LionsXII is a football team in Singapore. It is based at Jalan Besar Stadium. It was founded in 2011 and is managed by the Football Association of Singapore. The team is the first Singaporean team to play in Malaysian football again since 1994. The name, "LionsXII" is a special tribute to the fans, who is generally recognised as the team's 12th player.
In 2011, the Football Association of Singapore and the Football Association of Malaysia reached an agreement that would see greater cooperation between the two nations. One of the intended avenues will see Young Lions play in the Malaysian Super League and Malaysia Cup from 2012 onwards, the first time a Singaporean team has participated in Malaysian domestic football since Singapore won the 1994 M-League and Malaysia Cup double. Although the new Singapore team will have the existing Young Lions set up at its core, the squad will be permitted up to five local players over the age of 23, as well as a number of overseas players in accordance with the quota set out by the rules of the Malaysian competitions the team will play in.[1]
The LionsXII debuted in the 2012 Malaysia Super League with on 10 January with a 1–2 loss to defending champions Kelantan FA.[2] The LionsXII's first win was a 2–1 victory over Kuala Lumpur FA on 17 January.[3] The LionsXII's first away win was a 1–0 victory over Sabah FA on 21 January.[4] LionsXII began their 2012 Malaysia FA Cup quest on 18 February 2012, with a 3–0 win over UiTM FC.[5] The LionsXII made their way to the quarter-final with a 2–0 win over Betaria FC[6] on 10 March, 2012. Unfortunately, they are beaten by Terengganu FA in the quarter-finals. On 16th June 2012, they posted their largest victory so far, which is also the largest victory in the 2012 MSL season, by thrashing Sabah FA 9-0 on their home ground, Jalan Besar Stadium. On 7 July 2012, it was confirmed that LionsXII will finish in second place due to defending champions Kelantan FA posting a 6-0 victory over Perak FA and manage to defend their crown with 2 games left and left LionsXII 7 points behind them, also with 2 games remaining. As 3rd place Selangor FA are 10 points behind LionsXII, they have no chance to finish 2nd.
Kit manufacturer and shirt sponsor [change]
| Period |
Kit manufacturer |
Shirt sponsor |
| 2012– |
Nike |
Starhub |
On 5 January 2012, Football Association of Singapore announced the appointment of StarHub as the Official Broadcaster and Principal Sponsor of LionsXII. As part of the partnership, StarHub will carry all LionsXII content on its pay TV, online and mobile platforms.[7] Two days after the announcement of the kit, LIONSXII sealed a second major sponsorship deal, with news that SilkPro will fund the Singapore outfit to the tune of S$1million during its debut season in Malaysia Super League.[8] On 23 February 2012, LIONSXII secured another sponsorship deal, with Shop N Save, a Singapore supermarket, coming on board as the 'Official Supermarket' for the Singapore outfit in its debut season in the Malaysian Super League.[9]
Fixtures and results [change]
Current squad [change]
Updated on 22 January 2013
Goalscoring statistics [change]
2012 season [change]
2013 season [change]
Malaysia Super League
Total goals scored: 4
Total goals conceded: 3
Malaysia FA Cup
Total goals scored: 0
Total goals conceded: 1
Players by number of goals [change]
1 goal
Shahril Ishak
Fazrul Nawaz
Safuwan Baharudin
Syafiq Zainal
Former Lions
V. Sundramoorthy and Kadir Yahaya, members of the coaching staff for the LIONSXII in 2012, with Kadir resigning at the end of 2012.
Current coaching staff [change]
| Position |
Name |
| Manager |
 Eugene Loo Kai York |
| Head team coach |
V. Sundramoorthy |
| Assistant coach |
K. Balagumaran |
| Goalkeeping coach |
Lee Bee Seng |
| Fitness coach |
 Aleksandar Bozenko |
| Fitness coach |
Gurnaya Singh |
| Physiotherapist |
Majid Khan |
| Kitman |
Omar Mohamed |
Track record [change]
References [change]
LionsXII
Selangor FA
Terengganu FA
Pahang FA
87'
Aleksandar Bozenko
