Category: News
Lion City Sailors are pleased to announce Kim Do-hoon as the club’s new head coach.
Kim, who led South Korean outfit Ulsan Hyundai to victory in the Asian Football Confederation’s AFC Champions League (ACL) last year, joins the Sailors on a two-and-a-half year deal. He is expected to officially link up with the team in June.
The former South Korean international will step into the role vacated by Aurelio Vidmar, who left the Sailors in April.
“I am delighted to be joining the Lion City Sailors. It’s hugely exciting to be part of such an ambitious project – the club has aspirations of becoming one of the top teams in the region, and I’m confident of delivering that success to the Sailors,” said Kim.
“Before anything, however, I would like to thank Aurelio for the solid groundwork that he has put in place. The Sailors boast a very talented squad, and the team has been playing exciting attacking football over the past year or so. I intend to build on that, and bring this team to the next level.”
Kim left Ulsan last December after four years in charge of the club. While there, he was known for playing a possession-based style of football that focused on ball retention and attacking at pace.
The 50-year-old – who previously managed Incheon United from 2015 to 2016 before joining Ulsan – was also instrumental in bringing out the best in his players, with the likes of striker Júnior Negrão, winger Kim In-Seong, and midfielder Lee Dong Kyung thriving under his stewardship. Under Kim, Ulsan won their first-ever Korean FA Cup in 2017, and also consistently challenged for the league title – they finished second in both the 2019 and 2020 season.
Sailors Chief Executive Chew Chun-Liang said: “We conducted an exhaustive search for the right candidate to take the club forward. There were several top-class candidates, but Do-hoon stood out as the ideal person to take over as head coach because of his professionalism, consistency, and propensity to play an eye-catching style of football.
“Do-hoon also has a good record of helping players fulfil their potential. This was something that we considered strongly, given the number of young talents that we have at the club.
“More importantly, Do-hoon is a proven winner who has both played and managed at the highest level of Asian football. We would also like to thank Do-hoon’s representatives, Rookbook Sports, for helping to facilitate this move. We are certain that with Do-hoon at the helm, the Sailors will be able to accelerate our progress in our ongoing quest for success.”
Sailors winger Gabriel Quak welcomed the appointment of Kim, and expressed his excitement at the prospect of working under such an esteemed coach.
“It’s always great to be working under someone as knowledgeable and experienced as coach Kim,” said Quak. “He has achieved great success with Ulsan, and we are all excited for him to help us develop individually and as a team.”
Faced with a raft of Tanjong Pagar players sitting deep in their own half, Lion City Sailors initially found it tough to make any real headway in the attacking third against the Jaguars in their Singapore Premier League (SPL) fixture at the Jalan Besar Stadium last evening (May 16).
Tanjong Pagar’s deep defensive shape was similar to the one put out by the Sailors’ previous opponent Geylang International last weekend – a match which saw the Sailors secure a narrow 2-1 victory, courtesy of a long-range winner from Saifullah Akbar.
Sunday’s encounter against Tanjong Pagar was equally tight, with neither team able to break the deadlock in a cagey first-half.
The visitors, however, took the lead against the run of play just two minutes into the second-half, through Shodai Nishikawa.
But the Sailors responded in the 55th minute, with Jorge Fellipe’s towering header finding the bottom corner of the Tanjong Pagar net. Four minutes later, the Sailors took the lead courtesy of winger Gabriel Quak’s precise finish, before Diego Lopes ensured the home team would take all three points with a third Sailors goal in the 80th minute.
It was far from the sort of vintage attacking display that many have come to associate with the Sailors. But Gabriel believes it is only natural that it is harder to craft out goal scoring opportunities, as more opposing teams choose to sit deeper and play more defensively against them.
“As a team, we tend to play a more possession-based game, and I think most of the (opposing) teams recognise that and are happy to allow us time on the ball,” Gabriel explained.
“I think most of our opponents now tend to sit back and keep things tight. We cannot show up and expect to score four, five goals every match.
“There’s no fault in teams playing defensively. Every coach has their own game plan tailored to each fixture. For me, I believe teams are sitting deeper against us because they respect us, so the onus is on us to find different ways to attack them and breach their defences.”
Indeed, Tanjong Pagar’s game plan looked to have worked when they took a shock lead early in the second half. Gabriel, however, believes the Sailors’ maturity and winning mentality helped them overcome the initial setback.
