SEA Games 2023: Coach hopes ‘four legs’ mantra can propel Lionesses into historic semis

PHNOM PENH – Without warning, Karim Bencherifa grabbed a leg of the chair this reporter was sitting on and shook it vigorously. The national women’s football coach was responding to a question on what it will take for his side to make history in Cambodia.  

Bencherifa explained that without any of the four legs, a chair loses stability. For the Lionesses to become a successful outfit in the region, the four legs the squad will need are “good players, players who are fit, a strong team spirit and cohesion and tactical organisation”.

Speaking to The Straits Times at his team’s base in Phnom Penh Hotel, the Moroccan said: “If I remove one of the legs from the chair, you are likely to fall together with it.

“There is no stability there. If we want to do well at the SEA Games, we need all four legs. Since I took over, we have been working hard each day to be consistent on all four aspects.”

The 55-year-old’s “quadrupedal” philosophy is a mantra he has repeated to his team since taking charge on March 1.

And at the 2023 SEA Games women’s football tournament in Cambodia, he hopes it will propel them to a historic semi-final berth.

The 134th-ranked Lionesses’ campaign will begin at the RSN Stadium on Wednesday against five-time champions Thailand (44th).

Singapore are not expected to take points from a side who have been to the last two World Cups, but a favourable draw has meant they stand a fighting chance of edging out hosts Cambodia (119th) and Laos (84th) to grab second spot in Group B.

At the Hanoi Games in 2022, the Lionesses – who were then led by Stephen Ng – finished third in their group and did not qualify for the semi-finals.

It was their first outing at the biennial Games since 2003 and the highlight of a creditable campaign was a 1-0 win over Laos.

Bencherifa said: “I have learnt that both Cambodia and Laos have been training hard in overseas training camps. We are humble and we respect the opponents but we are ambitious.

“We want to do well. It is not going to be easy but we have a legitimate belief that we can make history.”

In his first assignment about a month ago, he led the team at the Women’s Olympic 2024 Asian Qualifiers in Chonburi, where they lost 6-0 to Thailand and drew 2-2 with world No. 128 Mongolia.

But Lion City Sailors forward Nur Izzati Rosni and Hougang United defender Rosnani Azman have bought into their coach’s methods and are raring to go at their second Games.

Rosnani said: “Coach Karim has always been reiterating ‘positive mindset’ and we are all fully aware of our purpose and the sacrifices we have made to be here. It is now up to us to go out there and perform.”

Izzati added: “Since the Olympic qualifiers, I can see the effort the team have been putting in. We have potential to create another bit of history with a semi-final appearance here.

“We want to make every opportunity count and we do not want to leave Cambodia with any regrets.”