SEA Games 2025: Young Lions coach Firdaus Kassim remains defiant as Thais await
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Singapore U-22 coach Firdaus Kassim and his players cannot hide their disappointment after losing 3-1 to Timor-Leste in their SEA Games opener at the Rajamangala National Stadium on Dec 6.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
Follow topic:
- Singapore U-22 coach Firdaus Kassim faces pressure after a 3-1 loss to Timor-Leste, jeopardising their SEA Games chances.
- Firdaus believes in his ability to improve the team despite challenges, emphasising long-term goals for the 2029 SEA Games.
- Defender Andrew Aw Yong supports Firdaus, citing clear standards and goals, as the team prepare to face a strong Thailand side.
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BANGKOK – The heat is on, but Singapore Under-22 men’s football coach Firdaus Kassim is not wilting.
The pressure on him has been cranked up after the Young Lions’ 3-1 loss to Timor-Leste in their SEA Games Group A opener on Dec 6 at the Rajamangala National Stadium.
It leaves them on the brink of a sixth consecutive group-stage exit and facing an uphill task against hosts Thailand, who thumped Timor-Leste 6-1 on Dec 3.
The Young Lions now need to beat the record 16-time champions by a big margin at the same venue on Dec 11. The three group winners and the best second-placed team will advance to the semi-finals.
After the loss to Timor-Leste, prominent local fan group SingaBrigade directed their frustrations at Firdaus in a Facebook post, saying: “The team looked unprepared despite all the resources given to you to prepare them for this Games... if the coach is not delivering, then something needs to change and it needs to change now.”
When The Straits Times asked on Dec 10 if he felt he was still the right man for the job, Firdaus said: “Everybody has their own opinions and I respect that. If I didn’t (think I was the right man), then I wouldn’t be here.
“I completely believe that I’m still able to do a job here, and because we truly believe in the work that we are doing at the moment with the boys, we could see personal growth, personal developments.
“I understand that this is a results business, but again, I want to emphasise that this is one of the many platforms towards building for the 2029 SEA Games. And this is the current struggles that we are facing. We have to accept it. But we are always, always looking to improve and fine-tune the programme.”
Firdaus, 38, who was appointed in June and is yet to win a competitive match as Young Lions coach, added that the direction from the Football Association of Singapore hierarchy has been very clear, and they collectively know what the challenges and hurdles are.
“I wouldn’t want to jump ship the very first moment when there’s difficulties,” he said.
“The management completely understands the nature of this job and the challenges that we face, because we’ve been very, very clear from the very beginning of my appointment.”
Defender Andrew Aw Yong backed his coach as well.
Andrew Aw Yong (left) battling for the ball during the 3-1 loss to Timor-Leste in a SEA Games group match at the Rajamangala National Stadium on Dec 6, 2025.
PHOTO: BERITA HARIAN
“I think when the results don’t go your way, when the team doesn’t do well, it’s very easy for people from the outside to put the blame on the manager,” said Aw Yong, 22.
“But I think what the team is feeling is that he’s been very clear with us from the first day that all of us have standards and goals that we have to meet day in, day out, in training. We’re very clear with his processes and I think all of us trust and believe in his process.
“All of us are on the same page and (he has our) backing.”
For now, any speculation about his job will be set aside as Firdaus and the team prepare to face Thailand, who sent a statement of intent with their 6-1 win over Timor-Leste.
Declaring that his team would not sit back, Firdaus said: “We have to focus on the next game and not think too much about what’s being said online, because there’s a game to win and there’s a qualification on the cards.
“I know Thailand is one of the bigger powerhouses. We have to go out there with the intention that we can compete and not only to play for pride, because anything is possible in football, even though the chances may be very slim.”
