Neil Vanu getting the first of two yellow cards in the 0-2 loss against Indonesia at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on November 11th, in Jakarta. He received a second yellow in the 23rd minute for slapping an Indonesian player and was sent off. (Photo 1 by Chris McGrath/Getty Images for SSC)
Jakarta, Wednesday, November 16, 2011 — The head coach of Singapore’s under-23 national football team has apparently apologised to his team for singling out players for blame after last week’s catastrophic 0-2 loss to Indonesia in the South-east Asian (SEA) Games football tournament.
“I was honest with them and if I make mistakes, I will always say I make mistakes. That’s what I said, you know, if I hurt anyone, I apologise and I’m sorry,” said Slobodan Pavkovic, according to Yahoo!.
“I don’t want to blame players,” said Pavkovic. “I always say that the responsibility lies on us, and part of that responsibility I take.”
Pavkovic was reported to have singled out Neil Vanu and Safuwan Baharudin. Vanue incurred a 23rd minute red card in the game against Indonesia for slapping an Indonesian defender while Safuwan collided with teammate Shahir Hamzah, allowing Indonesia to score a first goal just 45 seconds after the start.
The Young Lions are set to play Thailand tomorrow, Thursday, November 17th, in a game where they need to win by five goals while hoping Indonesia will also do them a favour by thrashing Malaysia.
“I didn’t think he needed to give us an apology because he’s the coach,” said Vanu, according to Yahoo!. “But when he did, I felt like it is a team effort, it’s all of us. I definitely felt better; it was a load off my chest.”
What do you think of Pavkovic apologising to his 2011 SEA Games U-23 football squad for publicly blaming his players?
- He has the right to scold them, but only behind closed doors. (61%, 68 Votes)
- No, he should not have to. The players are over sensitive. (29%, 32 Votes)
- Yes, he should apologise. He hurt their feelings. (10%, 11 Votes)
Total Voters: 111
Loading ...SEA Games 2011 Football — Group A Fixtures
Venue for all matches: Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta. Time shown is Singapore time. Jakarta time is one hour behind.(cross-flag-pins.com)
| Day/Date | Team A | Team B | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Nov 7 | Singapore  | 0 | Malaysia  | 0 | 5pm |
| Mon, Nov 7 | Indonesia  | 6 | Cambodia  | 0 | 8pm |
| Wed, Nov 9 | Malaysia | 2 | Thailand  | 1 | 5pm |
| Wed, Nov 9 | Cambodia | 1 | Singapore | 2 | 8pm |
| Fri, Nov 11 | Singapore | 0 | Indonesia | 2 | 3pm |
| Fri, Nov 11 | Thailand | 4 | Cambodia | 0 | 6pm |
| Sun, Nov 13 | Malaysia | 4 | Cambodia | 1 | 5pm |
| Sun, Nov 13 | Indonesia | 3 | Thailand | 1 | 8pm |
| Thu, Nov 17 | Thailand | 0 | Singapore | 2 | 5pm |
| Thu, Nov 17 | Indonesia | 0 | Malaysia | 1 | 8pm |
SEA Games 2011 Football — Group A Table
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 10 |
| Indonesia | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 9 |
| Singapore | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Thailand | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 3 |
| Cambodia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
SEA Games 2011 Football — Group B Fixtures
Venue for Nov 3rd matches: Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta. Venue for all other matches: Lebak Bulus Stadium, Jakarta. Time shown is Singapore time. Jakarta time is one hour behind.(cross-flag-pins.com)
| Day/Date | Team A | Team B | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Nov 3 | Vietnam  | 3 | Philippines  | 1 | 5pm |
| Thu, Nov 3 | Laos  | 2 | Myanmar  | 3 | 8pm |
| Sat, Nov 5 | Brunei  | 1 | Timor Leste  | 2 | 5pm |
| Sat, Nov 5 | Myanmar | 0 | Vietnam | 0 | 8pm |
| Mon, Nov 7 | Timor Leste | 2 | Philippines | 1 | 5pm |
| Mon, Nov 7 | Laos | 2 | Brunei | 2 | 8pm |
| Wed, Nov 9 | Myanmar | 4 | Brunei | 0 | 5pm |
| Wed, Nov 9 | Vietnam | 2 | Timor Leste | 0 | 8pm |
| Fri, Nov 11 | Philippines | 3 | Laos | 2 | 5pm |
| Sat, Nov 12 | Brunei | 0 | Vietnam | 8 | 5pm |
| Sun, Nov 13 | Philippines | 0 | Myanmar | 5 | 5pm |
| Sun, Nov 13 | Timor Leste | 0 | Laos | 3 | 8pm |
| Tue, Nov 15 | Myanmar | 1 | Timor Leste | 0 | 5pm |
| Tue, Nov 15 | Philippines | 1 | Brunei | 1 | 8pm |
| Thu, Nov 17 | Laos | 1 | Vietnam | 3 | 5pm |
SEA Games 2011 Football — Group B Table
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 13 |
| Myanmar | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Timor Leste | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 6 |
| Laos | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 4 |
| Philippines | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 4 |
| Brunei | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 2 |
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