Football: Sundram to coach newly-named LionsXII for Malaysia Cup return

lionsxii malaysia cup launch

Left to right: Head coach V. Sundramoorthy, vice-captain Hariss Harun, captain Shahril Ishak, FAS president Zainudin Nordin. (Photo courtesy of Sobban Munyandy/FAS)

Jalan Besar, Monday, December 5, 2011 — V. Sundramoorthy was announced as head coach of the Singapore team taking part in the Malaysian domestic competitions from 2012 to 2015. The team of youngsters and experienced national players will compete in the three Malaysian domestic competitions — the Malaysian Super League, FA Cup and Malaysia Cup.

The team also has a new name — LIONSXII.

Sundramoorthy, who has a Pro Diploma in coaching, was chosen for his playing experience in the Malaysia Cup as well as his experience as head coach of Jurong FC and the Young Lions.

Sundram was one of two Singapore players, along with Fandi Ahmad, to have ever played in Europe when he had a stint back in 1987 to 1988 with Switzerland club, FC Basel.

Besides playing for Singapore in the Malaysian competitions, he also crossed the border and donned the colours of Kedah, Pahang and Kelantan.

Towards the end of his career he came back to his roots to turn out for Jurong FC in the S-League from 1996 to 1999.

Sundram picked his room mate from his Malaysian Cup days, Kadir Yahya, as his assistant coach.

Also unveiled today was the 28-man squad list which includes Shahril Ishak, Khairul Amri, Agu Casmir and Hariss Harun. The bulk of the squad – 13 of them — come from the Young Lions squad that played in the 2011 S.League season.

Said Sundram: “It is a great honour to be given this huge task of leading LIONSXII in the Malaysian domestic tournaments and having experienced the excitement and euphoria of the Malaysia Cup as a player, I will give it my all and pass down the wealth of knowledge I have to these 28 players whom I believe will be a competitive squad in the coming season.”

Zainudin Nordin, president of the Football Association of Singapore, was pleased with the appointment when he added: “This is a historic day in Singapore football and I am confident that coach V.Sundramoorthy and the players will be able to rise up to the challenge. It is important to stress that this team is a team for all Singaporeans, as shown in our choice of team name and logo. We want Singaporeans to come down and stand by the Lions as they strive for glory on the pitch.”

FAS general secretary, Mr Winston Lee, explained how the team name and logo were formulated.

He said: “Since we announced our participation in the Malaysian competitions, the buzz and excitement amongst fans has been positive and we always felt that the fans are a part of the team. With this team name and logo, we want the fans to have a sense of ownership and take pride in their team. We look forward to seeing fans come to the matches and help us create that magical ‘cauldron’ atmosphere which has always been there during the Malaysia Cup days.”

LIONSXII Squad List
Goalkeepers: Izwan Mahbud, Hyrulnizam Jumaat, Al-Faiz Ishak

Defenders: Safuwan Baharudin, Juma’at Jantan, Shaiful Esah, Irwan Shah, Shakir Hamzah, Sevki Sha’ban, Shahir Hamzah, Madhu Mohana, Baihakki Khaizan

Midfielders: Hariss Harun, Safirul Sulaiman, Izzdin Shafiq, Isa Halim, Taufiq Rahmat, Raihan Rahman, Shahdan Sulaiman, Yasir Hanapi, Shahril Ishak, Firdaus Kasman, Pravin Guanasagaran

Forwards: Khairul Amri, Gabriel Quak, Fazli Ayob, Khairul Nizam, Agu Casmir, Sufian Anuar