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SG in 2034 World Cup? What happened To Goal 2010 lol

StreetFight3r

By StreetFight3r,
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StreetFight3r

StreetFight3r

6th Gear

Nearly a decade after Goal 2010, the ambitious plan to qualify Singapore's national football team for the Fifa World Cup, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is reviving its hopes of competing in the world's biggest football tournament in 2034.

 

Speaking exclusively to The Straits Times on Saturday, FAS vice-president Edwin Tong said that it was a "realistic" goal for the Lions to achieve in 15 years' time.

 

"We've always wanted to be somewhere on the world stage, so we need to start," said Mr Tong, the Senior Minister of State for Health and Law.

 

"2034 is 15 years away...so you're looking at boys today who are maybe eight, nine to 14, 15 and if you can cultivate the programme that has that endgame in mind, it will do us a lot of good."

 

The FAS' goal for the Lions to play in the 2034 World Cup will inevitably draw comparisons with Goal 2010, which flopped over a decade after it was first mooted in 1998.

 

Sceptics will also point to Singapore football's slump in recent years, which saw the Lions' Fifa ranking dipping to an all-time low of 173 in October 2017 after a winless run of over 11 months. Singapore are currently ranked 162nd.

 

 

But Mr Tong remains unfazed, saying: "If we're worried about trying to set up a goal and failing, we'll never get there. So we have to be realistic about our prospects; we're not aiming for the next 10 years, but set ourselves a 15-year horizon."

 

He also pointed to the expanded 48-team format for the 2026 World Cup and beyond, which will see the number of Asian places increased by the current 41/2 to eight.

 

He added: "There are a bit more opportunities...The obvious powerhouses, Korea, Japan, Australia, maybe some of the Middle Eastern countries, Saudi Arabia and Iran, the next tier you have Uzbekistan, Central Asians, and of course South-east Asians."

 

"We can look at that as a goal. So it's not unrealistic, but it's also not easy," added Mr Tong, who was speaking at the unveiling of Singapore's first "Friendly Street" at Jalan Bintang Tiga by the Singapore Kindness Movement.

 

Goal 2034 would be used to "focus and shape everything" that the FAS and its stakeholders do and he stressed that grassroots football, youth development, infrastructure and schools would be key to achieving success in 15 years' time. The FAS is currently engaging its stakeholders and refining its proposal, he added.

 

In November 2017, the FAS unveiled its three-point plan for youth development aimed at widening the base of players, improving the quality of coaches and increasing opportunities for youth to play football.

 

The national sports association said then that it hoped to reap the benefits in five to 10 years' time and that the ultimate aim was to develop talented young players to compete in a professional league and eventually the national team.

 

However, Mr Tong said on Saturday that this was "not enough". He added: "We need to have key pillars, we start with grassroots and schools, we must align the way in which kids play football in schools and then we must have the support of facilities for training and matches.

 

"Inevitably we have to work out what to do with National Service (NS), how we can align NS, which is important, with the needs of football."

 

He suggested a "relook" into former club models such as the Singapore Armed Forces Sports Associations (Safsa) and Home United, which allowed full-time National Servicemen to train and play competitive matches.

 

While qualifying Singapore for the 2034 World Cup may seem like a lofty goal, Mr Tong said it would "mean a lot to Singaporeans and sports fans" to see the Lions on the world's biggest football stage.

 

He added: "It will give the country a lift and it is a goal that we want to be realistic about. It's not easy, but if you don't try, you'll never get anywhere. So we set ourselves a target, we try to lift everyone and push everyone behind it."

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Zxcvb

Zxcvb

Turbocharged

Nearly a decade after Goal 2010, the ambitious plan to qualify Singapore's national football team for the Fifa World Cup, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is reviving its hopes of competing in the world's biggest football tournament in 2034.

 

Speaking exclusively to The Straits Times on Saturday, FAS vice-president Edwin Tong said that it was a "realistic" goal for the Lions to achieve in 15 years' time.

 

"We've always wanted to be somewhere on the world stage, so we need to start," said Mr Tong, the Senior Minister of State for Health and Law.

 

"2034 is 15 years away...so you're looking at boys today who are maybe eight, nine to 14, 15 and if you can cultivate the programme that has that endgame in mind, it will do us a lot of good."

 

The FAS' goal for the Lions to play in the 2034 World Cup will inevitably draw comparisons with Goal 2010, which flopped over a decade after it was first mooted in 1998.

 

Sceptics will also point to Singapore football's slump in recent years, which saw the Lions' Fifa ranking dipping to an all-time low of 173 in October 2017 after a winless run of over 11 months. Singapore are currently ranked 162nd.

 

 

But Mr Tong remains unfazed, saying: "If we're worried about trying to set up a goal and failing, we'll never get there. So we have to be realistic about our prospects; we're not aiming for the next 10 years, but set ourselves a 15-year horizon."

 

He also pointed to the expanded 48-team format for the 2026 World Cup and beyond, which will see the number of Asian places increased by the current 41/2 to eight.

