SINGAPORE, 12 July 2011: The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is pleased to announce that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
The signing ceremony took place at the Wisma FAM, Jalan SS5A/9 Kelana Jaya, Selangor on 12 July 2011 and was attended by FAS President Mr Zainudin Nordin, FAS Vice President Mr Lim Kia Tong, FAS General Secretary Mr Winston Lee and present from the FAM delegation, were FAM Deputy President, His Royal Highness Tengku Abdullah and FAM General Secretary Lt Gen Dato’ Azzuddin Ahmad (Ret), distinguished guests and media from both countries.
FAS and FAM have been discussing for some time now, on how both Associations can tap on their respective strengths to further develop football and strengthen ties between the two Associations.
This partnership will therefore be the vehicle for both national teams including youth teams to play as many friendly matches as possible to foster closer ties between the national and youth teams of both countries.
It will also create opportunities for both the Great Eastern Yeo’s S.League and the Malaysian Super League teams to showcase the quality of play in both domestic leagues with the exciting initiatives that we have agreed upon.
Key aspects of the partnership:-
Increase competitive matches between the two countries
Starting from 2012, over the span of four years, both Associations are seeking to encourage more friendly matches between the National and Youth Teams of both countries to further improve the standard of the game and to foster closer ties. Taking into account the respective international commitments of the FAS & FAM, we hope to see an increase in the number of friendly matches between our teams at all levels.
THE FAM and FAS Series
An FAM and FAS Series which comprises of two tournaments titled the League Champions Challenge and the Cup Winners Challenge will take place annually between the victorious teams of the League and Cup competitions.
The League Champions Challenge will see the champions of the S.League and the Malaysia Super League compete in a home-and-away format while the Cup Winners Challenge will be a home-and-away matchup between the Singapore Cup and Malaysia Cup champions. With the key objective of this MOU between the two nations focused on further improving the standard of football, both Associations have agreed that in the event that the champions of the league or cup is a foreign team, FAS and FAM will select a local team that came in second to participate in this series.
Malaysian team will play in the S.League from 2012 to 2015
It was also announced that for the first time, a Malaysian team will participate in the S.League from 2012 to 2015. This team will also participate in the League Cup and Singapore Cup.
Singapore team will play in the Malaysian Super League from 2012 to 2015
Also in the partnership, a Singapore team will participate in the Malaysian Super League, FA Cup and Malaysia Cup from 2012 to 2015. This team will comprise of national players below the age of 23, five players above the age of 23 and complimented by the quota of foreign players allowed in accordance to the competition rules.
With these initiatives in place, fans and players alike can look forward to an interesting four years where the two nations will be able to witness exciting and pulsating football in the respective domestic leagues spiced up by the traditional historic rivalry while on the international front, both countries will benefit from the increase in number of matches between the two sides.
FAS President, Mr Zainudin Nordin was pleased with the partnership when he spoke at the press conference. He said: “There is always a special romance between Singapore and Malaysia football. I am pleased with this football partnership and am confident that it will further strengthen our ties with the FAM.
“The key points of this partnership cannot be achieved overnight. It will take days, weeks and even months of planning as we iron out the creases. But I would like to reiterate that these are positive moves. I seek the patience and kind understanding of the media and public while we work round the clock to make it happen. In this regard, FAS and FAM will form a working committee to discuss and agree on all of the operational details and when these are completed, we will host another media briefing to share the details with members of the media.”
Welcoming the partnership, FAM Deputy President, His Royal Highness Tengku Abdullah said “We welcome this move. It certainly gives a positive impact to Malaysia. Especially amongst our youth players. It is a big opportunity for our players to gain exposure in the S.League and at the same time, the Singapore Lions will have the same opportunities in our Malaysian Super League. With this agreement, we hope that this will open the door for many more collaborations in future.”
COMMENT - I hate to say this but I find it hard to argue with much of the above. As the old adage says if you have nothing to say then say nothing so I'm keeping mum. Only to say this kinda mirrors what I said a couple of years back about having the Young Lions play in Malaysia...check it out on Jakarta Casual TV!
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