SINGAPORE — Here is a round-up of sports events and developments in Singapore in the past week (26 June to 2 July):
Lion City Sailors appoint Rankovic as head coach
Singapore Premier League (SPL) club Lion City Sailors have appointed Aleksandar Ranković as their new head coach, after parting ways with Risto Vidakovic last month. The 44-year-old joins on a two-year contract from Dutch Eredivisie side FC Utrecht, where he had served as assistant coach to Henk Fraser.
The Serb started his coaching career in the youth squads of Dutch club ADO Den Haag, before moving to coach various Eredivisie first teams including Vitesse Arnhem, Sparta Rotterdam and Den Haag.
“As a coach, I’m Dutch,” said Rankovic, paying tribute to the influence of the country in which he has spent his entire coaching career. “I like my team to dominate possession and play attacking football. I’m confident that we can do this well with the players that we have in the squad.”
The Sailors, SPL’s only privatised club, are in third spot in the league, four points behind leaders Albirex Niigata (Singapore). They will also make their second foray into the AFC Champions League in September.
23 selected for AFF U-19 Women’s Championship
Twenty-three women footballers have been called up to represent Singapore at this month’s AFF Under-19 Women’s Championship in Palembang, Indonesia.
The young Lionesses have been drawn into Group B for the regional tournament, and will first face Vietnam on Thursday (6 July) before playing against Malaysia two days later.
The squad were selected through their participation in March’s AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers, the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers in April, and their respective clubs during last season’s domestic Women’s Premier League and Women’s National League.
U-19 women’s national team – Goalkeepers: Nurul Atiqah Muhamad Salihin, Alyssha Hannah Mohamad Nazri, Nur Izairida Shakira Muamad Zaini. Defenders: Ariesa Zahran Junaidi, Ardhra Arul Ganeswaran, Irsalina Irwan, Dhaniyah Qasimah Zamri Abdullah, Nadia Mohammad Nuraffendi, Qarissa Putri Ramadhani Zahary, Seri Nurinsyirah Indra Saharen, Nur Adrianna Hazeri, Yasmine Zaharin, Siti Nurerwadah Erwan. Midfielders: Cara Chang, Kyra Elise Taylor, Nasriah Ibrahim, Liyana Indah Rickit, Nur Sarah Zu’risqha Zul’kepli, Nurzaherra Maisarah Mohamad Rostam, Seri Ayu Natasha Naszri. Forwards: Chloe Koh, Farah Nurzahirah Abdul Fattah, Josephine Ang.
Former club stalwarts to grace Festival of Football
Notable former stalwarts from all five football clubs involved in this month’s Singapore Festival of Football – Tottenham, Roma, Liverpool, Leicester and Bayern Munich – will be taking part in a variety of fan interactions from 25 July to 2 August.
The full list is as follows (subject to change):
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Tottenham: Ledley King
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Roma: To be confirmed
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Liverpool: Lucas Leiva, Martin Skrtel, John Barnes, Gary McAllister, Ian Rush, John Aldridge.
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Leicester: Emile Heskey, Gerry Taggart, Matt Elliot, Wes Morgan.
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Bayern Munich: Giovane Elber, Claudio Pizarro.
Fans are also encouraged to attend the Football Interactive Fanzone, where they can get the chance to meet the club legends in question-and-answer sessions. There will also be photo booths, giveaways, performances and meeting with club mascots.
Inaugural Mayor’s Harmony Futsal Challenge
The South East Community Development Council held its inaugural Mayor’s Harmony Futsal Challenge@South East tournament at Wisma Geylang Serai on Sunday (2 July).
The tournament saw 16 teams and over 100 youths participating in two categories: youth below 16 and youth below 21.
Supported by the People’s Association Integration Division, the event highlighted the importance of racial and religious harmony in the community. It brought together youth of various groups and residents of the South East district via a Harmony Workshop followed by the games and provided the participants a deeper understanding on the importance of solidarity and harmony within the society.
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