 

He added: "There are a bit more opportunities...The obvious powerhouses, Korea, Japan, Australia, maybe some of the Middle Eastern countries, Saudi Arabia and Iran, the next tier you have Uzbekistan, Central Asians, and of course South-east Asians."

 

"We can look at that as a goal. So it's not unrealistic, but it's also not easy," added Mr Tong, who was speaking at the unveiling of Singapore's first "Friendly Street" at Jalan Bintang Tiga by the Singapore Kindness Movement.

 

Goal 2034 would be used to "focus and shape everything" that the FAS and its stakeholders do and he stressed that grassroots football, youth development, infrastructure and schools would be key to achieving success in 15 years' time. The FAS is currently engaging its stakeholders and refining its proposal, he added.

 

In November 2017, the FAS unveiled its three-point plan for youth development aimed at widening the base of players, improving the quality of coaches and increasing opportunities for youth to play football.

 

The national sports association said then that it hoped to reap the benefits in five to 10 years' time and that the ultimate aim was to develop talented young players to compete in a professional league and eventually the national team.

 

However, Mr Tong said on Saturday that this was "not enough". He added: "We need to have key pillars, we start with grassroots and schools, we must align the way in which kids play football in schools and then we must have the support of facilities for training and matches.

 

"Inevitably we have to work out what to do with National Service (NS), how we can align NS, which is important, with the needs of football."

 

He suggested a "relook" into former club models such as the Singapore Armed Forces Sports Associations (Safsa) and Home United, which allowed full-time National Servicemen to train and play competitive matches.

 

While qualifying Singapore for the 2034 World Cup may seem like a lofty goal, Mr Tong said it would "mean a lot to Singaporeans and sports fans" to see the Lions on the world's biggest football stage.

 

He added: "It will give the country a lift and it is a goal that we want to be realistic about. It's not easy, but if you don't try, you'll never get anywhere. So we set ourselves a target, we try to lift everyone and push everyone behind it."

 

1) We already have grassroot football, youth development, infrastructure and schools liao lah. I believe we have more football fields than our neighbours in Myanmar and Laos.

 

2) We have so many local sports related professionals coaches, trainers, physiotherapists, psychologists, sports doctors, managers, logistics, nutritionist, sports marketing, sports school, etc. Those 3rd world countries who beaten us have any of the above? Those war torn countries like Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen don't even have jobs can still beat us jialat jialat.

 

2) It's common knowledge whoever went thru NS knows that all these SAFSA sports is just a channel for NSFs to chao keng from real army training!!! As a specialists in my unit, I have many guys attached to these sports groups and rarely do I see them in camp. 

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Yeshe

Yeshe

Turbocharged

Waste time. Which parent currently has the mindset to prepare their kids for professional sports when they cannot be sure the child will reach World stage competitiveness.

 

NS is another hurdle. To form a world cup capable team, u should have at least few players in European leagues or J league, NS can disrupt?

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macrosszero

macrosszero

Turbocharged

When attendance records at our national stadium is set by two visiting British Premier League teams in offseason exhibition match mode, and not by our own Lions hosting a match in the grounds, you got to wonder how much of the country is behind this endeavor because every single one of the replies so far is that of mocking and derision. 

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Spring

Spring

Moderator

When attendance records at our national stadium is set by two visiting British Premier League teams in offseason exhibition match mode, and not by our own Lions hosting a match in the grounds, you got to wonder how much of the country is behind this endeavor because every single one of the replies so far is that of mocking and derision.

Exactly, there’s a lot of folks very good at mocking and deriding local sports organisations, officials, sportsmen etc. Same to at the Soh vs SA thread. So quick at criticising but none constructive but instead sniggling

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Yeshe

Yeshe

Turbocharged

Awesome better start training upcoming fifa2020 and pes2020

Wait.. they talking abt video games World Cup right?

Esports is the trend now. Surely they are referring to that :D
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Lala81

Lala81

Hypersonic

Exactly, there’s a lot of folks very good at mocking and deriding local sports organisations, officials, sportsmen etc. Same to at the Soh vs SA thread. So quick at criticising but none constructive but instead sniggling

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Silver_blade

Silver_blade

Turbocharged

Good to have such aspiration any excuse to promote a specific sport in singapore is not a bad thing. Worse case be we will have an improved football environment but fail to reach the WC. 

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Soya

Soya

Supersonic

Such lofty ideas. Why can't FAS make effort to re-join Malaysia Cup and maybe beat Johor as a start?

 

The '93-'94 era of Sundra, Fandi, Lim Tong Hai, super-sub Steven, Ábbas, etc was magical. Heck, I even go line up, paid $$ for ticket and long walk from Kallang MRT to National Stadium juz to watch and do kallang wave

 

Nowadays, gimme free ticket, free parking, free food & drinks to watch Gombak United vs Tampines Rovers oso i dun wan

 

 

 

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