LionsXII

LionsXII
Full name	LionsXII
Nickname(s)	The Lions
Founded	2011
Dissolved	2015
Ground	Jalan Besar Stadium
Capacity	8,000
Website	http://www.lionsxii.sg/

LionsXII is a Singapore football team based at Jalan Besar Stadium. Managed by the Football Association of Singapore, the squad marks the return of Singapore to the Malaysia football scene after leaving the Malaysia Cup in 1994. The name "LionsXII" is a special tribute to the fans, who are generally recognised as football's "12th Man".

History

In 2011, the Football Association of Singapore and the Football Association of Malaysia reached an agreement that would see greater cooperation between the two nations. The Under-23s would play in the Malaysian Super League and Malaysia Cup from 2012 onwards, the first time a Singaporean team would be in Malaysian domestic football since 1994, when Singapore won the M-League and Malaysia Cup double.^[1] Although the new Singapore team would have the existing Under-23s forming its core, senior players were also called upon to guide the younger players. No foreign players were allowed to be part of the Singapore team.

2012 season

The LionsXII debuted in the 2012 Malaysia Super League on 10 January 2012 with a 1–2 loss to defending champions Kelantan FA.^[2] The LionsXII's first win was a 2–1 victory over Kuala Lumpur FA on 17 January.^[3] The LionsXII's first away win was a 1–0 victory over Sabah FA on 21 January.^[4] LionsXII began their 2012 Malaysia FA Cup quest on 18 February, with a 3–0 win over UiTM FC.^[5] The LionsXII made their way to the quarter-final with a 2–0 win over Betaria FC^[6] on 10 March 2012. However, they were beaten by Terengganu FA in the quarter-finals. On 16 June 2012, they defeated Sabah FA 9–0 at home, the biggest win in the MSL season. LionsXII finished second in the league behind Kelantan FA, and bowed out of the semi-final of the 2012 Malaysia Cup after losing in a penalty shoot-out against ATM FA.

2013 season

LionsXII were set a target of finishing in the top five for the 2013 Malaysia Super League when a press conference was held before the start of the season. The five overage players included key members from the previous campaign such as Shahril Ishak, Isa Halim, and Baihakki Khaizan. The main aim was to develop the U-23 players and prepare them for the upcoming 2013 Southeast Asian Games that would be held at the end of the year, with the five seniors players serving to guide them throughout the campaign.^[7] As at the start of the campaign, 13 players were also undergoing National Service.

LionsXII began their campaign by defeating ATM FA 1–0 away. In their first home match, they successfully edged out traditional rivals Selangor FA for the first time since joining the MSL. However, LionsXII stumbled to two losses against lowly T-Team FC and PKNS FC away. They also crashed out against in the first round of the 2013 Malaysia FA Cup against PKNS. Despite this, LionsXII went on a long unbeaten streak, securing important wins over Pahang FA (3–0), Kelantan FA (1–0), and ATM FA (3–1) at home. The opposing coaches even conceded the title to the LionsXII leading up to the end of the season,^[8] as the team chalked up the best home record in the league, winning 10 and drawing one (with the draw coming in Round 19 against title-contender Johor Darul Takzim FC.

On 2 July 2013, a 4–0 win over relegation-threatened FELDA United FC in the penultimate league game made LionsXII league champions.^[9] Singapore's Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong was present for the match played in front of a sold-out crowd at the Jalan Besar Stadium. The MSL trophy was also brought to Jalan Besar Stadium as the LionsXII received it on home soil after the final whistle. LionsXII became the first foreign team to win the MSL, adding to the four Malaysian league titles it had won in 1979, 1981, 1985, and 1994. The title run was defined by a combination of good defence (13 goals conceded, the best record in the MSL) and goals from set-pieces (17 out of 32).

Stadium

LionsXII ground stadium is Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore. The stadium can host 8,000 supporters in total. On 30 October 2012, a new high-definition LED scoreboard was implemented at the Gallery to provide better quality to the spectators as it will be able replay video highlights of the action on the field.^[10]

Supporters

LionsXII boasts a lot of passionate supporters who will always turn up in red to support them in every home match. Their official fan group is called ExcluSinga^[11] accredited by the Football Association of Singapore. The group was formed from their news-providing Facebook page, Exclusive Singapore LIONSXII,^[12] which provides regular and exclusive updates which recognised by the Football Association of Singapore and became their official fan club in April 2012 soon after the LionsXII was formed on 25 March 2012.^[13]

Members of ExcluSinga will make their appearances in LionsXII matches chanting and supporting the team throughout the whole 90 minutes.