Reflecting on the game, the 30-year-old said: “They (Tanjong Pagar) didn’t make it easy for us. In the first-half you could see they were so deep and defensive…that was part of their game plan, and they executed it well.
“We conceded a goal early in the second-half, which is always a bad time to concede. But what was really pleasing to see was that there was no panicking and finger-pointing within the team. We simply picked the ball up and got on with the game.
“I think that is a sign of how this team has matured, and of our desire to win. We kept pushing on and got rewarded quite soon after through goals from Jorge and myself at a crucial time of the game, before Diego sealed the three points later on. It was overall a fantastic team effort from everyone against a tough opponent.”
Gabriel’s goal brings him up to eight for the campaign – just one shy of his career-best return in a league season.
When asked what he attributed his good goalscoring form this season to, the Singapore international replied: “It definitely helps to play alongside smart and talented players, who make playing football more enjoyable. Over the past few seasons, I’ve also been trying to make scoring goals more of a habit, and it’s paying dividends now.
“But I think that while we as attackers are often judged on how many goals we score, it’s also important that people recognise our overall contribution to the team. When we run to create space for others, or assist a teammate…these are things that are equally important to the team.”
Gabriel also hailed the blossoming partnership between him and Diego Lopes in the attacking third, with the two of them assisting the other for their respective goals against Tanjong Pagar.
“It’s been fun playing and training with Diego,” said Gabriel. “We have a strong mutual respect for each other, and because we both operate mostly in the attacking third, we have struck up a good understanding on the pitch.
“He knows the kind of passes I like to receive, and vice versa. Today was evident of that (partnership) – we made a lot of passes to each other throughout the game, and our good understanding comes from the hard work we put on the training ground. I’m definitely happy to be playing with him.”
Now unbeaten in seven matches, the Sailors remain second in the table on 23 points, just one behind league leaders Albirex Niigata (S).
With just about half of the season left to go, Gabriel knows the Sailors can ill-afford to slip up in their quest to wrest the SPL title from champions Albirex.
“It’s very tight in the league, so every game feels as crucial as a six-pointer,” Gabriel said. “Just one win can propel you up the table, and a loss can bump you down a few places as well.
“Right now, we are on a good run of results, and we’re just focused on keeping it going. We have confidence in our abilities, but we’re also just going to take it one game at a time, because every opponent is different.
“As you can see from the last two games, it’s getting tougher, so we have to remain on the ball if we want to finish the season as SPL champions.”
The Sailors will next take on the Young Lions this Saturday (May 22), 5.30pm at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
The Singapore Lions have called up eight Lion City Sailors players for their upcoming World Cup and Asian Cup qualifying campaign in June.
Among the Sailors called up include new signing and National Team captain Hariss Harun, goalkeeper Hassan Sunny, as well as reigning Singapore Premier League (SPL) Player of the Year Gabriel Quak.
Sailors assistant head coach Noh Rahman, as well as senior fitness coach Nasruldin Baharuddin, have also been drafted into The Lions’ technical team.
Singapore are scheduled to play a training match against Afghanistan in Saudi Arabia on May 29. They will then take on Palestine (June 3), Uzbekistan (June 7), and Saudi Arabia (June 11) in their Asian qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The Lions are currently third in Group D with seven points, four behind leaders Saudi Arabia, and two behind second-placed Uzbekistan. Yemen (five points) and Palestine (four) are the other two nations in the group.
Sailors interim head coach Robin Chitrakar said he was confident that the players called-up will represent the club and Singapore with pride.
He said: “It is always an honour to be called up for the Singapore National Team, and I’m sure the Sailors involved in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers will do their country proud.”
Singapore Sailors
Hassan Sunny, Amirul Adli, Hariss Harun, Shahdan Sulaiman, Saifullah Akbar, Hafiz Nor, Gabriel Quak, Faris Ramli, Noh Rahman (assistant coach), Nasruldin Baharuddin (fitness coach)
Just five minutes into the start of the 2021 Singapore Premier League (SPL) season, and Lion City Sailors’ Haiqal Pashia had already registered an assist – the 22-year-old’s smart run and cross was turned home by his teammate Song Ui-Young for the Sailors’ opening goal in a 3-3 draw with Tampines Rovers.
Pashia was handed another start in the Sailors’ next game – a 5-0 win over Tanjong Pagar – where he put on yet another encouraging and industrious display on the wing.
It was a good start to the campaign, but, before the winger could build on the momentum, he suffered an unfortunate injury to his achilles tendon during training.
