Young Lions coach Philippe Aw given ‘time off’ after dismal SEA Games outing
SINGAPORE – Young Lions coach Philippe Aw has been given time off from his coaching duties “after his intense duties as head coach of the football men’s team in the recently concluded SEA Games in Cambodia”, said the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) in a social media post on Thursday.
It added that a technical review of the SEA Games performance will take place after his return.
In the meantime, assistant coaches Fadzuhasny Juraimi and Koichiro Iizuka will take over coaching duties as the Young Lions resume their Singapore Premier League (SPL) campaign, starting with the match against Tampines Rovers on Saturday.
The Young Lions endured a dismal outing in Phnom Penh, where they finished the competition without a win. They were bottom of Group B after suffering 3-1 losses to Thailand and Vietnam, a 7-0 thumping by Malaysia and a goal-less draw with Laos.
The last time the national Under-22 and U-23 teams made it to the Games’ semi-finals was when they finished bronze medallists a decade ago.
The Young Lions currently sit bottom of the nine-team SPL with five points from nine games. They are two points behind eighth-placed Hougang United, who have played a game more.
This is Aw’s second spell as the Young Lions coach. He was put in charge for the 2023 SPL season, taking over from previous coach Nazri Nasir, who had stepped down to focus on his duties as assistant coach of the national team.
He had previously led the team in 2021, when he also replaced Nazri who was recovering from a medical procedure at the time.
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