They have over 1,000 members in their Facebook group.^[14]

Kit manufacturer and shirt sponsor

Period	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor
2012–	Nike	StarHub

On 5 January 2012, Football Association of Singapore announced the appointment of StarHub as the Official Broadcaster and Principal Sponsor of LionsXII. As part of the partnership, StarHub will carry all LionsXII content on its pay TV, online and mobile platforms.^[15] Two days after the announcement of the kit, LionsXII sealed a second major sponsorship deal, with news that SilkPro will fund the Singapore outfit to the tune of S$1m during its debut season in Malaysia Super League.^[16] On 23 February 2012, LionsXII secured another sponsorship deal, with Shop N Save, a Singapore supermarket, coming on board as the 'Official Supermarket' for the Singapore outfit in its debut season in the Malaysian Super League.^[17]

Track record

Updated on 3 July 2013

Season	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	Pos	FA Cup	Malaysia Cup
Season	2013	21	12	7	2	32	13	43	1st	Round of 32	TBD
2012	26	15	5	6	48	23	50	2nd	Quarter-finals	Semi-finals

Fixtures and results

2013

9 January 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	ATM FA	0 – 1	LionsXII	Paroi, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
		Report		Stadium: Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium

12 January 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	LionsXII	1 − 0	Selangor FA	Singapore
20:45 UTC+8		Report		Stadium: Jalan Besar Stadium

15 January 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	Selangor PKNS FC	1 − 0	LionsXII	Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
19:45 UTC+8		Report		Stadium: Shah Alam Stadium

19 January 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	LionsXII	2 − 1	Terengganu FA	Singapore
19:45 UTC+8		Report		Stadium: Jalan Besar Stadium

22 January 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	T-Team FC	1 − 0	LionsXII	Terengganu, Malaysia
16:45 UTC+8		Report		Stadium: Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium

26 January 2013 2013 Malaysia FA Cup	Selangor PKNS FC	1 − 0	LionsXII	Kelana Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
16:15 UTC+8		Report		Stadium: Petaling Jaya Stadium

16 February 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	LionsXII	3 − 0	Pahang FA	Singapore
19:45 (UTC+8)		Report		Stadium: Jalan Besar Stadium

19 February 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	Darul Takzim FC	2 − 2	LionsXII	Johor, Malaysia
20:45 (UTC+8)		Report		Stadium: Tan Sri Dato Haji Hassan Yunos Stadium Attendance: 30,000

2 March 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	Felda United	0 − 0	LionsXII	Kelana Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
16:45 (UTC+8)		Report		Stadium: Petaling Jaya Stadium

9 March 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	LionsXII	1 − 0	Kelantan FA	Singapore
19:45 (UTC+8)	Shahfiq 87'	Report		Stadium: Jalan Besar Stadium

30 March 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	LionsXII	1 − 0	Negeri Sembilan FA	Singapore
19:45 (UTC+8)	Shahril 79'	Report		Stadium: Jalan Besar Stadium

6 April 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	LionsXII	2 − 1	Perak FA	Singapore
19:45 (UTC+8)	Shahril 7', 57'	Report	Rafiuddin 90+1'	Stadium: Jalan Besar Stadium Attendance: 6,680

13 April 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	Negeri Sembilan FA	1 − 1	LionsXII	Paroi, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
20:45 (UTC+8)	Fabio Leandro 15'	Report	Fazrul Nawaz 19'	Stadium: Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium

20 April 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	LionsXII	3 − 1	ATM FA	Singapore
19:45 (UTC+8)	Shahfiq 27', 70' Shahril 46' (pen.)	Report	Marlon 60'	Stadium: Jalan Besar Stadium Attendance: 7,198

27 April 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	Selangor FA	0 − 0	LionsXII	Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
20:45 (UTC+8)		Report		Stadium: Shah Alam Stadium

7 May 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	Terengganu FA	1 – 2	LionsXII	Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
16:45 (UTC+8)	Ismail 63'	Report	Baihakki 78' Hasmizan 90+2' (o.g.) Madhu 86'	Stadium: Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium

11 May 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	LionsXII	3 − 0	T-Team FC	Singapore
19:45 (UTC+8)	Shahril 9' Shakir 28' Fazrul 35' Safuwan 60'	Report 1 Report 2	Mazlizam 63'	Stadium: Jalan Besar Stadium

17 May 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	Pahang FA	1 − 1	LionsXII	Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia
20:45 (UTC+8)	Damion 90+3'	Report	Shahril 11'	Stadium: Darul Makmur Stadium Attendance: 25,000

27 May 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	LionsXII	3 − 1	Selangor PKNS FC	Singapore
19:45 (UTC+8)	Baihakki 45' Hariss 54' Hafiz 55' Nazrul 59' Khairul Nizam 89'	Report 1 Report 2	Khairu 14' Nazmi 63' Helmi 75' Patrick 90'	Stadium: Jalan Besar Stadium Attendance: 6,098

