SINGAPORE, 30 NOVEMBER 2024 – Singapore Men’s National Team Head Coach Tsutomu Ogura has selected 30 players for the provisional squad that will compete at the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 (ME Cup) this December.

The Lions are in Group A alongside Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Thailand and Malaysia. The ME Cup features 10 teams in two groups, with each team playing in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals.

The upcoming tournament will be Ogura’s first regional test as Lions Head Coach as he leads Singapore into Southeast Asia’s flagship competition for the first time.

“We have prepared well in the lead up to the ME Cup. This is a tournament that means a lot to our fans and community. The players have shown great desire and hard work over the last few months to earn their place in this squad,” said Ogura.

“Now we must continue to raise our game so we can deliver performances that will make Singaporeans proud and help get results that we want.”

Ogura has picked 30 players with a view of selecting the best available players for the ME Cup. The final squad of 26 men will be announced on Friday, 6 Dec.

There are five recalls in the provisional squad. The Lions have called up Raoul Suhaimi, Ryaan Sanizal, Iqbal Hussain, Syed Firdaus and 2012 ASEAN Championship winner Shahdan Sulaiman.

While Muangthong United midfielder Jacob Mahler misses out through injury, the Lions’ other foreign-based players will not join the squad due to domestic fixtures that take place across the duration of the ME Cup.

Ogura is poised to line up with a squad made up entirely of players plying their trade in the Singapore Premier League (SPL).

“From September through to November w...