JALAN Besar Stadium will continue to host LionsXII’s matches in the M-League next season.
The FA of Malaysia (FAM) had requested the FA of Singapore (FAS) to shift Lions’ home games from the unpopular artificial pitch at Jalan Besar Stadium to another venue, when both parties met on Friday, following complaints from several M-League teams who want to play on grass.
But FAS could not find a suitable venue as the other stadiums in Singapore will be either being renovated or hosting S-League matches. Furthermore, the rental of the 55,000-capacity National Stadium, which is managed by Sports Hub, is beyond the budget of FAS.
FAM general-secretary Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin said there will be no change of Lions’ home venue next season.
“FAS could not accommodate our request simply because the rental of the National Stadium is too expensive,” said Hamidin yesterday.
It is also understood that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between FAM and FAS signed in 2011 to have Young Tigers A and Lions in each other’s league is expected to continue beyond 2015.
Hamidin said the possible extension of the MoU will be reviewed in February or March.
It is learnt, however, that FAM and FAS may choose not to do so due to outstanding issues.
FAS was unhappy with FAM’s decision to replace Tigers A (Under-23) with Tigers B (Under-21) after the 2012 season.
FAM also wants to iron out details over Lions’ participation in the M-League, if it is extended, such as whether they would be subject to relegation to the Premier League should they finish in the bottom two in the top-tier competition.
Tigers A will return to the S-League next season following FAM’s decision to discontinue their participation in Australia’s Queensland League.
Tigers A will play two S-League matches in mid-February before they take a short break for the AFC Under-22 Qualifiers in March as 18 players from that team will be eligible for the tournament.
“FAS, however, has shot down our request to have Tigers A’s home games in Singapore as several stadium are under renovation. Ong Kim Swee’s side will likely host S-League teams either in Pasir Gudang Stadium, UiTM Stadium or MBPJ Stadium. We will decide next week,” said Hamidin.
He also disclosed the possibility of Tigers A and B (coached by Razip Ismail) merging next season. “We initially decided to merge the teams but their respective managers, Datuk Seri Afandi Hamzah and Datuk Rozabil Abdul Rahman felt otherwise. We will explore the idea further next week.”
Hamidin confirmed that international Gary Steven Robbat, D. Saarvindran, Fandi Othman, Amer Saidin, Ferris Danial Mat Nasir, Azrif Nasrulhaq Badrul Hisham and Saiful Ridzuwan Selamat will likely leave Tigers A.
“Except for Azrif Nasrulhaq, who is 23 years old, the others have one more year to serve Tigers A. We will come up with the release letters next week.
Teams wanting the players’ services, however, must first agree to release them on May 1 to Kim Swee for the Sea Games,” said Hamidin.
He said those, who do not return to their home states, as stipulated in their contracts with Tigers A, could face action.
“According to their contracts, they must return to their home states but of course there are technical issues to consider as stipulated on Fifa’s statutes,” he added.