22 June 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	LionsXII	1 − 1	Johor Darul Takzim FC	Singapore
19:45 (UTC+8)	Nazrul 21' Isa 28' Safuwan 82' Safuwan 90+2'	Report 1 Report 2	Nunez 9' Safee 13' Safiq 13' Nurul Azwan Roya 32' Nazri 81' Andre 84' Aidil 86'	Stadium: Jalan Besar Stadium Attendance: 7,650 (capacity crowd) Referee: Mohammad Zamzaidi

25 June 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	Perak FA	1 − 1	LionsXII	Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
20:45 (UTC+8)	Rangel 58' Khairi 90' Khairi 92' Rangel 93'	Report 1 Report 2	Isa 52' Shafiq 75' Shahril 83'	Stadium: Perak Stadium Referee: Kamal Ahmad

2 July 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	LionsXII	4 − 0	Felda United FC	Singapore
19:45 (UTC+8)	Safuwan 37' Azrul 46' (o.g.) Shahril 57' Fazrul 61' Shahfiq 83'	Report 1 Report 2	Nizam 16' Azrul 27'	Stadium: Jalan Besar Stadium Attendance: 7,650 Referee: Samsudin Ibrahim

6 July 2013 2013 Malaysia Super League	Kelantan FA	−	LionsXII	Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia
20:45 (UTC+8)				Stadium: Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium

Current squad

Updated on 1 May 2013

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	Singapore	Izwan Mahbud
2	DF	Singapore	Shakir Hamzah
3	DF	Singapore	Faris Azienuddin
4	MF	Singapore	Isa Halim
5	DF	Singapore	Baihakki Khaizan
6	DF	Singapore	Madhu Mohana
7	MF	Singapore	Gabriel Quak
8	MF	Singapore	Hafiz Abu Sujad
9	DF	Singapore	Faritz Hameed
10	FW	Singapore	Fazrul Nawaz
11	MF	Singapore	Safirul Sulaiman
13	MF	Singapore	Izzdin Shafiq
14	MF	Singapore	Hariss Harun (vice captain)
15	MF	Singapore	Zulfahmi Arifin
16	MF	Singapore	Fazli Ayob


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
17	FW	Singapore	Shahril Ishak (captain)
18	GK	Singapore	Khairulhin Khalid
19	DF	Singapore	Irwan Shah
20	FW	Singapore	Khairul Nizam
21	DF	Singapore	Safuwan Baharudin
22	FW	Singapore	Randy Pay
23	MF	Singapore	Nazrul Nazari
24	MF	Singapore	Faris Ramli
25	DF	Singapore	Ali Hudzaifi
26	FW	Singapore	Shahfiq Ghani
27	MF	Singapore	Aqhari Abdullah
28	GK	Singapore	Neezam Aziz
29	GK	Singapore	Syed Sufiyan
30	MF	Singapore	Syafiq Zainal
31	DF	Singapore	Fariss Hamran

Note: Former Courts Young Lions player Fazli Ayob, The Chance finalist Randy Pay and Woodlands Wellington prime league player Farriss Hamran joined the LionsXII in the mid-season transfer window. Raihan Rahman and Iqbal Hussain dropped to Courts Young Lions.^[18]

Goalscoring statistics

2012 season

Pos	Player	Malaysia Super League	Malaysia FA Cup	Malaysia Cup	Total
1	Shahril Ishak	10	1	3	14
2	Shahdan Sulaiman	8	0	0	8
3	Agu Casmir	5	0	1	6
4	Hariss Harun	5	0	0	5
	Sufian Anuar	4	1	0	5
5	Shaiful Esah	2	1	1	4
	Safuwan Baharudin	3	0	1	4
7	Khairul Amri	0	0	2	2
	Khairul Nizam	2	0	0	2
	Baihakki Khaizan	2	0	0	2
	Irwan Shah	2	0	0	2
8	Sevki Sha'ban	1	0	0	1
	Madhu Mohana	0	1	0	1

2013 season

Malaysia Super League
Total goals scored: 32
Total goals conceded: 13

Malaysia FA Cup
Total goals scored: 0
Total goals conceded: 1

Pos	Player	Malaysia Super League	Total
1	Shahril Ishak	8	8
2	Fazrul Nawaz	5	5
	Shahfiq Ghani	5	5
3	Safuwan Baharudin	2	2
	Baihakki Khaizan	2	2
	Hariss Harun	2	2
4	Faris Ramli	1	1
	Shakir Hamzah	1	1
	Syafiq Zainal	1	1
	Khairul Nizam	1	1
	Nazrul Nazari	1	1

