FAS to review Singapore’s dismal 2014 World Cup Qualifier campaign

~ It was a dismal 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualfier campaign for Singapore (Photo courtesy of FAS)

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has announced that it will review the national team's performance in the recently concluded 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian Zone third-round qualifiers.


The Lions finished bottom of Group A, losing all six games, scoring just twice and conceding 20 goals.


They ended their campaign on a humiliating note after being thumped 1-7 by eventual group winners Iraq on Wednesday.


While FAS President Zainudin Nordin gave credit to the team for reaching the third round of the qualifiers, he admitted there is much room for improvement.


He said: "While the national team met our target of reaching the third round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian Zone qualifiers for the second consecutive time, we agree that the players and coaches involved in the six World Cup Asian Zone Qualifying matches could have performed better.


"Like our fans, we are disappointed with the results and we agree that there is much room for improvement in the team's performances," he added.


On the bright side, the campaign has given opportunities for younger players such as Delwinder Singh and Firdaus Idros to gain international exposure.


He added: "We acknowledge that these qualifiers have provided an invaluable opportunity for many U-23 players to gain international exposure at the top level, and this is in line with our objective of rejuvenating the national team."


Zainudin confirmed that a review of the Lions' performance will be conducted while he thanked the fans for their support.


"Following the conclusion of the third round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian Zone qualifiers, FAS will await the coach's report and analysis of the entire campaign."


"In line with our practice, the FAS ExCo and Council will subsequently review the post-tournament report and assess the team and coach's performances during the entire campaign before considering what action needs to be taken," he said.


He added: "We would like to thank our fans for their unwavering support for the team in the Lions' three home group matches, as well as the match against Malaysia whom we faced in the earlier round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian Zone Qualifiers.


"We humbly seek their continued support which is vital for the growth and progress of the emerging young players."


FAS will announce the findings of the review and its decision in due course.

By Daniel Teo | Fit To Post Sports – Thu, Mar 1, 2012 11:04 PM SGT

Fifa to investigate Bahrain's 10-0 win over Indonesia

Fifa has confirmed that it will launch an investigation into Wednesday's World Cup 2014 Asian third-round qualifier between Bahrain and Indonesia.


The match raised eyebrows due to the nature of the scoreline, which saw the Arab outfit trounce a weakened Indonesian side 10-0 after going into the fixture with the requirement of wiping out a nine-goal deficit to have any chance of reaching the fourth round of qualifying.


However, in a statement released on Thursday, Fifa announced it will conduct a 'routine' inquiry into the encounter.


"Fifa security will conduct a routine examination of this game and its result, given the unusual outcome against results expectation and head-to-head history, and in the interests of maintaining unequivocal confidence in our game."


Despite their best efforts, which were aided by Indonesia goalkeeper Samsidar's third-minute red card, Qatar eventually grabbed a late equaliser to draw 2-2 with Iran, rendering Bahrain's result redundant.


Indonesia endured a miserable qualiyfing campaign, losing all six of their matches and were forced to field an inexperienced team after a number of their senior players were suspended for their allegiance to clubs in the country's breakaway Super League.

By Livio Caferoglu | GOAL.com – Thu, Mar 1, 2012 8:45 PM SGT

Gummibär - Go For The Goal - World Cup Football Song

Result of Singapore vs Iraq = 0 - 2

Lions go down to Iraq 2-0, their second straight loss in their WC qualifying group...

SINGAPORE TO FACE CHINA, JORDAN, IRAQ IN 3RD ROUND 2014 WORLD CUP ASIAN ZONE QUALIFIER

Singapore who edged Malaysia in the second round of the 2014 Asian Zone World Cup qualifier will face China, Jordan and Iraq in the third round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Asian Zone Qualifiers.

The Preliminary Draw for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil was held in Rio de Janeiro yesterday.

Singapore, having defeated Malaysia 6-4 aggregate over two legs last week
was placed in Pot 4 of the Asian Qualification Zone (Third Round) along with Thailand, Indonesia, Korea DPR and Lebanon.

