So, they released the provisional squad for the 2014 Suzuki Cup. First let's look at the list.
Goalkeepers:
1. Izwan Mahbud - LionsXII
18. Hassan Sunny - Warriors FC
30. Syazwan Buhari - Courts Young Lions
35. Rudy Khairullah - Courts Young Lions
Defenders:
2. Shakir Hamzah - LionsXII/Courts Young Lions
3. Shaiful Esah - Tampines Rovers
4. Afiq Yunos - LionsXII
5. Baihakki Khaizan - LionsXII
6. Madhu Mohana - LionsXII
9. Faritz Hameed - LionsXII
11. Faris Ramli - LionsXII/Courts Young Lions
12. Amirul Adli - Courts Young Lions
13. Ismadi Mukhtar - Tampines Rovers
16. Al-Qaasimy Rahman - Courts Young Lions
21. Safuwan Baharudin - LionsXII
22. Ismail Yunos - Warriors FC
34. Daniel Bennett - Warriors FC
Midfielders:
7. Gabriel Quak - LionsXII
8. Shahdan Sulaiman - Tampines Rovers
11. Faris Ramli - LionsXII/Courts Young Lions
14. Hariss Harun - Johor Darul Takzim
15. Fahrudin Mustafic - Tampines Rovers
23. Zulfahmi Arifin - LionsXII
24. Nazrul Nazari - LionsXII
25. Anumanthan Kumar - Courts Young Lions
27. Yasir Hanapi - Home United
28. Hafiz Sujad - LionsXII
31. Adam Swandi - Unattached
Forwards:
10. Fazrul Nawaz - Home United
17. Shahril Ishak - Johor Darul Takzim 2
19. Khairul Amri - LionsXII
20. Khairul Nizam - LionsXII
26. Shahfiq Ghani - LionsXII
29. Hafiz Rahim - Warriors FC
32. Sahil Suhaimi - Courts Young Lions
33. Iqbal Hussain - Courts Young Lions
23 of the 35 players selected came from FAS's two favorite clubs! LionsXII and Courts Young Lions. The 2 clubs which finished 8th and 10th in their respective league!
The eventual winner of the S.League sees only 4 of their players selected. Tampinese Rovers and Home United which finished 3rd and 4th in the S.League, had only 2 of their players selected each.
The most glaring exclusion is of course the inspirational Zaiful Nizam, who lead his team to their historical first Singapore Cup victory, and won the man of the match award in the finals. Instead, Rudy Khairullah, who made less than 10 appearance for the Young Lions was selected.
Iqbal Hussain, who scored a mere 4 goals in the S.League was also selected over a trio of local strikers who had scored more than him, Zulkiffli Hassim, Noh Alam Shah and Qiu Li. Even worse was the selection of Shahfiq Ghani, who made only 4 appearances and scored a grand total of 0 goals! Khairul Nizam was another surprise inclusion, with 2 goals in the MSL this season.
What is the point of the S.League if the national coach simply ignore the talents plying their trade in it? The selection of this squad stinks of the nepotism that has been in the air since the establishment of the Young Lions. Why do the players from these 2 clubs keep on getting selected, if they are not producing results? Is the FAS attempting to justify the existence of the system?
