Gavin Lee announces 25-man S’pore squad for AFF C’ship, challenges Lions to ‘own the discomfort’

SINGAPORE – Hit by several speed bumps ahead of his first major assignment – the Asean Championship – national men’s football coach Gavin Lee has urged the Lions to “own the discomfort rather than avoiding it”.

On July 20, the 35-year-old announced his 25-man squad who will have to navigate their first three group games in eight days at the biennial tournament.

It begins with the Group A opener against Cambodia in Phnom Penh on July 24, followed by a home game against Timor-Leste at Jalan Besar Stadium three days later.

They then face defending champions Vietnam in Hanoi on July 31, before wrapping up their group campaign with a home game against Indonesia on Aug 7.

Tickets for the Timor-Leste game are on sale via Tickethotline, while ticket sales for the Indonesia match open on July 22.

The Lions, who lost to Vietnam in the semi-finals of the last edition in 2024, could find it tough to reach the last four again.

In the lead-up to the tournament, the four-time winners were hit by the absence of veteran centre-back Safuwan Baharudin and striker Ikhsan Fandi, their leading scorer with 23 goals.

As the Asean Championship falls outside the FIFA international window, their respective clubs Selangor and Thespa Gunma are not obliged to release them.

While Lee has called up nine defenders, with midfielder Jacob Mahler also able to fill in at centre-back, he has listed only two forwards in Ilhan Fandi and Shawal Anuar.

Goalkeeper Rudy Khairullah and defender Irfan Najeeb, who are injured, were replaced by uncapped 39-year-old custodian Ridhuan Barudin and right-back Akram Azman. Besides Ridhuan, the other uncapped players are defenders Luth Harith, 18, and Raoul Suhaimi, 20.

To prepare for the Asean Championship, the Lions embarked on a July 6-17 training camp in Japan where they lost 2-0 to third-division FC Ryukyu and 3-2 to fourth-tier Okinawa SV. They then played a closed-door friendly of three periods against J2 League side Albirex Niigata.

Lee said: “The training camp in Okinawa was designed with this tournament in mind. We wanted to expose the players to demanding opposition, quick turnarounds between matches, and the physical and mental demands that come with tournament football.

“Throughout the camp, we spoke about owning the discomfort rather than avoiding it. Those experiences have helped prepare us for what’s ahead and, more importantly, allowed us to continue developing the behaviours and identity that we want this team to be known for.

“We’ve spoken throughout this journey about allowing our performances to determine our destination. If we consistently produce the level of performances we’re capable of, then we should be a lot closer to giving everyone a national team that they can be proud of.”