PHNOM PENH – Singapore football fans are baying for blood after the Young Lions’ dismal campaign at the Cambodia SEA Games and while Singapore Sport Institute (SSI) chief Su Chun Wei noted that their performance was “far below stellar”, he also urged patience on Wednesday.
The national under-22 side exited the competition at the group stage for a fifth consecutive time after finishing rock bottom of Group B with no wins from four matches.
Last Thursday, Causeway rivals Malaysia handed Singapore their worst defeat at the Games since 1971 with a 7-0 thumping.
Speaking at a press conference to wrap up Team Singapore’s campaign at a Ya Kun Kaya Toast outlet in Phnom Penh, Dr Su said “there are sports that have underperformed” and the national sports associations (NSAs) and athletes “will have a lot to reflect on”.
The SSI is responsible for the development of Singapore’s high performance sports and nurturing of elite athletes.
When asked about the men’s football team, Dr Su urged patience and added: “It is obvious for me to just say that the performance of our (Young) Lions in this campaign is not ideal and is far below stellar.
“The FAS (Football Association of Singapore) have acknowledged it and said that they will do an internal review.
“We must give FAS this window and space to review and take stock... it is a fact now that we know where our performances lie. FAS will need to consider what they need to do concretely and decisively.
“We want to see an improvement in performances. It won’t come overnight but I just encourage all of us to give FAS space at this moment and give our team the space to reflect and to learn.”
Su explained that the FAS had requested two weeks to review its plans, referring to acting president Bernard Tan’s social media post last Friday, when he said that “tough questions” will be asked over the next two weeks.
Tan had also apologised in the same post after his personal challenge to a social media commenter on the SEA Games went viral.
“If FAS requests for that, let’s give them that,” added Su.
In the aftermath of the Young Lions’ poor display in Phnom Penh, fans have also asked on social media why the footballers were allowed to compete at the Games.
For each major Games, athletes have to meet the qualifying mark in order to be selected.
The Singapore National Olympic Council’s (SNOC) selection criteria for the 2023 Games stated that for team sports, the team should be ranked third among SEA Games countries. Singapore’s senior side are sixth-best in the region according to Fifa’s rankings.
Addressing the topic of the men’s football team, SNOC secretary-general Chris Chan explained that with a national project like Unleash the Roar! (UTR) aiming for football to excel at a higher level, it would not be fair for the sport to be robbed of an “entry-level” platform to excel on.
He said: “Our selection criteria are no secret. We have to acknowledge also that if any sport or NSA has put in effort or programme that projects them to excel at high level, then it is difficult for us to deprive them to at least take part in a SEA Games, which is entry level for major Games.
“With UTR, you can see the effort they are putting in.
“If I don’t send the team here, how do you gauge where they are? It applies to other sports too.
“If they really have some programme and make an unusual effort, we have to acknowledge that and let them compete at an entry level of major Games, which is the SEA Games.”
He noted that entry to Games is by no means automatic, adding: “There is always dialogue, there’s always discussion among the selectors. I’m not one of them, but I can tell you that in every selection committee, the discussion is very different – different people have different views.”
The Young Lions will next compete at the 2024 Asian Football Confederation U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers from Sept 4 to 12 before the Hangzhou Asian Games from Sept 23 to Oct 8.