Coach

Year	Coach
2012–	V. Sundramoorthy

Current coaching staff

Position	Name
Manager	Visakan Subramanian
Head team coach	V. Sundramoorthy
Assistant coach	K. Balagumaran
Goalkeeping coach	Lee Bee Seng
Fitness coach	Aleksandar Bozenko
Fitness coach	Gurnaya Singh
Physiotherapist	Nurhafizah Sujad
Kitman	Omar Mohamed

References

↑ Singapore Lions to participate in 2012 Malaysia Cup Archived 2012-01-10 at the Wayback Machine - Asia One, 7 December 2011
↑ Singh, Patwant. "Football: Kelantan beat LionsXII 2–1 in opening Malaysia Super League". Channel News Asia. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
↑ Singh, Patwant. "Football: LionsXII beat KL FA 2-1". Channel News Asia. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
↑ Singh, Patwant. "Football: LionsXII secure first away win against Sabah". Channel News Asia. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
↑ Malaysia FA Cup 2012: Wonder-goal sets LionsXII to comfortable 3-0 victory - Straits Times, 18 February 2012
↑ LIONSXII through to the Quarter-Finals of the Malaysian FA Cup Archived 2013-10-14 at the Wayback Machine - LIONSXII, 10 March 2012
↑ LIONSXII aim top-five finish^{[permanent dead link]} - Straits Times
↑ Malaysian coaches concede MSL title is Singapore's Archived 2013-06-29 at Archive.today - TODAYonline, 27 June 2013
↑ "Football: LionsXII crowned Malaysian Super League champions". Channel NewsAsia. Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 4 July 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
↑ "High-definition LED video wall launched at Jalan Besar Stadium - Goal.com". www.goal.com.
↑ - ExcluSinga Official Website Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine - ExcluSinga
↑ http://www.facebook.com/exclusivesingaporelionsxii
↑ ExcluSinga becomes official LIONSXII fan group - QueSports
↑ http://www.exclusinga.com/general/ Archived 2014-03-16 at the Wayback Machine ExcluSinga General Information - ExcluSinga
↑ StarHub Appointed Official Broadcaster and Principal Sponsor of LionsXII Archived 2012-01-08 at the Wayback Machine - StarHub, 5 January 2012
↑ SilkPro to back LionsXII campaign Archived 2013-06-24 at Archive.today - ESPNSTAR, 8 January 2012
↑ Shop n Save Singapore named 'Official Supermarket' for the LionsXII Archived 2012-09-04 at Archive.today - LionsXII, 23 February 2012
↑ LionsXII beat transfer deadline to sign Fariss - Liga Singapura

[1] Singapore Lions to participate in 2012 Malaysia Cup Archived 2012-01-10 at the Wayback Machine - Asia One, 7 December 2011

[2] Singh, Patwant. "Football: Kelantan beat LionsXII 2–1 in opening Malaysia Super League". Channel News Asia. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2012.

[3] Singh, Patwant. "Football: LionsXII beat KL FA 2-1". Channel News Asia. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2012.

[4] Singh, Patwant. "Football: LionsXII secure first away win against Sabah". Channel News Asia. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2012.

[5] Malaysia FA Cup 2012: Wonder-goal sets LionsXII to comfortable 3-0 victory - Straits Times, 18 February 2012

[6] LIONSXII through to the Quarter-Finals of the Malaysian FA Cup Archived 2013-10-14 at the Wayback Machine - LIONSXII, 10 March 2012

[7] LIONSXII aim top-five finish^{[permanent dead link]} - Straits Times

[8] Malaysian coaches concede MSL title is Singapore's Archived 2013-06-29 at Archive.today - TODAYonline, 27 June 2013

[9] "Football: LionsXII crowned Malaysian Super League champions". Channel NewsAsia. Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 4 July 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013.

[10] "High-definition LED video wall launched at Jalan Besar Stadium - Goal.com". www.goal.com.

[11] - ExcluSinga Official Website Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine - ExcluSinga

[12] ttp://www.facebook.com/exclusivesingaporelionsxii

[13] ExcluSinga becomes official LIONSXII fan group - QueSports

[14] ttp://www.exclusinga.com/general/ Archived 2014-03-16 at the Wayback Machine ExcluSinga General Information - ExcluSinga

[15] StarHub Appointed Official Broadcaster and Principal Sponsor of LionsXII Archived 2012-01-08 at the Wayback Machine - StarHub, 5 January 2012

[16] SilkPro to back LionsXII campaign Archived 2013-06-24 at Archive.today - ESPNSTAR, 8 January 2012

[17] Shop n Save Singapore named 'Official Supermarket' for the LionsXII Archived 2012-09-04 at Archive.today - LionsXII, 23 February 2012

[18] LionsXII beat transfer deadline to sign Fariss - Liga Singapura

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