Captain Hariss Harun will not be involved with the Singapore national team for their upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The 30-year-old will remain in Singapore due to personal family reasons and consequently, will not join the squad in Riyadh for the upcoming round two matches.
âOf course it is always a big loss for any team when you donât have your captain available. Since my tenure started, Hariss has always served the team well as our leader,â said Singapore head coach Tatsuma Yoshida.
âBut sometimes, we need to recognise that football may not always be the most important and the boys and I hope that his situation at home will get better. We have to accept that he will be unavailable and focus on the job that we have to do.
âI will have to alter some plans, but we will still follow our concepts and playing philosophies to always play the ball forward and play for victory. Considering the display against Afghanistan two days ago, I fully trust the players who are here, and it is an opportunity for them to show what they are capable of.â
Added Harriss: âI am of course, very disappointed to not be able to join the team in Riyadh and it is unfortunate, especially since I was looking forward to teaming up with the boys for these crucial matches.
âNevertheless, I have great confidence and belief in the boys to put up good performances and come back with positive results. There are plenty of leaders in this team and I will be supporting them fervently from home.â
The Lionsâ three remaining Group D matches will be held in the centralised venue of Saudi Arabia.
These will be against Palestine (3 June), Uzbekistan (7 June) and Saudi Arabia (11 June).
All three matches will be broadcast LIVE on Mediacorpâs Channel 5 and meWATCH platforms.
