Singapore announces final squad of football players for 32nd SEA Games

SINGAPORE: The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) on Wednesday (Apr 26) announced its final squad of 20 players for the upcoming 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

The event will be hosted by Cambodia and will run from May 5 to May 17.

Singapore under-22 men's national team head coach Philippe Aw had previously announced a provisional squad of 25 players for the upcoming Games. The players selected were solely from this age group, as determined by the host.

The 25 players had been undergoing centralised training since Apr 17. Those that failed to make the cut were Umayr Sujuandy, Raoul Suhaimi, Amir Syafiz, Iman Hakim and Ong Yu En.

The final line-up includes Jordan Emaviwe, team captain Harhys Stewart and in-form Lion City Sailors’ forward Abdul Rasaq, who netted five goals in eight games in the ongoing Singapore Premier League, said the FAS.

Captain Harhys said that it is a privilege to don the national jersey and represent Singapore. He added that the team understood this and "know what is at stake".

“The final 20 players were chosen as they had displayed great commitment, hunger and discipline throughout the centralised training. 

"Most importantly, they were also chosen based on our tactics and game plan in mind," said head coach Aw.

Aw said that he is confident his team will provide a tough challenge for their opponents. Singapore are in Group B of the tournament alongside Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

"I know they will be playing with fighting spirit and a never-say-die attitude," said Aw.

The team departs for Cambodia on Friday, aiming to emerge from the group stage for the first time since 2013.

The country's best finishes were silver medals at the 1983, 1985 and 1989 editions, according to FAS.

Singapore face Thailand on Sunday to open their tournament. The team end the group stage with a fixture against Malaysia on May 11.

Catch live coverage and curated highlights of the SEA Games on Mediacorp's free-to-air Channel 5, digital entertainment service mewatch and on YouTube.