Singapore men’s Under-22 football team head coach Philippe Aw steps down, Nazri Nasir takes over

SINGAPORE: Singapore men’s Under-22 football head coach Philippe Aw has stepped down from his position to seek new opportunities elsewhere, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced on Wednesday (Jul 12).

Nazri Nasir, the current assistant coach of the senior men’s national team, will take over and lead the team through September’s qualifiers that will determine which teams will qualify for next year’s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 Asian Cup in Qatar. 

The Young Lions are in Group C, alongside hosts Vietnam, Yemen and Guam.

In a press release, FAS expressed its gratitude to Aw for his contributions and wished him the best in his future endeavours. 

Aw led the team at the recent SEA Games in Cambodia, with the Young Lions suffering a 7-0 mauling by Malaysia in their final group game in May. 

It was Singapore’s heaviest defeat at the Games since the competition became an age-group affair in 2001.

They had already been knocked out from the group stages for the fifth straight time, following a goalless draw against Laos a few days prior. 

FAS said on May 18 that Aw was granted a leave of absence, following “his intense duties” as head coach of the men’s football team in Cambodia. 

RECOMMENDATIONS PUT FORTH TO IMPROVE DISPLAYS AT FUTURE SEA GAMES

A review committee was formed by FAS after the Young Lions’ poor showing at the SEA Games.

The association last week unveiled 10 recommendations to improve the country’s performance at future SEA Games, including giving key Under-23 and Under-22 players more game time, and to approach the multisport event as a two-year project to allow the coach and team to develop over a longer period. 

FAS also announced on Tuesday that the Young Lions will not participate in the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. 

Recent performances and scheduling conflicts were taken into consideration, the association said.

The decision not to take part in the quadrennial event is also in line with one of the recommendations from the review. 

The Young Lions have instead been tasked to focus on the SEA Games and the 2024 AFC Under-23 Asian Cup qualifying tournament.

Aw took over the team from Nazri on Dec 18, 2022 and was in the dugout for the ongoing 2023 Singapore Premier League (SPL) season, before his SEA Games duties and subsequent leave of absence. 

On his reappointment, former Singapore international Nazri said: “I am aware that this is a hot seat at the moment, given the public sentiments post-SEA Games.

“All my career, I never shy away from difficult challenges and I asked FAS to let me take a shot at it and laid out what I need to give a good account of ourselves at the tournament as I believe we will have a decent chance.

“Given the recent changes regarding tournament preparation, I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Nazri will be involved with the Young Lions for the remainder of the 2023 SPL season to have “as much interaction with the players”. He will also scout and monitor eligible players from other SPL clubs.

He is set to have his provisional squad report for centralised training from Aug 21 as FAS has made adjustments to the SPL fixture calendar, allowing the Young Lions to have two weeks of uninterrupted preparation time before leaving for Vietnam. 

The 2024 AFC Under-23 Asian Cup qualifiers will take place from Sep 6 to Sep 12. Singapore will face off against Yemen before taking on Guam on Sep 9. Their final qualifier will see them square off against Vietnam.