The AFF Sukuzi Cup, one of ASEAN’s most prestigious football tournaments, will commence its Final Rounds from 19 November to 17 December 2016.
This year the biennial football competition, organised by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), has been given an additional boost as football’s world governing body, FIFA, have classified granted the tournament Category A status with international ranking points up for grabs.
At the unveiling of the new Singapore National Team Kit (NTK) by Nike, Lions co-Captain Hariss Harun felt that while the team is prepared for the challenge, and despite winning the tournament four times before, Singapore goes into the 2016 edition of the AFF Suzuki Cup as underdogs.
Singapore, who have previously taken the cup home four times in 1998, 2004, 2007 and 2012, have been placed in a highly competitive group together with the Philippines, Indonesia and defending champions, Thailand. The strength of the other teams in the group, and the Lion’s recent form, haven’t been very encouraging with the Lions losing 3 of their last 4 games in Japan and Cambodia. However, Hariss is still confident that, despite recent results, the team is prepared and can do the job.
“We are very aware of how big this tournament is for the whole of Singapore as well as the region, and we’re very focused. We’ve been working very hard and hopefully when it comes to the tournament in ten days’ time, we’ll be able to produce the results. Representing Singapore is always special and we are thankful for all the support we have received from Nike and the public,” shared Hariss Harun, co-captain of the Singapore National Team.
The AFF Suzuki Cup 2016 will see the The Lions don a brand new kit. The new Nike kit maintains a classic crew cut, with both home and away kits featuring a silicon printed ‘Singapore’ at the back the neckline. The new NTK is woven with a new, textured high-performance yarn that wicks sweat from the skin, keeping athletes dry and comfortable. As part of Nike’s efforts to promote environmental sustainability, the kit’s shirt and shorts are constructed with recycled polyester fabric, which is made from recycled plastic bottles melted down to produce a fine yarn. Each kit is made using approximately 16 recycled plastic bottles.
“Football is a big part of Singapore and there is such a rich history of the game here, as well as in the region. We are thankful for the longstanding partnership with the Football Association of Singapore and proud to continue supporting the Lions as they represent Singapore in the largest football tournament in Southeast Asia,” added Nino Priambodo, Singapore Country Marketing Manager, Nike.
The Singapore Lions will begin their AFF Suzuki Cup 2016 campaign on 19 November when they take on co-hosts, Philippines. Fans who wish to purchase the Singapore National Team Kit (Stadium version), can do so at Weston and Sportlink outlets for S$115.
Singapore National Team Kit image credits: Nike