Filipinos no easy task for U-23s, warns Subramani
PUBLISHED ONMay 06, 2015 6:00 PMByIsaac NeoDeepanraj Ganesan
Singapore's footballers will open their SEA Games Group A campaign against the Philippines on June 1.
This will be followed by matches against Myanmar (June 4), Cambodia (June 8) and 2013 silver medallists Indonesia (June 11).
Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei and Timor Leste are in Group B. The semi-finals will take place on June 13, with the final on June 15.
However, the Young Lions' assistant coach S. Subramani warned against assuming that the hosts were in for an easy opener, saying: "The Philippines are an unknown quantity. They didn't play in the last SEA Games. That is why it is important not to underestimate them.
"Still, our aim is to get a good start to the tournament. My wish is that our fans will turn up in force to cheer us on." The fixtures for the Games' basketball competition were also finalised yesterday.
Singapore's male cagers will open their campaign on June 9 against Myanmar, followed by Vietnam (June 10), Cambodia (June 11) and finally 2013 silver medallists Thailand (June 12).
The semi-finals of the nine-team competition will take place on June 14, while the third-place play-off and final will take place on June 15. Head coach Neo Beng Siang was relieved that Singapore would face Thailand last in the group stage, citing how his team have a tendency to start slow.
"At the last SEA Games, we started off against Thailand and we lost, so it's good that we have the first three games to get going first," he added.
The women's basketball team will open their campaign on June 9 against Vietnam, followed by Indonesia (June 10), 2013 gold medallists Thailand (June 11), Malaysia (June 13) and finally the Philippines (June 15). The competition will be staged in a round-robin format.
Fans can purchase tickets for basketball and football, priced at $10 a ticket and $20 a ticket respectively, online from tickets.seagames2015.com
isaacneo@sph.com.sg
drajac@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on May 06, 2015.
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