Brazil’s legendary star Zico, along with rising star Lucas from Sao Paolo,
were on hand to conduct the Asian Zone draw to decide the fate of how things
would unfold in the third round.

As the draw took shape, Singapore was picked and grouped with China, Jordan
and Iraq in Group A.

Match Schedule :

Sept 2: China vs Singapore

Sept 6: Singapore vs Iraq

Oct 11: Singapore vs Jordan

Nov 11: Jordan vs Singapore

Nov 15: Singapore vs China

Feb 29 (2012): Iraq vs Singapore

Malaysia 1-1 Singapore (4-6 agg)

Football: Singapore through to 2014 World Cup qualifying third round

By Patwant Singh | Posted: 28 July 2011 2157 hrs

KUALA LUMPUR: Singapore advanced into the third round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers on Thursday after a 1-1 draw against Malaysia and a winning aggregate of 6-4.

The Lions had won the first leg 5-3 at Jalan Besar Stadium last Saturday, but the Malaysians were determined to turn things around in the second leg, what with the support of their 85,000 supporters at the Bukit Jalil stadium.

It was a sea of yellow in the stands, but a small group of Singaporeans fans were also at the Bukit Jalil stadium to cheer for the Lions.

Poor defending by the Malaysians provided Singapore quite a few chances, but quick reflexes from Malaysia's goalkeeper Khairul Fahmie Che Mat denied Singapore the chance to take the lead.

And though Malaysia had their chances, play on the bumpy pitch was definitely slower than the first-leg as both teams took a cautious approach.

Hence, it was no surprise the first half ended goalless.

In the second half, Mohd Safee Mohd Sali scored for Malaysia in the 57th minute. Singapore managed to equalise through Shi Jiayi in the 72nd minute.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak, who watched the live telecast of the match on a big screen with 2,000 supporters in Kedah, said he was proud of the players who had shown loads of determination and commitment during the match.

"We were in for a tough time due to the two-goal deficit since Singapore had won 5-3 in the first leg last week.

"However, I am happy to see their fighting spirit. I want the players to consider the loss as a lesson to strengthen their performance in the future," he said.

In Singapore, football fans turned up in good numbers at St James Power Station to watch the game.

Many were relieved when the scoreline remained a draw after 90 minutes.

One supporter said: "It means we have a bright future, moving forward. So, we are very proud of the team."

Another supporter added: "This is a very good step, we beat our local rivals ... that's what we want."

Another fan said: "I think they gained a few more supporters."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Second-leg results from round two of Asian qualifying for the 2014 World Cup:

Maldives 0 Iran 1
(Iran win 5-0 on aggregate)

Yemen 0 Iraq 0
(Iraq win 3-0 on aggregate)

Palestine 2 Thailand 2
(Thailand win 3-2 on aggregate)

India 2 United Arab Emirates 2
(United Arab Emirates win 5-3 on aggregate)

Malaysia 1 Singapore 1
(Singapore win 6-4 on aggregate)


Vietnam 2 Qatar 1
(Qatar win 4-2 on aggregate)

Hong Kong 0 Saudi Arabia 5
(Saudi Arabia win 8-0 on aggregate)

Indonesia 4 Turkmenistan 3
(Indonesia win 5-4 on aggregate)

Bangladesh 2 Lebanon 0
(Lebanon win 4-2 on aggregate)

Kyrgyzstan 0 Uzbekistan 3
(Uzbekistan win 7-0 on aggregate)

Tajikistan 0 Syria 4
(Syria win 6-1 on aggregate)

Laos 1 China 6
(China win 13-3 on aggregate)

Philippines 1 Kuwait 2
(Kuwait win 5-1 on aggregate)

Myanmar 0 Oman 2
(Match abandoned due to crowd trouble - Oman lead 4-0 on aggregate but final match result yet to be confirmed)

Nepal 1 Jordan 1
(Jordan win 10-1 on aggregate)