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League Cup draw gives Warriors advantage
Sazali Abdul Aziz
info@sleague.com
SAFFC have been handed a kind draw for the 2010 edition of the League Cup, while new entrants Beijing Guoan and Etoile FC have been given interesting preliminary matches to negotiate.
The draw was held on Tuesday afternoon at the National Football Academy Conference Room, with Mr. Zainudin Nordin, FAS President and Mayor for Central Singapore District, the Guest-of-Honour for the event.
The League Cup, which was inaugurated in 2007, is one of the few local football titles domestic kingpins SAFFC have yet to win, despite their dominance of the Singapore scene in the last few years.
But Richard Bok’s side got the rub of the green when the draw was made, as the tournament returns to the straight knockout format that was used in 2008.
All matches, from the preliminary stage right through to the final, will be one-legged affairs, with all matches played at the designated home team’s home stadiums, except for televised matches.
All 12 participants in this year’s Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League have been entered for the League Cup, but only eight clubs will need to play in the preliminary stage of the competition, which begins on 20 February.
SAFFC, Tampines Rovers, Gombak United and Home United have been seeded by virtue of finishing in the top four in last season’s S.League competition, and thus enjoy direct entry into the quarterfinals.
Explained Zainudin: “We wanted to have a knockout competition for the league cup, and because we have 12 teams, the most sensible thing to do was give byes to the top four teams.”
The four seeded teams have however not been given further protection in the draw, as Home and Gombak found out to their cost when they were drawn against each other in the first quarterfinal.
Gombak, who lifted the League Cup in 2008 but have not looked all that convincing in their first two league games this year, will probably not appreciate having to play one of the stronger teams at a fairly early stage in the tournament.
The winner of that match could be set for a collision course with Tampines, who will first have to get past the winners of the prelimiary round match between 2007 League Cup champions Woodlands Wellington and Japanese outfit Albirex Niigata (Singapore).
In contrast, SAFFC have been given an easier route to the final, starting with a quarterfinal match against either Sengkang Punggol or Chinese side Beijing.
French outfit Etoile will kick off their maiden appearance in the tournament with a clash against Balestier Khalsa, while Geylang United take on the Young Lions just days after both sides meet in an S.League encounter.
Bruneian side DPMM FC, who had won the League Cup last year, will not be back to defend their title as they are not participating in the current S.League season.
While the draw appears to favour big guns like SAFFC, S.League CEO Winston Lee was optimistic the smaller sides will continue to pull off surprises, as they have done in past years.
“This year all the teams are evenly matched. It’d be nice to see an underdog win it,” he commented.
“I don’t think they (the smaller teams) are there to make up the numbers. SAFFC losing in the final last year was something not many expected, and this year we might see something similar.”
Zainudin added that the draw had “sprung up some surprises” and that the matches involving the two new sides, in particular, interest him.
The new boys themselves are raring to go. Beijing chairman Derrick Chan expressed confidence when asked about his team’s chances in the tournament.
“Yes, I definitely want them to win,” he said. “I hope they can go far.”
Both Beijing and Etoile though have yet to play a competitive match this year, and three players from each side still have not cleared the league’s mandatory fitness test. Because of this, there have been question marks about their readiness and fitness.
Responding to that concern, Chan said that the team had been coping well with the hot climate here in Singapore, and also added that his team are well-prepared, having come through the ranks together at Beijing’s academy in China.
“So far I think they’re coping. We beat Geylang United in a friendly game, played at 5pm under very hot sun,” he said.
“The team is prepared. Half of the team have been playing together for seven years, from when they were about 11 or 12 years old.”
Etoile club manager R. Balasubramaniam, who was present at the draw at Jalan Besar Stadium, also shrugged off the concerns, saying he fully expects his team to be ready for the tournament.
“I don’t think it is an issue, it’s all about how you plan for the matches,” he said.
“I don’t think it really matters if the tournament is played now or later.”
Etoile CEO Johan Gouttefangeas had said two weeks ago that his team will be looking to win some silverware this year, and Balasubramaniam feels the League Cup is a realistic target.
“I’m very happy with the draw,” he opined.
“Like what the CEO said, we will go all out to win at least one piece of silverware this year, and I think we stand a good chance.”
Lee, however, warned against expecting too much from the two teams in the League Cup.
“I think it’s a bit premature to judge them on their first few matches,” he said.
“We should give them a bit more time, maybe after a few rounds of league games, before we can see their true ability.” |
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