“I was feeling good and had momentum at that moment. I was starting to perform and I felt I was able to produce my best, but then the injury happened in training,” said Pashia.
“I knew from the moment I got the injury that I’ll be out for a while. I would feel pain whenever I tried to walk. The injury left me feeling really down, and it affected me a lot, both mentally and physically.”
But Pashia remained determined to bounce back from this setback, and worked hard to recover from his injury.
“Having an injury is not the end of the world – it’s important to have lots of confidence to overcome it, and for sure you’ll eventually recover,” Pashia said.
After a six-match absence due to the injury, Pashia finally made his return to competitive action last Sunday (May 2), as he was handed a starting berth in the Sailors’ 2-1 win over Geylang International.
While the 22-year-old admitted that he could have “done more” in the 53 minutes that he played, it was nonetheless a joy to be back out on the pitch doing what he loved.
“I felt really great to be back on the pitch, and the key now is to get my match fitness back,” he said.
Pashia has come a long way since making his professional debut with the Young Lions in 2017. One of the few truly two-footed players in Singapore, his natural talent saw him called up to play for Singapore in two Southeast Asian (SEA) Games campaigns (2017 and 2019), before being snapped up by the Sailors in 2020.
Turning 23 this November, the versatile attacker aims to add ‘numbers’ to his game, so as to strengthen his credentials as a first-team regular at the Sailors.
“I know that as an attacker, I will be judged based on goals and assists, so definitely I’m going to try to get more on the board to prove my qualities,” Pashia explained.
“It’s definitely not easy here with so many talented players, so I’ve to really fight for my spot. But I know my potential and what I can do – the important thing is for me to push and perform at an even higher level than I’ve done before.”
Pashia has the perfect role model to learn from at the Sailors in the form of his childhood idol, Faris Ramli.
“I’ve watched him since his LionsXII days and I’m not shy to say that I’ve always tried to portray my playing style like him,” he revealed. “It’s great that he’s now my teammate, and he’s been guiding me on how to improve my game and also motivating me during the time I was out injured.”
While the Sailors continue their search for a new head coach to replace Aurelio Vidmar, Pashia is pleased to be reunited with current interim coach Robin Chitrakar, who had managed him at the national under-17 level.
“He’s a coach who communicates very well with his players,” shared Pashia. “He knows what is needed specifically to bring the best out of each player, and it’s great to have him in charge for now.”
With the Sailors in a rich vein of form and now just a point behind league leaders Albirex Niigata (S), the mood in the dressing room is understandably high as they gear towards their objective of becoming the first local SPL champions since 2014.
Their next task is to take down a much-improved Tanjong Pagar side at Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday evening. While the Jaguars may be second-from-bottom in the standings, they have already shown their capabilities this season by taking points off the Sailors’ title rivals Hougang United and Tampines Rovers.
And Pashia is looking forward to the prospect of helping the Sailors register their fifth straight win, as well as doing battle with his friend Rusyaidi Salime.
“Tanjong Pagar are usually quite defensive-minded and often play with a back five, so we need to move quicker, think faster and be ready to capitalise on any errors,” Pashia said. “Personally, I’m looking forward to playing against Rusyaidi. He’s been a key player for them and we have to stop his influence in the middle of the park.”
Lion City Sailors will continue to play their Singapore Premier League (SPL) matches as scheduled, after the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) confirmed that the league will be allowed to carry on behind closed doors.
In light of a recent spike in Covid-19 infections in the community, the Singapore government announced tighter safe management measures that will come into force on May 16.
However, as all SPL players and officials undergo mandatory swab testing, the new measures will not affect the status of the league.
“Strict protocols will continue to be in place, including zonal demarcation before and after matches to ensure the safety and health of all stakeholders are of top priority,” said the FAS on Friday (May 14).
Sailors fans can still catch the team in action LIVE via SPL’s Facebook page and Youtube channel, as well as the Facebook page of 1 Play Sports.
The Sailors will next take on Tanjong Pagar United this Sunday (May 16), 5.30pm, at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
Lion City Sailors are delighted to announce the signing of Singapore national team captain Hariss Harun.
The 30-year-old midfielder joins the Sailors on a three-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee from Malaysia Super League (MSL) side Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT). Hariss enjoyed an eight-year history-making spell with the Southern Tigers, who have had an iron grip on the MSL title since 2014, and became the first Malaysian side to win a continental title when they lifted the Asian Football Confederation Cup (AFC Cup) in 2015.
