TAKEN FROM TODAY... its quite amazing when one minister wants to promote soccer to declare 2010 as our goal for WC qualification.. and yet anohter proclaims our team cant even participate ro not good enuff for the Asian Games... If we're not good enuff for the Asian cup in Dec 2006.. how good can we be in June 2010

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FOOTBALL GIVEN THE BOOT
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Raddy's Lions lose bid to play in Asian Games for first time since 1990

Singapore football was dealt a massive blow yesterday, after the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) ruled that the Lions do not deserve to make the trip to Doha for this December's Asian Games.

As the 2005 Tiger Cup champions, the Lions were expected to be included in the SNOC list. SNOC selectors, including president Teo Chee Hean, came to the decision after about three hours of deliberation at their National Stadium premises.

Only 115 athletes from 14 sports were selected to represent Singapore, up from the 92 who donned Singapore colours at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan.

News of football's exclusion from the Doha Asian Games was met with red faces yesterday evening.

"It is extremely disappointing," said national team manager Eugene Loo.

Singapore Sports Council chief executive officer Oon Jin Teik also appeared shell-shocked when he was informed by Today that football had been given the snub by the SNOC. He said: "The SSC put in a very strong recommendation for football. I will have to find out why they have not been chosen to go."

According to SNOC secretary-general Chris Chan, the Lions were not given the go-ahead because they are not in the top six in Asia.

Athletes who made the cut for Doha have to be in the top six in Asia or have met the sixth-placed time or mark from the last Asian Games in their respective sports.

The Lions are currently ranked 17th in Asia, according to the latest Fifa rankings released yesterday.

It is also understood that the Young Lions' failure to make the last four at the 2005 SEA Games in Philippines may have played a part in SNOC's decision.

National coach Radojko Avramovic, who has been responsible for changing the fortunes of the Lions since he took over as national coach in the middle of 2003, expressed his frustration at the decision.

He said: "I am very sad.

"Not for myself, but for the sport and the young footballers who have been working very hard over the last three years.

"These young footballers have shown that they can take on Asia's best and they deserve the chance to prove their worth. This is a big blow for the sport."

The Football Association of Singapore will appeal the decision but a bigger worry now is the future of Avramovic, who could be contemplating his time in Singapore after yesterday's disappointment.

The Serbo-Montenegrin had said in a previous interview that he would end his association with Singapore if the Lions were not allowed the chance to participate at the Asian Games which he views as a platform to achieving excellence for the sport.

"If Singapore is not ambitious enough to take on Asia's big guns, then I am wasting my time here," he said in an interview last year.

Since then, he has led the Lions to a 2-0 win against Iraq (9th in Asia), a 2-2 draw against Kuwait (15th in Asia) and a narrow 0-1 defeat against Oman (8th in Asia).

Avramovic's Lions also registered marginal 2-1 and 1-0 losses against Japan (3rd in Asia) in 2004 and were crowned champions of South-east Asia last January in the Tiger Cup.

At the end of last year, Fifa named Singapore as Asia's most improved team, which saw the Lions rise 20 notches in the world ranking from 112 to 92.

Should the Lions be allowed to participate in the Asian Games? Email your views to sports@newstoday.com.sg