Raddy Avramovic back in Singapore, to be unveiled as Home coach soon
Former Lions tamer to be officially unveiled as Protectors coach
Former national football coach Radojko Avramovic is back in Singapore and will be officially unveiled as coach of the beleaguered Home United soon.
The well-respected Serb, who led the Lions to three Asean football championship titles in 2004, 2007 and 2012, was spotted last night at Our Tampines Hub, where Tampines Rovers thrashed the Young Lions 4-0 to end their six-match winless run in the Singapore Premier League.
Avramovic, 69, observed the proceedings from the stands, alongside Home's interim coach and former Singapore international Mohd Noh Rahman.
When approached at half-time, Avramovic told TNP that he has been back in Singapore since last Wednesday and had also watched Home's comeback 4-2 win over Balestier Khalsa on Sunday.
But he declined to reveal much about his upcoming 1½-year appointment with Home, as an official announcement is expected soon.
"We can talk in a few days," Avramovic said.
Home had handed the reins to Noh Rahman temporarily, after parting ways with Saswadimata Dasuki on April 19.
The Protectors are fifth in the nine-team table after 10 matches, 14 points behind leaders Brunei DPMM but with a game in hand.
Avramovic, who had a stint as Myanmar coach after leaving Singapore in 2012, was most recently in charge of Kuwait Premier League side Al Tadhamon, an appointment he took up since October 2017.
Yesterday's game between the Stags and the Young Lions was the second SPL match he has observed since returning.
The Stags showcased an excellent display of attacking football to earn their first SPL victory since March.
Tampines took the lead in the 12th minute after Young Lions defender Lionel Tan put the ball into the net while attempting to clear midfielder Yasir Hanapi's shot.
Man-of-the-Match Ryutaro Megumi then orchestrated the next goal with a clinical cross from the right flank which was met with a clean header from forward Taufik Suparno.
The second half was more balanced, until Young Lions midfielder Haiqal Pashia was sent off for a second yellow card in the 78th minute.
The Stags then added the icing on the cake with goals by Zehrudin Mehmedovic and Jordan Webb in the 89th and 92nd minutes respectively.
Tampines' first-team coach Gavin Lee was happy his team took their chances, adding that "going home with a clean sheet was (also their) target".
Young Lions coach Fandi Ahmad, on the other hand, admitted that the game was a "disaster".
He said: "That was not the Young Lions that we know. They lost their fire. Whenever we play on weekdays, it's a big problem because they are all coming from school or camps.
"Now, we have to shift ourselves to next week's Merlion Cup. We don't have strikers that can score, so far only Haiqal and Syukri (Bashir). They need to take shots and take the gamble."
In the four-team Merlion Cup, Fandi's charges will take on the Philippine Under-22 side on June 7, and then either Indonesia U-22 or Thailand U-22 on June 9.
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