SINGAPORE: Singapore women’s football team has withdrawn from the ASEAN Women's Championship in August, despite qualifying for the tournament on merit, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said on Monday (Jun 9).
It cited overlapping fixtures and concerns about player welfare among the reasons for the withdrawal from the tournament, which runs from Aug 6 to Aug 19.
"The decision-making process involved careful consideration of overlapping fixtures, team readiness, and our broader commitment to key Asian Football Confederation (AFC) competitions," said FAS in a statement.
Two competitions were "major factors". The AFC Women's Asian Cup qualifiers are from Jun 23 to Jul 5, and the AFC Under-20 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers are from Aug 2 to Aug 10.
The Southeast Asian Games in Thailand from Dec 9 to Dec 20 were also taken into consideration.
"The withdrawal was not a decision taken lightly, but one shaped by the need to manage player welfare, maintain performance standards, and prepare teams meaningfully for the challenges ahead," said FAS.
Head coach Karim Bencherifa said: "We worked hard to qualify on merit for the championships, and we are all disappointed that it has come to this.
"But with important tournaments coming in quick succession – and some even overlapping – our top priority must be to protect the health and well-being of our players."
The women's national team has an average age of about 21 years, with players "having to manage leave from work and school commitments in a year that sees four major women’s competitions take place overseas".
"We explained at a media briefing in February that we need to prioritise tournament participation this year, and the FAS technical department has decided to prioritise our participation in this manner," said Bencherifa.
"This is to ensure that our women’s team has the best chance of staying fit and fresh, and able to perform at their best."
He added that the team's "immediate focus" is the Asian Cup qualifiers, then the Under-20 qualifiers, followed by the SEA Games.
These are "major milestones" for the team, and the FAS is "committed to ensuring our players are in the best condition to perform at their highest level", the head coach said.
"The FAS’ ultimate responsibility is to empower our national teams - men’s and women’s, across all age groups - to perform to the best of their abilities and deliver results that make Singapore proud," said the association.
"This means ensuring they compete in the right tournaments, at the right time, with the right resources and preparation."
Lionesses skipper Rosnani Azman said it was disappointing not to be taking part in the championships, and they were "all looking forward to testing ourselves against strong regional opponents".
"But at the same time, we understand how important it is to prioritise our readiness and recovery, especially with so many key tournaments coming up," she added.
"Many of us are also juggling school, work, club and national team duties - taking time off is proving challenging.
"Right now, our focus is on being fully prepared for the Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers and the SEA Games later this year."
Singapore had earned a spot in this year's edition of the ASEAN Women's Championship after finishing third in the 2024 AFF Women's Cup.
Timor-Leste, the team that Singapore beat to third place last year, will reportedly replace the Lionesses in the upcoming tournament.
The FAS said that it "deeply values" its longstanding relationship with the AFF and will continue to engage them in good faith.
"Regional competitions are an important part of football development in Southeast Asia, and we remain open to future opportunities for collaboration and participation," added the FAS.
"We thank our supporters and stakeholders for their understanding as we work to serve the best interests of Singapore football."
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It cited overlapping fixtures and concerns about player welfare among the reasons for the withdrawal from the tournament, which runs from Aug 6 to Aug 19.
"The decision-making process involved careful consideration of overlapping fixtures, team readiness, and our broader commitment to key Asian Football Confederation (AFC) competitions," said FAS in a statement.
Two competitions were "major factors". The AFC Women's Asian Cup qualifiers are from Jun 23 to Jul 5, and the AFC Under-20 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers are from Aug 2 to Aug 10.
The Southeast Asian Games in Thailand from Dec 9 to Dec 20 were also taken into consideration.
"The withdrawal was not a decision taken lightly, but one shaped by the need to manage player welfare, maintain performance standards, and prepare teams meaningfully for the challenges ahead," said FAS.
Head coach Karim Bencherifa said: "We worked hard to qualify on merit for the championships, and we are all disappointed that it has come to this.
"But with important tournaments coming in quick succession – and some even overlapping – our top priority must be to protect the health and well-being of our players."
The women's national team has an average age of about 21 years, with players "having to manage leave from work and school commitments in a year that sees four major women’s competitions take place overseas".
"We explained at a media briefing in February that we need to prioritise tournament participation this year, and the FAS technical department has decided to prioritise our participation in this manner," said Bencherifa.
"This is to ensure that our women’s team has the best chance of staying fit and fresh, and able to perform at their best."
He added that the team's "immediate focus" is the Asian Cup qualifiers, then the Under-20 qualifiers, followed by the SEA Games.
These are "major milestones" for the team, and the FAS is "committed to ensuring our players are in the best condition to perform at their highest level", the head coach said.
"The FAS’ ultimate responsibility is to empower our national teams - men’s and women’s, across all age groups - to perform to the best of their abilities and deliver results that make Singapore proud," said the association.
"This means ensuring they compete in the right tournaments, at the right time, with the right resources and preparation."
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Lionesses skipper Rosnani Azman said it was disappointing not to be taking part in the championships, and they were "all looking forward to testing ourselves against strong regional opponents".
"But at the same time, we understand how important it is to prioritise our readiness and recovery, especially with so many key tournaments coming up," she added.
"Many of us are also juggling school, work, club and national team duties - taking time off is proving challenging.
"Right now, our focus is on being fully prepared for the Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers and the SEA Games later this year."
Singapore had earned a spot in this year's edition of the ASEAN Women's Championship after finishing third in the 2024 AFF Women's Cup.
Timor-Leste, the team that Singapore beat to third place last year, will reportedly replace the Lionesses in the upcoming tournament.
The FAS said that it "deeply values" its longstanding relationship with the AFF and will continue to engage them in good faith.
"Regional competitions are an important part of football development in Southeast Asia, and we remain open to future opportunities for collaboration and participation," added the FAS.
"We thank our supporters and stakeholders for their understanding as we work to serve the best interests of Singapore football."
Continue reading...