Lions' Malaysia mauling a ‘reality check’ ahead of Asian Cup, fans need to be realistic, say observers

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s exit from the FIFA ASEAN Cup after a 6-0 demolition by neighbours Malaysia offers a reality check for the Lions, with the AFC Asian Cup just three months away, said observers on Friday (Oct 2).

The Thursday display in Bandung was the culmination of a tournament performance which proved a stark contrast to the team’s showing at the ASEAN Hyundai Cup earlier this year, where it made the semi-finals and also broke a 14-year winless run against giants Thailand.

It also drew a strong denouncement from the team’s fan group, the SingaBrigade, who called the performance “unacceptable” and told the players to “wake up now” and not to take the fans’ support for granted.

“I wouldn’t say if it’s a false dawn, as the Lions did decently well to hype up the public support during the Hyundai Cup with their overall performance,” said Mr Ko Po Hui, who runs local football blog Bolasepako.

“Nonetheless, what happened in the FIFA ASEAN Cup will serve as a good reality check and a timely one to see what are the shortfalls in our preparation for the Asian Cup.”

Former football commentator Edwin Yeo said that the FIFA ASEAN Cup showed that while Singapore is improving under new management, the team is still “not yet competing at the Asian level”.

“Indonesia and Malaysia, with their heritage players, would definitely be already at an Asian level. The gap is real. But I think if we set aside the results, Singapore has improved a lot under Gavin and his predecessor Ogura,” said Mr Yeo, who is general manager of strategic communications agency SPRG Singapore.

Gavin Lee was named as permanent head coach of the team in November last year, succeeding Japanese tactician Tsutomu Ogura. Earlier in April, billionaire tech entrepreneur Forrest Li became president of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS).

Mr James Walton, Deloitte's sports business group leader for Asia Pacific and Southeast Asia noted that while the Lions’ results have been “a little bit up and down”, it is the nature of the Malaysia defeat which particularly left a mark.

“I think if it had been two-nil or three-nil, people would have said, ‘Okay, it's an off day’. But there were worrying signs for this, in terms of a little bit of a capitulation,” he said, adding that Malaysia is still not at the level of regional giants Vietnam or Thailand.

STRONGER TEAMS AHEAD

Observers noted that Singapore has been exposed by the higher calibre of opponents faced, and will have to not just improve tactically, but also renew the team’s composition.

“Our qualification for the Asian Cup, to some extent, benefitted from a relatively easy group, let's face it,” said Mr Walton.

During the FIFA ASEAN Cup, the Lions faced tougher opponents, including an Indonesian team that fielded some of its best players who were absent during the Hyundai Cup, said Mr Ko.

“Last evening’s defeat to Malaysia is a good wake-up call for the Lions who by now should know what to expect from the likes of Australia, Tajikistan and Iraq in the Asian Cup,” he said.

Mr Yeo noted that Indonesia is a good gauge of the levels of the teams the Lions are set to face at the tournament in Saudi Arabia in January.

“Don't forget, in the AFC World Cup qualifiers, Indonesia drew Australia and did very well against Iraq,” he said.

Mr Ko said that for now, time is definitely not on the side of Lions’ coach Lee, who will have to make do with the players who are already available to him. The squad continues dealing with the issue of regeneration “that has been bugging the team for years”, he said.

His sentiment was echoed by Mr Walton, who noted that “it's still largely the same group of players”.

“You can improve tactically, you can improve the morale, the attitude of the players, but at the end of the day, we're not going to become world beaters overnight. Unleash The Roar and everything that goes with that is a long-term project,” he said.

Unleash The Roar is a national plan launched in March 2021 to develop the local football landscape.

That said, observers told CNA that the team has improved tactically and now show more fight.

Mr Ko said that things had actually been “looking rosy” for Gavin Lee since his confirmation last November, until the FIFA ASEAN Cup unfolded.

“The team definitely shows more fight, but consistency has always been a big problem for our national team,” said Mr Yeo.

“Even in the 6-0 loss last night, we were fighting and creating good scoring chances all the way until we conceded the third goal. You've got to credit Gavin for instilling that in them, and Malaysia weren't really that dangerous until our heads went down.”

He said that coach Lee has done “marvellously well” in improving the team, and while it still struggles to consistently maintain a high standard of performance over 90 minutes, “we’re moving in the right direction”.

FAN ANGER AND EXPECTATIONS

Following the Malaysia defeat, fan group SingaBrigade took to social media with a strongly worded statement titled “A Warning To Our Lions”.

The group said that while it can accept a loss, it cannot accept the manner in which the Lions lost, as it felt that “all 6 goals were amateurish”.

It also questioned the readiness of the team for the upcoming Asian Cup. “Based off this performance, we are lambs who have been slaughtered, not Lions,” said the group, adding that “a couple of good games does not make you good”.

The SingaBrigade said its support for the Lions is “unconditional” and that they will keep showing up, but “will not stay quiet when things aren’t right”. It called for the players to earn back the fans’ faith they lost from the Malaysian game, adding that “we are and will be watching”.

Mr Dil Amarasekara, a member of the SingaBrigade, said the statement reinforces that the group is firmly behind the national team, but will hold the team accountable when standards are not met, such as with its latest showing.

"I am sure there are many reasons, fatigue, haze etc. But at the end of the day, they are professional footballers who should be expected to perform at a certain standard," said the 36-year-old.

He added that the statement should not be seen as a "rift between FAS and fans". Both sides have a close relationship, with the association engaging fans actively in recent months and a SingaBrigade member sitting on the FAS committee, he said.

Mr Ko said that fans are entitled to their opinions and it is down to all stakeholders, including the FAS, to see what lessons can be learnt.

“One thing we can be sure is, fans are ready to be upfront if the team aren’t performing, and the players and coaches have to take those feedback in a constructive manner and remedy accordingly,” he said.

While fans are obviously not happy about the tournament outcome, they should still “temper our emotions in this situation and really get behind the team”, especially with a challenging Asian Cup campaign coming, he said.

Mr Yeo said that the anger and disappointment of fans are understandable, especially after a loss to arch-rivals.

“That's par for the course. But when emotions have calmed down, I think we should acknowledge that it's a work-in-progress,” he said of the men’s national football team.

“As fans, we really also need to be realistic. Yes, a couple of good games do not make you good, but a couple of bad games also do not make you bad.”