The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) held a pre-match press conference earlier today at the Amara Hotel for the AFC Asian Cup 2015 qualifying match between Singapore and Syria that will be played tomorrow, 15 October 2013, 7.30 pm, at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
The Syria national team was represented by head coach, Anas Makhlouf, and team captain, Sanhareb Maliki. The Singapore national team was represented by head coach, Bernd Stange and team captain Shahril Ishak.
Both coaches were in high spirits when asked about their teams’ chances ahead of tomorrow’s game, whilst acknowledging various challenges that each team faces. Coach Stange said: “Under difficult circumstances, they [Syrian team] have been able to play good football and we rate them very highly. There is no difference between the quality of Jordan and Oman [when compared to Syria]. They play at the same level and it would be a difficult task for us to manage a good result. However, we are looking forward to the match tomorrow and we are pleased to have this team here. For us, it is another good test to show our improvement as a team. We are waiting for better performances and better results, it will be difficult, but we are full of optimism and we will bring our best tomorrow. It is absolutely necessary to achieve something against such a strong team like Syria. All of our strategies are aligned towards to a bright future in Singapore football, we have to work together as a team to move in the right direction.”
Coach Anas fielded questions about the current political situation in Syria and how it has affected the team’s preparations ahead of tomorrow’s match, as well as how the team will fare against Singapore, to which he responded: “Everyone is aware of the situation [in Syria], but we try to do something for our people to alleviate their situation. Syrian people love football, which is why we have to do this for them. It would not be a problem for us to play on an [artificial] field. We know that the Singapore team is a good team and that they are playing at home. They have a good coach, and I agree that he needs time to build a better team. But we will try to do our best to qualify for the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia, and we hope to start from here. There is more pressure on us, but every coach plays to win.”
Tickets to tomorrow’s match are still available. Fans may purchase their tickets from the TicketBooth’s website, the 12 TicketBooth outlets, or AXS machines island-wide until 4pm on match-day. The ticket sales will resume on match-day from 4.30pm onwards at the Jalan Besar Stadium North Gate, subject to availability.
All ticket redemption (for online and AXS purchases) can be done at the 12 TicketBooth outlets during their operating hours or at the Jalan Besar Stadium on match-day, using the sales receipt.
Each patron is only allowed to purchase a maximum of 4 tickets.
The FAS requests fans to turn up early to avoid delays, as there will be enhanced security checks in place during match-day.
The ticketing details are as follows: Grandstand ($19), Gallery ($11) & Gallery Concession ($4).
* Students aged below 16 years and Senior Citizens aged 60 years and above have to produce their concession passes upon entry into the stadium. Concession tickets are also applicable to children, aged 7 and below without concession passes, and who require a seat in the stadium.
’ Above mentioned ticket prices are inclusive of ticketing fee
500 limited edition posters of the Singapore national football team will be given away to fans who have purchased the match tickets. They can redeem the posters from 4.30 pm onwards at the Jalan Besar Stadium (South Gate), subject to availability. Fans who have purchased the two-match bundle tickets can also redeem two autographed postcards of selected national team players, upon the presentation of a valid sales receipt.
For more ticketing details, please visit http://www.ticketbooth.com.sg/home.ntuc or please contact TicketBooth at tel: 6296-2929 or email to:ticketbooth@qleisure.com.
(Photo: FAS)
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