Singapore

Singapore have won the AFF Suzuki Cup three times, the last two occasions under the guidance of their long-serving coach Radojko Avramovic. The Serb assembled squads that won back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2007 and went unbeaten in the competition for 21 matches.

That fantastic run was ended by a 1-0 semi-final (second leg) defeat by Vietnam in 2008, Quang Hai scoring in the 74th minute to silence the famed "Kallang Roar" at the National Stadium, which is currently under reconstruction.

Worse was to come with Singapore failing to reach the knock-out stages in 2010 after drawing 1-1 with shock troops The Philippines and losing 1-0 to defending champions Vietnam. Sandwiched between those results was a nail-biting 2-1 victory over Myanmar with Agu Casmir scoring deep into injury time. But the win was not enough with Singapore eventually finishing in third spot, a point behind The Philippines.

After a period of re-building, Avramovic has been set the target of leading The Lions into the final of AFF Suzuki Cup 2012. A recent 1-0 loss to Hong Kong and a 2-2 home draw followed by a 2-0 defeat to Malaysia (a loss that snapped an eight-year unbeaten run against their old rivals) in the two-leg Causeway Challenge suggests there is more work to be done for the former kings of ASEAN football before the November kick-off.

Nickname: The Lions
National coach: Radojko (Raddy) Avramovic (Serbia)



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