As Aide Iskandar finally announced his squad of 20 players who will carry the challenge for Singapore at the SEA Games, there was a tinge of sadness for the former international when he admitted that naming the squad was very tough indeed.
“It was a very close call for the nine players who were dropped because competition for their positions was very tight,” said Aide.
“As a former player, I know how disappointing the news can be. I want to reassure them that it does not mean that their playing careers are over just because they did not make it to the SEA Games squad.
“They are still young, and have long playing careers ahead of them. In fact, some are still eligible for the next one or two editions of the SEA Games. All these players are also still part of the Young Lions family. We have invited them and their families to watch all our matches, and to cheer on their teammates.”
Singapore’s first match in Group A is on 1 June against the Philippines.
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SINGAPORE
Syazwan Buhari, Rudy Khairullah, Shakir Hamzah, Al-Qaasimy Rahman, Sheikh Abdul Hadi, Fadli Kamis, Amirul Adli, Ho Wai Loon, Faris Ramli, Safirul Sulaiman, Stanely Ng, Anumanthan Mohan Kumar, Adam Swandi, Suria Prakash, Pravin Guanasagaran, Shahfiq Ghani, Sahil Suhaimi, Shamil Sharif, Irfan Fandi, Amy Recha Pristifana.
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GROUPINGS
Group A (Jalan Besar Stadium)
- Singapore
- Indonesia
- Myanmar
- Cambodia
- Philippines
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Group B (Bishan Stadium)
- Thailand
- Malaysia
- Vietnam
- Laos
- Brunei
- Timor Leste
