Tardy wants Young Lions to show their abilities at U-21 Challenge Cup

SINGAPORE- The South-east Asian (SEA) Games are still a year away, but national youth teams head coach Richard Tardy already has a rough idea of which players will be featuring for Singapore at the biennial regional meet, and he wants them to start proving themselves now.

The Young Lions will take part in the Football Association of Singapore (FAS)'s inaugural U-21 International Challenge Cup this week where they will play against youth teams from Iran, Uzbekistan and Hong Kong.

Singapore will face Hong Kong in their semi-final match tomorrow at 8pm at the Bishan Stadium, while Iran take on Uzbekistan at 5pm. The match winners will play in the final on Saturday.

National youth teams head coach Richard Tardy (right) exchanging pleasantries with Hong Kong coach Kim Pang On and Hong Kong defender Lau Hok Ming before the press conference. Photo: Koh Mui Fong

“This tournament is brilliant for the exposure of the players and hopefully we can show that we have talented players for the senior team in the future,” said Tardy at a pre-tournament press conference at Oasia Hotel on Tuesday afternoon (July 19).

“The results are not important but when you play in a tournament, you (obviously) want to win and I hope this is the kind of spirit my players have.

“I have 30-35 players (in mind) for the SEA Games and we are constantly monitoring their progress. I can see some good young players coming up and my target for them is to play and showcase their abilities and not just stay on the bench."

After last year’s disappointing SEA Games, where Singapore crashed out in the group stages, the Young Lions are expected to put on a much better show in Kuala Lumpur next year.

Their preparations got off to a rocky start at last month’s Nations Cup in Malacca where they finished last in the quadrangular after failing to win a single match. They lost 0-3 to Malaysia and 4-5 to Vietnam on penalties after drawing 2-2 in regulation time

The Young Lions training at Bishan Stadium on Monday night (July 18). Photo: Football Association of Singapore's Facebook page

Although they have avoided powerhouses Iran and Uzbekistan in the semi-finals, the Young Lions will go into their game against Hong Kong lacking firepower. This is because forwards Irfan and Ikhsan Fandi, as well as Hazim Faiz and Taufik Suparno are out of the tournament due to National Service (NS) commitments.

Tardy, however, sees this as an opportunity for their replacements to step up their game and prove themselves.

“Yes we have a few forwards missing but this opens to door for the likes of Amiruldin (Asraf) and Shafeeq (Faruk) to prove themselves,” said the Frenchman.

“I hope that we have learnt from our mistakes in the Nations Cup. The more matches we play this year, the more exposure we can get before the SEA Games.”

Added forward Adam Swandi: “The team is very excited to be playing against some of the top teams in the region. We want to use this as a valuable learning experience for our SEA Games preparations and will do our best.”

Hong Kong U-21 coach Kim Pang On is approaching this tournament with similar aims. “We feel that this is a fantastic opportunity to help develop our youth team, “ he said.

“We lack international exposure and so we are excited to play against some top teams here in Singapore to prepare for future regional and international tournaments.”

On-site ticket sales will take place on match days from 3.30pm onwards at the Bishan Stadium. For more ticketing details, go to http://www.globaltickets.sg

Fixtures:
Today: Iran v Uzbekistan (5pm); Singapore vs Hong Kong (8pm).
Saturday: Third/Fourth placed match (5pm); Final (8pm)
Venue: Bishan Stadium

The Singapore squad:
Goalkeepers: Hairul Syirhan (Geylang International), Zharfan Rohaizad (Young Lions)
Defenders: Dhukilan Jeevamani (YL), Faizal Roslan (YL), Rusyaidi Salime (YL), Amirul Adli (YL), Shahrin Saberin (Home Utd), Shafie Muliantoh (Tampines Rovers), Taufiq Muqminin (YL)
Midfielders: Haiqal Pashia (NFA U-18), Amir Zailani (Home), Hafiz Sulaiman (Warriors FC), Hami Syahin (YL), Muhaimin Suhaimi (YL), Shameer Aziq (YL), Joshua Pereira (YL), Jonathan Tan (YL)
Forwards: Adam Swandi (YL), Shafeeq Faruk (YL), Amiruldin Asraf (Home)