LionsXII lined up to play in ASEAN Super League in 2017

SINGAPORE — Following the LionsXII’s unceremonious exit from Malaysian football, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has swiftly rolled out its Plan B for the franchise team.

TODAY understands the FAS intends to keep the current LionsXII squad together to compete in the new ASEAN Super League (ASL) in 2017. But until then, the LionsXII will spend next season competing in Singapore’s own professional league, the S.League.

This development came after the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) shock decision on Tuesday evening to not extend a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with their Singaporean counterparts that was inked in 2011.

The decision — which the FAS learnt about several hours later through the media — was reached after a unanimous vote by members of the FAM executive committee. It ended the LionsXII’s four-year stint in the Malaysian league and Cup competitions once the current campaign concludes on Dec 12.

The FAS said in a statement tonight that it had met the LionsXII players and backroom staff this evening, and assured them that they would secure a playing contract at the same salary for the 2016 season. The players were informed that the FAS is exploring the various possibilities relating to playing in next season’s S.League.

“We will now look ahead to next season in returning to a very competitive S.League with this assurance given to us by FAS,” said LionsXII winger Gabriel Quak.

Midfielder Zulfahmi Arifin added: “The certainty that every player in LionsXII is assured of a playing contract for next year means a lot to us, and the guarantee that we will receive the same salary is definitely a big bonus.”

Before the FAM decision, TODAY understands that the FAS had originally planned for the LionsXII to spend another season in the MSL, before joining the ASL in 2017. The Courts Young Lions — Singapore’s Under-23 developmental squad playing in the S.League — will then take the LionsXII’s place in the MSL.

But these plans were scuppered by the FAM, which cited issues over cost sharing, television revenue and football development as reasons why it decided not to renew the MoU.

The top item on FAS’s agenda now is to get the buy-in from the players on the ASL plan. According to people close to the negotiations, the proposed regional league is believed to have been approved by the Asian Football Confederation, and is awaiting final approval from the world football governing body, FIFA.

The competition, which is likely to feature eight to 10 teams from the ASEAN Football Federation member nations, has been billed to be a gamechanger in the South-east Asian region, and will be a premier club competition that will produce exciting, high-level football action for fans.

While the LionsXII will be Singapore’s only representative in the ASL, traditional football powerhouses such as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam are expected to field two teams each, with the remaining slots likely to be taken by Laos, the Philippines and Myanmar.

Since the idea of the ASL was put forward in 2007, however, it has been plagued with various problems.

Among the issues it reportedly faces include the unwillingness of certain nations to enter their top teams into the competition, over fears that this might result in a drop in quality in their respective domestic leagues.

The high costs of sending a team to compete in the ASL — reportedly about S$7 million — have also made it hard for countries like Timor Leste, Laos and Cambodia to commit, with sponsors yet to be convinced about the viability of the tournament.

There is also doubt over Indonesia’s participation as its football association is serving a FIFA ban over government interference in the country’s domestic league.

It is clear there is still some way to go before FAS’s Plan B can come to fruition. Until then, the LionsXII will have to be content with spending their next year at home in the S-League. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AMANPREET SINGH