Football: Sundram's wish list has Selvaraj on top

V. Selvaraj had been head coach of Warriors FC in 2013, but resigned after 13 games.
V. Selvaraj had been head coach of Warriors FC in 2013, but resigned after 13 games.

With V. Sundramoorthy likely to be appointed national football coach in the coming days, his backroom team is also starting to take shape.

The Straits Times understands that V. Selvaraj, currently assistant to Garena Young Lions coach Patrick Hesse, leads a list of local coaches earmarked to assist Sundram in the national team set-up.

Sundram, whose appointment is expected to be announced soon, met the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) yesterday to discuss the terms of his contract as well as his backroom staff.

Both Sundram and Selvaraj could not be reached for comment.

Selvaraj started the year as the National Football Academy Under-16 coach, but was roped in to the Young Lions team before Hesse was appointed.

He had coached Warriors FC in 2013, but resigned midway through the season after winning just four of their 13 league matches.

The former national striker is not short of international experience. Last year, he led the Under-15 team at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-16 Championship qualifiers in September as well as the Lion City Cup.

In the qualifiers, Singapore finished third in their group behind North Korea and Thailand and did not progress.

If appointed, both Sundram and Selvaraj need to get up to speed fast, with their first assignment just two weeks away, as the Lions will be competing in a quadrangular tournament next month in Myanmar.

Vietnam and Hong Kong are the other teams involved.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 20, 2016, with the headline Football: Sundram's wish list has Selvaraj on top. Subscribe