Singapore, November 13: Lion City Sailors FC and Singapore captain Hariss Harun has called on his teammates to maintain their composure ahead of a critical run of fixtures that could see the nation book a berth at the AFC Asian Cup and as the Singapore Premier League outfit kick-start their ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ campaign.
Singapore face Hong Kong on Tuesday knowing a win over Ashley Westwood’s side at Kai Tak Stadium would put the country on the cusp of a first appearance at the continental championship since the island nation hosted the finals in 1984.
“We are excited about this window but we need to keep calm,” says Hariss. “We have to try and go out and win the game, that shouldn’t change because it’s a crucial game because, crucial or not, we always try to win.
“It’s a big time for everyone in Singapore, us, the players out on the pitch. We just need to do our best. What I would say is: Don’t think too much. We have to give our best effort and the hard work will be rewarded.”
Singapore are second in Group C of the third round of the qualifiers for the 2027 finals, which will be played in Saudi Arabia, and the game launches a run of important fixtures for the 34-year-old.
Less than two weeks after the window closes, Hariss will lead Lion City Sailors into their Shopee Cup™ Group B clash with Bangkok United FC before taking on Myanmar’s Shan United FC on December 17 as the club looks to overcome an opening 3-1 loss to Johor Darul Ta’zim FC.
“We played Bangkok United in the AFC Champions League Two as well, we’re in the same group, so we know the kind of opposition we’re facing,” says Hariss of the December 4 meeting in Pathum Thani.
“The game against Shan United will be at home and it’s always nice to play games at home, especially regional ones because the fans come out in full force for us when we play in and around the region.
“Really looking forward to those games. After the result in the first game, we need good results to get our campaign back on track.”
Lion City Sailors have come into the second season of the Shopee Cup™ determined to make amends for a disappointing inaugural campaign, when the SPL champions crashed out at the end of the group phase with four points from five matches.
Their performance in the competition stood in stark contrast to their showing in the AFC Champions League Two, when they became the first club from Singapore to reach the final of a continental competition and Hariss is determined to make amends.
“We’ve got a really strong team on paper but we know that’s just on paper, we’ve still got to get out there and get the job done,” he says. “We have to get the results in those games and get our campaign back on track.
“We want to do better because last season we didn’t have a good campaign in the Shopee Cup™.
“We showed what we can do with the squad that we have with the run that we went on in the AFC Champions League Two. It was a little bit confusing why we didn’t do as well in the Shopee Cup™.
“For the players, this is something we’re looking at and we hope to do better this year. Hopefully we can get out of the group, first and foremost, and then see where that takes us.”
The ultimate goal is to establish Lion City Sailors among the leading clubs within Southeast Asia and signing players such as former Yokohama F Marinos forward Anderson Lopes underlines the team’s ambition.
“Everybody wants to make it out of the group and everybody wants to win but there’s only one team that can lift the Shopee Cup™ at the end of the day,” says Hariss. “Every team has their qualities, their strengths and we all know what they are.
“In modern football, the differences can be so fine. Sometimes, the result may not be a reflection of the game itself but nobody talks about that, it’s just about who wins. For us and all the other teams I’m sure it’s the same.
“Everybody wants to win the Shopee Cup. Everyone will be motivated.
“We want to break into the top two teams but it’s tough because there’s JDT, there’s Buriram United. These two teams have been doing it for many years and that is the level we aspire to achieve, and the Shopee Cup™ is a great way to show that we’re on par with them.”
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