Singapore are on the crest of a wave and coach Gavin Lee is determined to maintain the positive momentum when the Lions seek a fifth Southeast Asian title at the ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ in July and August.
Lee masterminded a 2-1 win over Hong Kong last November to confirm the nation’s first-ever qualification for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, 43 years after Singapore’s only previous appearance.
The island state featured in the continental championship as host of the 1984 edition and the successful qualifying campaign has ignited renewed optimism in the team’s lead-up to the Hyundai Cup™, which Singapore will kick off against Cambodia on July 24.
“It's been a crazy past few months and it's been a fantastic experience, especially after the night in Hong Kong,” says Lee, who held the coaching role on an interim basis initially after replacing Tsutomu Ogura at the helm.
“There have been so many big moments in a short space of time and sometimes you just need to take a step back to digest and reflect on everything that has happened. But I must say that it's been an honour and privilege and I'm just excited to keep going.
“It's exciting times. The Asian Cup is such a prestigious tournament, such a big stage. I think we're all excited to be there but at the same time, after the night in Hong Kong, we also told ourselves that this is only the start of a new journey.
“It's back to work, it's only the start and it will continue to make sure we arrive in the best possible manner.”
A major part of that journey will be the Hyundai Cup™, the jewel in the crown of ASEAN football. Singapore will attempt to win the title for the first time since the most recent of their four titles, which came in 2012. The country also claimed the trophy in 1998, 2004 and 2007 when Singaporeans filled the iconic former National Stadium in Kallang to capacity as domestic TV viewership peaked at just over 1 million on MediaCorp’s Channel 5 - roughly 25 percent of the population and a record at the time, to watch the team clinch the ASEAN Championship title in the second leg final against Thailand.
The Hyundai Cup™ is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, which Lee knows the nation’s terrific record in the competition will fire up his players.
“I think we've seen in all previous editions that the Hyundai Cup™ is a fantastic tournament, because there's this rivalry within the region, and you just ignite so many emotions, so much fan support and that's amazing,” says Lee.
“At the same time for us, it's a very good test because you get competitive games, which you don't always get in international windows. So, these opportunities are very important for us as we try to progress ourselves to a level where we want to be.”
Singapore have also been drawn to take on defending champions Vietnam, six-times runners-up Indonesia plus either Timor-Leste or Brunei in Group A with confidence on a high in the aftermath of the historic win over Hong Kong.
Success at the Hyundai Cup™ can only come, believes Lee, once he has total buy-in to the idea from his squad.
“It's fantastic for us because it shows that it's possible,” he says of the impact of AFC Asian Cup qualification. “Anything is possible if you’ve got a group of guys with a common goal, willing to commit and sacrifice everything to an end.
“This kind of goal or standard, it has to come from consensus from within a group. There’s no point in me sitting down saying that we're going do this and do that, because if the group doesn't buy it, then there's no point.
“So, until the time when I get the opportunity to speak to the boys, altogether face to face and say, what do we want to achieve? Do you think you can get that? And let's do it in that sense.
“But having seen the success and the impact of the success that the past national teams in Singapore have had (in the ASEAN Championship) it must be a source of motivation, a source of fuel for us, because those are some fantastic memories.
“I think some of us are probably old enough to recall those days, and I remember the buzz that we had in the country and the pride. You just walk around after the nation has won it and those memories must be the fuel for this group of boys.”
Until the start of the Hyundai Cup™, Lee has no intention to peer too far into the future.
“Our mantra so far has always been: one game at a time,” he says. “There's no point looking too far ahead if we forget to do the job that's immediately in front of us.
“And so, as much as we talk about the Hyundai Cup™ in July, we've got a couple of windows, with a few games in front of us.
“And the question is how are we going to arrive into the Hyundai Cup™. Every game that we're going to play before that, we must be at our best and we won't take anything for granted.
“It's about taking everything one day at a time, one training (session) at a time, then one game at a time because we want to be in the moment, we want to be in the present because that ultimately gives us the best chance for success.”
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