Syrian football team make political statement in Singapore with Assad t-shirt

It was a press conference to talk about the Singapore versus Syria 2018 World Cup football qualifier but was instead used as a platform by the Syrian team to express support for the beleaguered leader of their war-torn country.

With many Western and Arab nations calling for the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian football team’s head coach Fajr Ibrahim, a team official and midfielder Osama Omari made a political statement by wearing identical t-shirts bearing the face of Assad at the conference in Singapore on Monday.

“We are proud because Mr. Bashar is our president," Ibrahim responded when asked about the attire, saying that no one forced them to wear it.

"So proud, because this man fights all the terrorist groups in the world; he fights for you also. He is the best man in the world." Ibrahim added that Assad is a keen supporter of the team and follows their games.

When asked about the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday, he declined to comment.

“We are not in a political conference, we are in a sports conference,” he said stiffly.

The match at the National Stadium on Tuesday will proceed as planned with heightened security measures to be taken. A Football Association of Singapore spokesman, who declined to be named, told Yahoo Singapore that there will be a 30-second moment of silence for the victims of the Paris attacks before kick-off.

The FAS said in a statement that it “has been and will continue to work closely with the authorities, Singapore Sports Hub and all relevant stakeholders to take the necessary precautions and enhance security measures for the match.”

Still, football was not sidelined at the conference and both sides talked about the importance of the match.

Singapore coach Bernd Stange believes that his side have the ability to upset Syria as they look to seal a spot in the next round of 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.

All the World Cup qualifiers in the region doubled as Asian Cup qualifiers. The Lions need three more points in the remaining two World Cup qualifiers to clinch third place in Group E and a spot in the third-round of Asian Cup qualifiers.

The German stated before their World Cup campaign began that reaching the Asian Cup tournament in the United Arab Emirates was the ultimate objective.

The gulf between Singapore and teams from the Middle East has narrowed in the past two years, citing the narrow 1-0 loss to Syria in September in Oman, Stange said.

However, he was careful not to come across as over-confident at the conference.

“I was proud to see them play in Oman, we are very, very close and there is not a big gap,” he insisted.

“I try to bring this confidence to our players, we are looking forward and we will try to win; it would be a sensation, such a result.

“We don’t want to put pressure on our team to say it’s a must-win. Of course, we will try to do everything, but we have to be realistic.”

Stange praised his team’s “great achievement” to get 10 points in the group with two games left, but warned that they will have to “defend well” if they are to come away with a positive result.

“They (Syrian team) are very dangerous in counterattacks with their overlapping full-backs,” he pointed out. “We have to take care and control such things.”

Lions captain Hariss Harun urged his team-mates to learn from the 3-0 loss to Japan on home ground last Thursday as well as the defeat in Oman, where he said the team was unfortunate not to come home with at least a point.

“Morale is good,” he said of the team’s spirits. “The high level in the last game against Japan set us up for this game against Syria.

“Matches between us have been very close and we made chances for ourselves [last time out]; we just need to concentrate more and create chances and try to put them away [this time].”

The Syrians are not unbeatable, as the Lions triumphed 2-1 over them two years ago in a 2015 Asian Cup qualifier at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

Also known as The Eagles, the Syrians are determined to seek victory that will take them to the top of the group and set up a showdown with Japan in their final game for first place.

Ibrahim acknowledged Singapore would be a threat, saying it was the “first time” he has seen them play at such a high level.

“For us, this game is more crucial; we are here to win the game [and try] to qualify for the second round,” he asserted.

In what could be seen as a show of confidence, Ibrahim chose to bring just 18 players for the match instead of the maximum 23 allowed, insisting they were all fit and raring to go.

The 51-year-old coach left the reporters attending the conference in no doubt as to whom the Syrians were playing for, as they try to take another step towards a first-ever World Cup appearance.

“We are here to make our people happy [by winning],” he declared. “All the world fights us, and we will fight all the world at football.”

Singapore will play Syria on Tuesday (16 November) at the National Stadium, with kick-off at 8p.m. For ticketing information, visit http://www.sportshub.com.sg/sportshubtix/Pages/FIFA-WCQ-2015-SG-SYR.aspx

Singapore squad
Goalkeepers: Izwan Mahbud (LionsXII), Hassan Sunny (Army United), Zaiful Nizam (Balestier Khalsa)
Defenders: Nazrul Nazari, Faritz Hameed, Madhu Mohana, Shakir Hamzah (all LionsXII), Baihakki Khaizan (JDT II), Shaiful Esah (Tampines Rovers), Amirul Adli (Young Lions)
Midfielders: Faris Ramli, Hafiz Sujad, Christopher van Huizen, Izzdin Shafiq, Safuwan Baharudin, Zulfahmi Arifin (all LionsXII), Hariss Harun (JDT), Yasir Hanapi (Home United), Safirul Sulaiman (Young Lions)
Forwards: Shahril Ishak (JDT II), Sahil Suhaimi (LionsXII), Fazrul Nawaz (Warriors FC), Taufik Suparno (Young Lions)

Syria squad
Goalkeepers: Mosab Balhous, Mahmoud Al-Youssef (both unattached), Ibrahim Alma (Al-Wahda)
Defenders: Hamid Al-Masri (Al-Muharraq), Nadim Sabagh, Alaa Al Shbli (both Naft Al-Wasat), Ahmad Al Salih (Al-Shorta Baghdad), Moayad Ajan (Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya), Saad Ahmad (Al-Talaba)
Midfielders: Abdelrazaq Al Hussain (Al-Ahed), Zaher Midani (Al-Zawra’a), Mahmoud Al Mawas (Al-Riffa), Osama Omari (Al-Wahda), Fahd Youssef (Al-Jazeera)
Forwards: Omar Khribin (Al-Mina’a), Sanharib Malki (Kasımpaşa), Nasouh Al Nakdali (Al-Wahda), Mahmoud Al Baher (Al-Jaish)