LionsXII can’t wait to get MSL campaign going
Singapore LionsXII coach V. Sundramoorthy can't wait to finally get the Malaysian Super League (MSL) campaign underway after much media hype over the last few weeks.
"There're a lot of off-the-field stuff going on, and we want to get this started as soon as possible on the field. Let's see how the players, fans and atmosphere is going to be," said the legendary Singapore player known as "The Dazzler" during his heyday.
With all 8,000 home tickets selling out by Sunday afternoon, Singapore's return to Malaysian football after a 17-year hiatus promises to be an electrifying affair.
Speaking ahead of Tuesday's much-awaited debut against Malaysian Super League defending champions Kelantan at Jalan Besar Stadium, Sundramoorthy said, "We will go there and do our best."
When asked if he and his team were feeling the heat, he replied, "Performance matters for me, and the players will have to go out there and give a good account of themselves. When you start performing well, the results will come."
Peter Butler, coach of Kelantan and former coach of Singapore Armed Forces Football Club was also excited about Singapore's return to the Malaysian scene.
He noted that unlike other visiting coaches, the artificial turf at Jalan Besar will not bother him all.
"To be very honest with you, I did not like it when I first came in 2006. But now I actually do like it, and I think it's the way forward for countries in this region," he said.
The former West Ham player added that he's still confident with his team's ability despite losing the season's curtain raiser, the Charity Shield, 2-1 to Negri Sembilan over the weekend.
He chose his words carefully about whether his team can get all three points against the Lions XII, explaining that he wants his team to win by playing a good game.
"I definitely did not come here to lose a football match, but I think it's not just about getting three points -- it's the manner of getting the three points. Everyone wants to win it but I want to win it the right way," said Butler.
Didn't manage to get tickets for the game? Watch it on StarHub TV Ch 255 at 7:45pm. Non-StarHub subscribers can still catch the action by tuning their television sets to frequency 76.25MHz.
