to the side that reached the semi-finals of December’s Asean Championship.

In a media statement, Ogura said: “It’s an important mix of youth and experience... that will help the squad improve. We have fresh faces who will come in full of energy and hunger. The returning players will be as motivated to come back, and they will add stability to the squad.”

Young Lions midfielder Fairuz Fazli, Chiangrai United midfielder Harhys Stewart and BG Pathum United forward Ilhan Fandi, meanwhile, have been recalled to the Lions’ fold.

Scheduling issues meant that several overseas-based players had missed the Asean Championship, which was held outside a Fifa international window. Hence, clubs were not obliged to release them.

Cardiff City defender Perry Ng, who is applying to be a Singapore citizen under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme, has been invited to join the Lions for training, following his familiarisation stint in 2024.

The door remains open to a few more players, with Ogura due to make a final decision after the weekend’s Singapore Cup fixtures.

World No. 160 Singapore will face 175th-ranked Nepal in a friendly on March 21 at the National Stadium, where they will also take on 155th-ranked Hong Kong on March 25 in their Group C opener of the Asian Cup third-round qualifiers.

India (No. 126) and Bangladesh (185) are the other teams in the pool, with only the group winners qualifying for the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

Hailing the fans for their heart-warming support during the Asean Championship, Ogura said the aim is to build on the Lions’ performances. He added: “Singapore has never qualified for the Asian Cup on merit before, and we want to embrace the big challenge of making history.”

Tickets for the Lions’ matches against Nepal and Hong Kong are available via

Ticketek

and the

Football Association of Singapore’s website

.