Singapore National team to play Tampines & JDT in friendlies

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28 September 2024 – The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) and national head coach Tsutomu Ogura have detailed their plans for the upcoming international windows, which are geared towards preparing the side for the year-end ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championship.

Friendlies against Tampines & JDT

Speaking to the media at Jalan Besar Stadium, Ogura announced that the men’s senior side will play local side BG Tampines Rovers on 6 September and Malaysian powerhouses Johor Darul Tazim (JDT) on 7 September in closed-door training matches during the September international window.

Training camp in Japan

For the October window, they will embark on a training camp in Japan from 7 to 13 October, where they will face three J League 1 sides. Singapore will then play two international friendlies in November, starting with Myanmar on the 15th and Chinese Taipei on the 19th. Both games will be held at the Singapore National Stadium.

Describing this arrangement as the “best way” to prepare his side for the year-end AFF Championship, Ogura explained how it allows him more time to work with his players on the training ground as compared to high-level international matches, which is crucial when it comes to imparting his philosophy to new faces in the team.

Refreshed squad selection

This can be alluded to Ogura’s squad selection for the upcoming September international window, where 11 out of the 28 Lions have earned their first call-up under his tenure. The list includes goalkeepers Rudy Khairullah and Izwan Mahbud; defenders Ho Wai Loon, Shakir Hamzah, Darren Teh, and Faizal Roslan; midfielders Syed Firdaus Hassan and Naqiuddin Eunos, as well as forward Iqbal Hussain.

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Two players – midfielder Ajay Robson from Hougang United and Geylang International forward Zikos Chua have been called up to the national team for the very first time.

There are a few notable omissions from the squad, namely Song Ui-young, Zharfan Rohaizad, Christopher van Huizen, and Lionel Tan from Lion City Sailors, alongside BG Tampines Rovers’ Faris Ramli. Overseas-based Ikhsan Fandi from BG Pathum is also absent, as well as Ryhan Stewart, who has yet to announce his next club.

Revised AFF schedule

An FAS spokesman said that the squad was selected before the recent shift in the AFF Championship fixtures, in which the tournament was moved back from 23 Nov to 8 Dec, to prevent a clash of dates with another competition – Asian Football Confederation’s Champions League Two. Lion City Sailors and Tampines Rovers are Singapore’s representatives in the club tournament, which is why some of their players have not been called up to the national squad.

He also explained that the FAS did attempt to organise international friendlies with other nations, however none of the sides that were available met Ogura’s training objectives.