SINGAPORE — In the wake of the Lions' disastrous showing at the Southeast Asian Games in May, the Singapore men’s under-22/23 football team will be placed under the purview of the national side, with preparations for future editions of the games being run as two-year projects, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced on Friday (July 7).

This means that the national team's resources, including its budget, will now be made available for the U22/23 team, in addition to the resources separately budgeted for the younger group.

These were among the 10 recommendations put forth by a panel tasked to review the SEA Games debacle, which saw the U22s get thrashed 7-0 by Malaysia en route to finishing last in their group.

The panel comprised former national coach Jita Singh, ex-captains Razali Saad and Lim Tong Hai, and FAS council member Harman Ali. 

FAS has accepted the recommendations and will aim to implement them within the next three to six months.

The coach of the U22/23 team will report directly to the head coach of the national team.

The FAS said that the change will elevate the importance of the U22/23 squad and accelerate their transition into the national side. 

WHY IT MATTERS

Singapore’s dreadful showing at the SEA Games in Cambodia, where they lost to Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia and drew 0-0 with Laos, sparked a public outcry as the results jarred with the city state's aim to qualify for the 2034 World Cup. Singapore is currently 158th in the world rankings, one spot below Afghanistan.

A day after the games ended, the U22s' coach Philippe Aw was granted a leave of absence from the Young Lions.

With football being an under-22 competition at the SEA Games, Singapore's squad was largely made up of the Young Lions, a team comprising mostly local U22/23 players that take part in the Singapore Premier League (SPL).

As was the case with Aw this year, the Young Lions coach has also traditionally taken on the head coach role for the SEA Games squad. 

According to FAS president Bernard Tan, the designation of the two-year project period is crucial, as there is a longer runway for the coach to identify more players who can step up to the national team. 

All of the recommendations suggested by the panel are “structural” in nature, and will be important for the development of players in the coming years, he added.

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE PANEL

• The men’s U22/23 side will be moved under national team and led by their head coach.
• The SEA Games should be run as a two-year project. This is to allow the coach and the team to develop over a longer period. The team will play eight to 10 international matches over these two years. The SEA Games coach, who should also be the coach of the Young Lions, will be appointed for the duration of this project.
• A long list of players in the U22/23 squad is to be drawn up at the start of the project, with each player to have proper individual development plans. This will allow the coach to improve the individual abilities of the players over the two years, even while many are playing with their respective clubs.
• The U22/23 team will henceforth focus only on two priority tournaments: The SEA Games and the Asian Football Confederation U23 tournament (which serves as the Olympic qualifier). 
• SPL rules will be reviewed to allow for key U22/23 players to get more game time.
• Diets of the players will be planned when the FAS has control of meals. Currently, only hydration is monitored, while players are advised on healthy eating.

TODAY understands that FAS will issue further statements elaborating on these recommendations in the coming days.