Lions look to prove themselves at Asean Championship

For 17 years, Hariss Harun has served Singapore football with distinction.

He was part of the Lions’ Asean Championship-winning side in 2012, before becoming captain of Johor Darul Takzim, with whom he won the 2015 AFC Cup, adding to his multiple domestic trophies on both sides of the Causeway.

He has kept things tidy in midfield, put in crunching tackles and ventured forward to link up with the attack when required. Even when he is played out of position in defence, he carries on with his task with minimal fuss.

As years go by, his professionalism and commitment remain unquestionable, but as he doubles in age to 34, he has also lost a yard of pace while recovery takes longer. He is no longer an automatic starter with the Lions and Lion City Sailors.

The national skipper remained true to his down-to-earth demeanour when asked if he has been hit by recent criticism, following his blunder which led to a goal in the 3-2 friendly defeat by Chinese Taipei in November.

Ahead of Singapore’s Asean Championship Group A opener against Cambodia on Dec 11 at the National Stadium, Hariss told The Straits Times: “What I have achieved doesn’t give me the leeway to give anything less.

“Even when I had some niggles, I always trained and gave my best, when probably I should have had more rest. At times, it has come back to bite me and I don’t perform as I should, and I take responsibility for the decision I made.

“The criticism hurts the people closest to me, which is what affects me. This is my job hazard, but it’s what I signed up for. Footballers are more in the public eye now, and we have to learn to deal with it. The good thing is we have the opportunity to prove ourselves, and hopefully we will do that.”

The Lions, who have been struggling to make progress in recent years, will be looking to hit the ground running as they take on a Cambodia side boosted by seven naturalised players and held Malaysia to a 2-2 draw in Phnom Penh on Dec 8 to end a run of nine straight defeats by the Tigers.

Five of Cambodia’s naturalised players – South Africa-born defender Kan Mo, Japan-born midfielder and set-piece specialist Yudai Ogawa and defender Takaki Ose, United States-born winger Nick Taylor, and Ivory Coast-born scorer Abdel Kader Coulibaly – started and impressed with their ability on the ball.

They also have Japan-born defender Hikaru Mizuno and Colombia-born forward Andres Nieto to call upon.

Mo, formerly known as Faeez Khan, had played in the Cambodian league for five years before he switched nationality in 2024. The 32-year-old said: “We help to push the local players more so we can become stronger as a unit.

“We had six days to prepare for this tournament, so it’s a challenge. We know each other from the league... but tactically, it’s a bit difficult coming together. We need more time to perfect our playing style, but at the moment, if our fighting spirit is there, we will be okay.”

Meanwhile, Singapore will have a different coach at the helm for a seventh straight Asean Championship. Since winning the 2012 edition, they have made it past the group stage just once, in 2021 when they were beaten by Indonesia in the two-legged semi-finals.

Tsutomu Ogura is the latest man to attempt to turn the Lions’ fortunes around, and has injected some positivity that led to come-from-behind results against China (2-2) and Myanmar (3-2). These have been tempered, however, by a 7-0 drubbing by South Korea and a 3-2 defeat by Chinese Taipei.

While the likes of goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud, defender Safuwan Baharudin and striker Shawal Anuar will be key to his plans, there will be opportunities for younger players to establish themselves, with notable absences in Song Ui-young (family matters), Jacob Mahler (injury) and Irfan, Ikhsan and Ilhan Fandi (not released by foreign clubs).

The 58-year-old Japanese, who has experimented with his line-ups and given opportunities to youngsters such as Jordan Emaviwe, Farhan Zulkifli and Abdul Rasaq Akeem, said he will pick his starting XI only on match-day mornings.

He said: “I don’t just look at what happens on the pitch. I respect the experienced players for what they contribute on and off the pitch because that is what we need to help the younger players fit into the team.”

He added that while the first game of a tournament is always important, it is also only one game.

“There will be pressure, but this is where the experienced players come in,” he said. “Many of the younger players will be playing in their first Asean Championship opening game, but the senior players have gone through this many times and I want them to be able to lead the team and solve problems.”

Tickets for Singapore’s home matches are available for purchase via ticketmaster.sg