Veteran defender Bennett returns to Lions after three-year absence

SINGAPORE – National football head coach V. Sundramoorthy has recalled veteran defender Daniel Bennett for the Lions' upcoming training tour to Japan in a bid to inject more experience in his squad as he  plots Singapore’s path to glory at this year’s ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup.

The 38-year-old Bennett, who plays for Geylang International in the S.League, and has 124 international caps, is part of a 25-man squad who will assemble for centralised training from July 11-17.

The team will then travel to Japan for nine days where they will pit themselves against three local club sides including Albirex Niigata FC, before rounding off the trip with an international friendly against Cambodia in Phnom Penh on July 28.

Bennett’s inclusion is likely due to the unavailability of Lions first-choice centre-back Baihakki Khaizan, who was left out of the squad due to his club commitments with Malaysian outfit Johor Darul Takzim II.

Nonetheless, Bennett was pleased at being called up to the national squad once again after having been banished to the international wilderness for the past three years when previous Singapore coah Bernd Stange was in charge.

“I’m delighted to be back in the national team, as it’s always an honour to represent Singapore,” said Bennett, who has been one of the star performers for Geylang International this season.

“I want to thank coach Sundram for giving me this opportunity, and I think my inclusion shows the national team door is never closed on anyone, as long as they do well consistently for their clubs.”

Singapore’s upcoming training tour is part of the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) preparation plan for the Suzuki Cup at the end of the year. The Lions, who have won the biennial tournament four times, crashed out at the group stage in the previous edition in 2014 which was held on home soil.

Sundram, who only took charge of the Lions in May, is eager to use this opportunity to take a closer look at his players and assess all the options available to him. This is why the 50-year-old has also opted to call up several new faces to the national squad, including Home United defender Abdil Qaiyyim, Hougang United goalkeeper Khairulhin Khalid and Geylang custodian Syazwan Buhari.

So far, the Lions have won one game and lost once under Sundram. They defeated Myanmar 1-0 in the semi-finals of the AYA Bank Cup quadrangular in June but lost 0-3 to Vietnam in the final.

“Our time together in July will let me have a good look at players who have performed well in the S.League,” explained Sundram. “It will also let all the selected players have a better understanding of my expectations.

“At this stage of our preparations, it is essential for us to get together regularly and have high-quality matches against good opponents. So I’m grateful to the S.League clubs for graciously releasing their players to us for this important training camp.”

Singapore 25-man squad
Goalkeepers: Izwan Mahbud (Tampines Rovers), Khairulhin Khalid (Hougang United), Syazwan Buhari (Geylang International), Zaiful Nizam (Balestier Khalsa)

Defenders: Abdil Qaiyyim (Home United), Afiq Yunos (Tampines Rovers), Daniel Bennett (Geylang International), Faritz Hameed (Geylang International), Hafiz Abu Sujad (Tampines Rovers), Madhu Mohana (Warriors FC), Nazrul Nazari (Hougang United), Shakir Hamzah (Tampines Rovers)

Midfielders: Anumanthan Mohan (Hougang United), Gabriel Quak (Geylang International), Hafiz Nor (Warriors FC), Izzdin Shafiq (Tampines Rovers), Yasir Hanapi (Tampines Rovers), Zulfahmi Arifin (Home United), Safirul Sulaiman (Geylang International)

Forwards: Fazrul Nawaz (Tampines Rovers), Khairul Amri (Young Lions), Khairul Nizam (Home United), Sahil Suhaimi (Geylang International), Amy Recha (Geylang International), Azhar Sairudin (Home United)