Press Releases ● Aug 21, 2014
Singapore Drawn With Oman, Palestine And Tajikistan In Asian Games Group
SINGAPORE, 21 AUGUST 2014: The Singapore team that will be competing in next month’s 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, has been drawn with Oman, Palestine and Tajikistan in Group C, it was announced today by the Asian Games organisers.
A total of 29 countries will compete in the football competition at the Asiad. They have been drawn into five groups of four teams, and three groups of three teams. The top two countries from each group will proceed to the round-of-16 knockout stages. Each team is allowed to field three over-age players for the Under-23 tournament.
Oman’s national team is ranked 67th in the world in the latest FIFA rankings, while Palestine and Tajikistan are 88th and 120th respectively. Singapore is ranked 152nd.
Head Coach, National Teams Bernd Stange will lead the team, while Courts Young Lions head coach Aide Iskandar will be assistant coach.
“Once again, I would like to thank the Singapore National Olympic Council for approving our selection for the Asian Games,” said Stange. “This is a challenging draw, and Oman are the favourites to go through.
“Our players are raring to go after our recent training tour of Austria in July, and the 3-2 away win over Bahrain in early August has also lifted their confidence. Taking part in a tournament like the Asian Games is important for the long-term development of our younger players. We aim to perform well in every game, and hopefully do enough to progress to the next round.”
The Singapore team finished bottom of its four-country group at the 2010 Asian Games after drawing 0-0 with Qatar and losing 0-2 and 1-4 to Kuwait and India respectively.
The Football Association of Singapore will be unveiling the 25-strong squad for the Asian Games next week.
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE
