
Since 2013: LionsXII are not the Young Lions are not the Courts Young Lions are not Singapore
When I first heard of the MOU signed by our FA and the Malaysian FA in 2011 in the name of development, I was a little cautious. Then I complained about our our fixation on the Malaysia Cup and how doing well there might not correspond with success on a greater stage.
Under their first head coach V. Sundramoorthy, the LionsXII won the Malaysian Super League (MSL) in 2013, and enjoyed successful runs in the Malaysia Cup. Their home stadium, Jalan Besar, was inhospitable for visiting teams, and the King George Stand — specially built for this club — sparked many a cheer thanks to the likes of the raucous ExcluSinga.
While the LionsXII grew from strength to strength, the Singapore side notched their names on the AFF Suzuki Cup for a record fourth time, beating Thailand 3-2 on aggregate in the final. It would be a fitting farewell to the then national coach Radojko Avramovic.
So maybe I was proven wrong. So maybe the LionsXII weren’t such a bad thing after all? (Never mind that when V. Sundramoorthy took over as caretaker national coach, we lost comprehensively to Jordan.) Continue reading →