Baihakki out of Lions' squad
Veteran defender dropped by national coach Sundram for Asian Cup qualifiers
He scored the goal that broke Thailand's resolve and gave Singapore the Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup title in 2012.
Baihakki Khaizan's injury-time goal saw the Lions take the first leg of the final 3-1 and, despite Thailand winning 1-0 in the second leg in Bangkok, the Republic made history with their fourth title - the most wins by any country at that time.
Thailand now have five titles to their name.
But Baihakki will not be part of the Singapore team again chasing history as they look to qualify for the Asian Cup Finals on merit for the first time.
The 129-capped veteran has been told by national team coach V Sundramoorthy that he is not part of his plans for the Lions' Asian Cup qualifying campaign that starts next month.
Sundram will host the year's first national team training session on Monday, and before the 28-name list was released to clubs yesterday, he met Baihakki to tell him of the decision.
This is not an official call-up, but a move started by former national coach Bernd Stange in January last year.
It saw national players and potential Lions come in every Monday for a session with the national coaching staff.
Baihakki is a long-time servant of the national team. We appreciate his commitment to the national team and respect what he has achieved with the Lions.National coach V Sundramoorthy
"Baihakki is a long-time servant of the national team. We appreciate his commitment to the national team and respect what he has achieved with the Lions," said Sundram.
"However, he is not part of my plans for the Asian Cup qualifiers, and I thought it was important to meet him, and tell him this myself."
The New Paper understands that the meeting between Sundram and Baihakki took place on Wednesday.
When contacted by TNP, all the 32-year-old defender said was a firm "no comment".
Baihakki left Malaysian second-tier side Johor Darul Ta'zim II at the end of last season and signed for nine-time S.League champions Warriors FC.
Sundram did not reveal why Baihakki was surplus to his requirements for the national team, but the defender's last outing with the Lions was perhaps a signal of what was to come.
He played just 13 minutes of Singapore's ill-fated 2016 Suzuki Cup campaign in which the Lions managed a solitary draw and, with two losses to their name, were booted out at the group stage.
Madhu Mohana and Daniel Bennett were the first-choice central defensive partnership at the tourney.
After a draw with the Philippines and a loss to Thailand, Singapore needed a win against Indonesia in their last fixture or face an early exit.
Before that match, Baihakki had put up a Facebook post hitting out at a member of the Lions' coaching staff, suggesting that the coach was behind him losing his spot in the starting line-up.
While Baihakki quickly removed that post and put up another calling for positivity after clearing the air, he did not feature in the Indonesia match.
Singapore lost the fixture 2-1.
The Lions report on Monday as they prepare for a tough Group E campaign against Bahrain, Turkmenistan and Taiwan.
They kick off their campaign against Bahrain on March 28.
Said Sundram: "I thank Baihakki for what he's given to the team, and I look forward to preparing the team for the qualifiers."
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