Singapore squad announced for AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers

27 players to travel to Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic for final round of qualifying in Takayuki Nishigaya’s first assignment

Hassan Sunny in action, 29 March 2022

SINGAPORE, 24 MAY 2022 – Singapore Men’s National Team Head Coach Takayuki Nishigaya today named a squad of 27 players for the FIFA international window in June. (UPDATE: Shawal Anuar withdrew due to injury on 28 May)

The Lions commence their Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup™ 2023 Qualifiers Final Round campaign on 8 June in Bishkek, Krygyz Republic, where they have been drawn into Group F alongside the hosts, Tajikistan and Myanmar. They will face Kuwait in an international ‘A’ friendly on 1 June in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates as part of their preparations.

Young Lions forward Glenn Kweh, 22, has been handed a maiden call-up and is one of five uncapped players in the squad. Defenders Ryhan Stewart and Ryaan Sanizal, as well as midfielder Shah Shahiran, have all earned their second call-ups.

Kweh, who made his professional debut in April 2021, said: “I am very happy to get my first call-up and was also quite shocked at first because I did not expect it at this point in my career. It means everything to me because playing for the senior team has been a dream of mine since young and to be given a chance at this age, I am very grateful for the support from all my team-mates, coaches and family.

“I aim to learn from the more experienced players and I know I have to step up as the level on the senior international stage is definitely higher than what I have played at so far. I am excited to join this squad full of seasoned professionals going into a crucial round of qualifiers, and I hope to be able to make my debut.”

Glenn Kweh in action for the Singapore Under-22 Men’s National Team, 28 October 2021

Nishigaya is looking forward to his first assignment as Head Coach as the Lions aim to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in their history.

The Japanese said: “I selected these players with the intention of helping the team qualify from the group; that is the most important reason behind the choices. I have watched all the matches from the ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup 2020, the Tri-Nations Series in March, the AIA Singapore Premier League and 31^st Southeast Asian Games; at the same time, I consulted my assistant coaches, Nazri Nasir and Koichiro Iizuka, whose views are equally important, when we came up with the selection list. The coaching team has been fantastic with their support and attitude and we all know this is an important competition phase for the Lions.

“Coach Tatsuma Yoshida has previously laid down good foundations and we have to build on those, while also implementing my own philosophy. We should aim to be more aggressive in pressing when we do not have the ball, while I want to showcase the abilities of the players to their full potential when we go forward. Most importantly, we have to play collectively as one unit, one team, be it with or without the ball.

“I am excited for my first game in charge against Kuwait and while a positive result is always welcomed, we need to be able to achieve our preparatory objectives just as much. I will use the match to experiment with some new ideas that we would have put in the training sessions prior, and after that, we can then think of how to improve further when we play the three qualifiers.

“My objective is very clear: to go through to the AFC Asian Cup Finals. Our opponents might be stronger in terms of FIFA rankings, but I have full confidence in the team. The boys must have the belief that they can match the opponents with the aim to get positive results in all the games.”

The Lions are scheduled to depart Singapore on 29 May for the United Arab Emirates for a training camp that include the Kuwait friendly, before then traveling to Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic on 2 June. There, the team will contest the third and final round of Asian Cup qualifying between 8 to 14 June. The six group winners and five best second-placed teams will advance to the Finals.

Singapore Men’s National Team Squad for June 2022

Singapore Men’s National Team Fixtures for June 2022

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