Hariss spent the 2017 season on loan at Home United, the previous iteration of the Sailors, in a season that saw the team score 97 goals in all competitions, finishing third in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) – then titled the S.League – and second runners-up in the Singapore Cup. Hariss will be reunited with both Stipe Plazibat and Faris Ramli, who were also members of the team of 2017.
“I’m thrilled to return home. The SPL is where I started to build my career, and it’s wildly exciting to now be a part of the Lion City Sailors’ vision of building up a club that can act as a catalyst for the SPL and Singapore football,” said Hariss.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with JDT, and it was an honour to have worn the armband for a team that enjoyed tremendous success on the pitch while also making amazing improvements off the field too. I’d like to express my gratitude to Tunku Ismail for his leadership and trust in me, and I’d also like to thank the JDT team, staff and the people of Johor for welcoming me as one of their own.
“I can’t wait to get started on my next chapter with the Sailors, and I look forward to years of Sailors’ on-field success and off the pitch progress.”
Sailors Chief Executive Chew Chun-Liang said he was excited at the prospect of adding a Singapore football luminary to the club’s bullpen.
“Hariss is a model professional who has shown that he is a leader in the dressing room as well as on the pitch, and we’re looking forward to him contributing to all the various facets of the Lion City Sailors project,” said Chew.
“It was a pleasure working with our JDT counterparts to iron out this deal that will bring Singapore’s national team captain to the Sailors, and competing in domestic competitions.
“Hariss has all the qualities that will not only strengthen the Sailors, but make our fans proud of what we’re aiming to build at the club. We’re delighted to welcome Hariss back to Singapore.”
Hariss will officially link up with the Sailors in June after the next international break.
Given that the Lion City Sailors had beaten Geylang International 8-0 in their previous encounter, there were many who had expected the Sailors to notch up yet another big win when the two teams met again in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday (9 May) evening.
Sailors midfielder Saifullah Akbar was not one of them.
The 22-year-old understood just how much that defeat must have hurt the Geylang players, and so, knew that they would be desperate to make amends this time around.
Saifullah explained: “Going into this game, the whole team knew it wouldn’t be an easy encounter, as Geylang would want to prove that the 8-0 loss last time out was a fluke.
“They also now had their key players like Barry (Maguire) and Moresche back in the team, so it was always going to be a completely different Geylang side that we were facing this time.”
Saifullah was right. The Eagles put on a spirited display against the Sailors and came close on several occasions to denying Saifullah’s side of all three points.
The Sailors took the lead through Stipe Plazibat in the 22nd minute, before being pegged back by Moresche’s equaliser just five minutes later.
With Geylang fighting tooth and nail for every ball, the Sailors needed something special to edge the tie – and Saifullah was only too happy to oblige with a long-range effort in the 57th minute that rifled into the bottom corner of the net.
Reflecting on his winning goal, a delighted Saifullah said: “It’s an incredible feeling to have scored that winning goal. The goal came quite early in the second-half so I didn’t think that would be it because the game was fairly open, and we had a few more chances after that.
“It was only after the final whistle that I realised how important it was to score that goal. But overall, I think it’s a massive relief that we were able to get the win over Geylang.
“Credit has to go to our team as well, because we remained calm throughout despite the tough resistance from Geylang. But with the experience and quality that we have, I was always confident that we would eventually be able to get the job done.”
This was also the first competitive game without Aurelio Vidmar in the Sailors dugout. The former Australia captain had left the club at the end of April.
While admitting that it took some time to come to terms with, Saifullah praised interim head coach Robin Chitrakar for carrying on where Aurelio left off – the Sailors are unbeaten in six matches, and are now just within one point of SPL leaders Albirex Niigata (S).
“It was initially a little weird (not to have Aurelio around), and it took me quite a while to adapt to that,” Saifullah conceded. “But coach Robin is doing a great job in keeping us going from where we left off with Aurelio, and I’m confident that we will only go from strength to strength.
“The morale within the team has always been great, and with this run of good form that we are on now, it’s just getting better. We’re all already looking forward to the next match!”
The Sailors will next take on Tanjong Pagar United, a team they beat 5-0 earlier in the season, at the Jalan Besar Stadium this Sunday (16 May) at 5.30pm.
Lion City Sailors will play our Singapore Premier League (SPL) matches behind closed doors from May 8, 2021, in line with the new Covid-19 restrictions announced on Tuesday.
Up to 250 spectators were allowed into the stadiums for SPL games last month, and we were delighted to have our fans supporting us live at the games against Geylang International, Balestier Khalsa, and most recently, Hougang United.
However, the recent rise in Covid-19 infections has led to the authorities implementing stricter measures for SPL games.
Sailors CEO Chew Chun-Liang said: “We fully understand and support the decision to have SPL games played behind closed doors. The wellbeing and health of our fans, players, and staff remains our top priority.
“We are naturally disappointed that our fans can no longer support us in person. Their presence at the stadiums in our last few games, especially against Hougang, provided a real boost to the team.
“But we urge our fans to adhere to the new Covid-19 measures implemented by the authorities, so that we can get through this storm together as quickly as possible. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before the restrictions are lifted, and fans will be allowed back into stadiums again.”
Fans can still catch the Sailors in action LIVE on broadcast via the SPL Facebook page and YouTube channel, as well as the 1 Play Sports Facebook page.
The Sailors will next take on Geylang International this Sunday, 8.30pm, at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
Join The Crew!
As Lion City Sailors’ interim Head Coach, Robin Chitrakar knows he has an important role to play from now to when a permanent replacement for the outgoing Aurelio Vidmar is appointed.
With the Sailors on a good run of form – they are unbeaten in their last five games, having won four of them and drawn one – Robin has the huge responsibility of ensuring that the team continues to pick up the wins as they work towards their goal of finishing as champions of the Singapore Premier League (SPL) this season.
While Aurelio will only officially part ways with the Sailors tomorrow (April 30), Robin has already been heavily involved in leading the training sessions for the senior team.
And the 44-year-old, who holds an AFC Professional Coaching Diploma, revealed that his main focus at the moment is on continuing the good work that Aurelio has done with the Sailors.
“I’m not here to make huge changes. Coach Aurelio has done very well with the team…he has laid a solid foundation, so my role now is to simply carry on from where he left off,” Robin explained.
“Under coach Aurelio, the team’s philosophy was to attack, and that is what we’ll stick to because it’s proven to be effective. But of course, we’ll reflect and make some tweaks according to who our next opponent is.”
This is not the first time that Robin, who is also the head coach of the Sailors’ Under-21 side, has managed a senior team in the SPL.
About a decade ago, when the SPL was still known as the S.League, Robin was the head coach of the Young Lions. During that stint, which lasted from 2011 to 2012, he worked with and helped develop several of the current stars in the Sailors squad, including Faris Ramli, Gabriel Quak, Shahdan Sulaiman, Aqhari Abdullah and Tajeli Salamat.
While acknowledging that it has been “quite long ago” since he led a senior team, Robin is confident that, together with the rest of the technical team, they will be able to stabilise the ship in the absence of a permanent head coach.
“On the player front, everybody knows that we have top quality in our ranks. But we also have a very strong technical team and dedicated backroom staff who all work hard to help the team perform at their optimum on match days,” said Robin.
“So, I don’t have any concerns about taking on this role because the support is there. I’ll be working closely with everyone, especially assistant head coach Noh (Rahman) and Head of Sports Science Mario (Jovanovic) to keep the Sailors going until a permanent head coach is found.”
The Sailors are currently second in the SPL, just three points behind league leaders Albirex Niigata (S). They will next take on Geylang International at the Jalan Besar Stadium next Sunday (May 9), at 8.30pm.
Robin believes the two-week break in between the Sailors’ last game against Hougang United (a 1-0 win over the Cheetahs) and their next fixture against the Eagles will be beneficial for the players.
“The boys are all going to miss Aurelio, so it’s good that we have two weeks before the next match, because then it’ll give them more time to adapt to life without him,” Robin elaborated.
“It’s important that everyone is ready for the visit of Geylang. They’re a very good side that retains possession very well. They were unfortunate with injuries early in the season and failed to make their chances count, but they are a very dangerous team overall. We’ve got to be wary especially of their attacking set-pieces, so we’ll have to prepare for that.”
And while Robin may not be in the Sailors dugout as the team’s head coach for long, he has promised the club’s fans that he will do all he can to make them happy.
“Like everyone else here at the club, I’m only focused on helping the Sailors win the SPL this season,” Robin declared. “It’s an honour to be given this responsibility, and my promise to the Sailors fans is that I will work my hardest to tide the team through this period of transition.
“Ultimately, we want to make our fans happy by playing entertaining football while getting the right results. That is what I intend to achieve with the Sailors, and I hope you’ll continue to give me and the team your utmost support.”
