24 Man Squad Named For Training Camp In Japan Ahead of 2020 AFC U-23 Qualifiers

Wednesday, 6 March 2019 - The Singapore Under-22s are headed to Japan ahead of the 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 Championship Qualifiers, which take place from 22nd to 26th March 2019 in Mongolia.

Head Coach Fandi Ahmad has named a 24-man squad for the training camp in the Land of the Rising Sun, with Young Lions defender Nur Adam Abdullah and SAFSA midfielder Amirul Haikal both being called up to the Under-22 National Team for the first time.

Singapore is drawn in Group G of the Qualifiers alongside the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Hong Kong and hosts Mongolia. The 11 group winners and best 4 second-placed teams will qualify for the Championship.

In order to acclimatise to the weather conditions in Mongolia, where temperatures are expected to reach 5 degrees and below, the Under-22s are scheduled to travel to Japan on 7 March for a 12-day centralised training camp ahead of the tournament.

"This qualifying tournament is a good opportunity for the team to pit themselves against quality opponents in Asia. Some of the players in this squad played in last November's ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup. Their experience will stand them in good stead for these qualifiers and I am sure the other players will also benefit from their experience." said Fandi.

“Given Mongolia's climate, the training camp in Japan is critical for the team to acclimatise to playing in cold weather conditions. We want the boys to be able to focus on the qualifiers and show what they can bring to the team.”, he continued.

Team Captain, Irfan Fandi, who plies his trade in Thailand with Thai League 2 side, BG Pathum United FC, was looking forward to the tournament. "It's only been a few months but I have already learnt a lot from playing overseas. I am excited to share my experience with the team and hope that I can bring a positive impact to the team. We will be working hard to prepare ourselves for the qualifiers and play our hearts out for every match.”

Irfan's younger sibling, Ikhsan Fandi, who is currently in Norway with second-tier Norwegian side Raufoss IL, was also named in the squad, along with the Singapore Premier League standout players Justin Hui (Hougang United), Danish Irfan (Geylang International), Hami Syahin (Home United), Haiqal Pashia (Young Lions), as well as Irfan Najeeb (SAFSA), who plays the National Football League (NFL) Division One alongside Amirul.

Following the conclusion of the training camp, 23 players will be registered for the Qualifiers. The Under-22s will be looking to improve upon their last performance in the tournament, where they failed to advance beyond the group stages after finishing in third place out of a group of four teams in Myanmar back in 2017.

Singapore AFC Under-23 Championship Qualifiers Fixtures

Hong Kong vs Singapore
22 March 2019, Friday, 1.00pm (SG time)
MFF Football Centre, Ulaanbaatar

Singapore vs vs DPR Korea
24 March 2019, Sunday, 1.00pm (SG time)
MFF Football Centre, Ulaanbaatar

Singapore vs Mongolia
26 March 2019, Tuesday, 5.00pm (SG time)
MFF Football Centre, Ulaanbaatar

Singapore Under-22 National Team

S/N	Name	Pos	DOB	Club
1	Kenji Rusydi	GK	12-Jul-98	Young Lions
2	Adib Nur Hakim	GK	9-Mar-98	Young Lions
3	Zharfan Rohaizad	GK	21-Feb-97	Young Lions
4	Akram Azman	DF	21-Nov-00	Young Lions
5	Danish Irfan	DF	10-Mar-99	Geylang International FC
6	Irfan Fandi	DF	13-Aug-97	BG Pathum United (THA)
7	Irfan Najeeb	DF	31-Jul-99	SAFSA
8	Nur Adam Abdullah	DF	13-Apr-01	Young Lions
9	Syahrul Sazali	DF	3-Jun-98	Young Lions
10	Zulqarnaen Suzliman	DF	29-Mar-98	Young Lions
11	Lionel Tan	DF	5-Jun-97	Young Lions
12	Amirul Haikal	MF	11-Oct-99	SAFSA
13	Justin Hui	MF	17-Feb-98	Hougang United FC
14	Jacob Mahler	MF	10-Apr-00	Young Lions
15	Joshua Pereira	MF	10-Oct-97	Young Lions
16	Naqiuddin Eunos	MF	12-Jan-97	Young Lions
17	Saifullah Akbar	MF	31-Jan-99	Young Lions
18	Nur Luqman	MF	20-Jun-98	Young Lions
19	Hami Syahin	MF	16-Dec-98	Home United FC
20	Arshad Shamim	MF	9-Dec-99	Home United FC
21	Haiqal Pashia	FW	29-Nov-98	Young Lions
22	Ikhsan Fandi	FW	9-Apr-99	Raufoss IL (NOR)
23	Amiruldin Asraf	FW	8-Jan-97	Home United FC
24	Syukri Bashir	FW	11-Apr-98	Young Lions

Photo: Singapore Lions Under-23