Lions to play AFF C’ship home group games at Jalan Besar
The Lions will play both their AFF Championship home group games – against Myanmar on Dec 24 and Vietnam on Dec 30 – at the 6,000-seater Jalan Besar Stadium, it was confirmed on Tuesday.
However, if they progress from the group stage like they did in 2021, they will return to the 55,000-seater National Stadium. Their away Group B matches are at Laos (Dec 27) and Malaysia (Jan 3). The top two advance to the two-legged semi-finals.
The Straits Times had reported in October that the national team would not be able to host the Myanmar match at the National Stadium, with a question mark also hanging over the venue for the Vietnam match.
Sources told ST the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) had booked the National Stadium in anticipation of a January 2023 kick-off for the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championship, which was last held in Singapore from Dec 5, 2021 to Jan 1, 2022. However, after the draw was made on Aug 30, it was revealed that the biennial tournament would start in December instead.
In a statement on Tuesday, the FAS explained: “While the start date of the competition was earlier expected to be in January 2023, the finalised match dates mean the National Stadium is unable to host the group stage games as the venue has committed to other events.
“The National Stadium, originally booked for all matches in the month of January 2023, will be the venue for the home legs of the semi-finals and finals for the Lions should they progress accordingly in this tournament.”
It is understood that the staging of concerts at the National Stadium by Taiwanese singer Jay Chou on Dec 17 and 18 apparently leaves too little time for the Singapore Sports Hub to get the pitch ready for the Myanmar match.
Meanwhile, under this home-and-away format, AFF competition regulations stipulate that a host country may use only one stadium during the group stage, which rules out the National Stadium for the Vietnam game.
Earlier, Singapore skipper Hariss Harun said the team, who will travel to Chiba, Japan, for a Dec 1-12 training camp, will not be perturbed by the change.
He said: “Personally, I prefer grass pitches, but Jalan Besar has been the Sailors’ home ground and many of our national players are used to the artificial turf, which can give us an advantage against opponents who are not used to it.
“We last played at Jalan Besar when we beat Palestine 2-1 in 2019 and having our supporters so close to the pitch in a compact setting really lifted us... we just have to think positive and make the best out of either scenario.”
The FAS also released ticketing information for the two home games, as sales start at noon on Monday (Dec 5) via its website www.fas.org.sg/tickets
Grandstand tickets cost $25 for adults and $15 for children aged 12 years old and below while Gallery East tickets are $15 for adults and S$10 for children. Each fan will be allowed to purchase a maximum of six tickets, across any category, per matchday.
The first three days of sales are reserved for Singapore fans, who will enjoy a 20 per cent discount off the full price if they purchase a set of two adult tickets to catch both of the Lions’ home matches.
Tickets – $20 for adults and $12 for children – for the friendly match between the Lions and the Maldives at Jalan Besar on Dec 17 are also available on the site from noon on Monday.
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