By Les Tan
Mustafic Fahrudin has played 41 times for Singapore and captained Singapore in the game against Cambodia. He did not wear the armband in the next game against Myanmar and was on the bench against Indonesia since qualification for the semi-final was secured. (Photo 1 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Before the first ball was kicked in the ASEAN Football Championship (AFF Suzuki Cup), the question was, “Who would captain the Singapore national team?”
The usual captain, Indra Sahdan Daud, was not in the starting lineup, having lost his place to the starting pair of Aleksandar Duric and Agu Casmir. The guess was that goalkeeper Lionel Lewis would take the captain’s armband but when the names were flashed on the television screen before the start of the game against Cambodia, it was Mustafic Fahrudin who had the letter ‘c’ next to his name.
An able midfielder who protects his backline with minimal fuss and who plays consistent, rock-solid football, the choice of Mustafic was a respected one.
The next game against Myanmar however produced a surprise. Instead of Mustafic as captain, Noh Rahman was now made captain.
This was odd. Mustafic, 27, had played well in the game against Cambodia. There was nothing he did on pitch that suggested he made a bad captain. Replacing a captain for no apparent reason stood out.
Noh Rahman played a decent enough game against Myanmar but he has never been known as team captain material for the national team. He is an even-tempered player but does not communicate much on the field. The choice of him as a captain was strange.
The third game against Indonesia saw Indra start with the captain’s armband. Duric was out with a fractured fibula while Alam Shah was struggling with a hamstring injury.
It is not clear that Indra will start in the next game against Vietnam in the first semi-final in Hanoi on December 17th. The likely starters up front are Agu Casmir and Noh Alam Shah based on present form and ability.
So the Singapore team has seen three captains in three games.There have been no official statement from the Football Association of Singapore as to why there have been so many changes in captaincy.
With 41 caps, Mustafic is now a seasoned, experienced player. For consistency, ability and temperament, Mustafic Fahrudin is the best choice for captain.
Indra Sahdan Daud (right) captained Singapore in the final group game against Indonesia, his first start in the championship. Some were expecting Lionel Lewis (left) to be made captain in the first game against Cambodia but the armband went to Mustafic Fahrudin. (Photo 2 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Noh Rahman (left) captained Singapore in the game against Myanmar. He did not wear the armband in the next game against Indonesia. (Photo 3 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
REDpoll
Who should captain Singapore in the 2008 AFF Suzuki Cup?
- Indra Sahdan Daud (26%, 102 Votes)
- Lionel Lewis (20%, 78 Votes)
- Mustafic Fahrudin (19%, 73 Votes)
- Daniel Bennett (8%, 33 Votes)
- Aleksandar Duric (8%, 32 Votes)
- Baihakki Khaizan (4%, 16 Votes)
- Shi Jiayi (4%, 16 Votes)
- Agu Casmir (4%, 14 Votes)
- Noh Rahman (3%, 10 Votes)
- John Wilkinson (2%, 9 Votes)
- Precious Emuejeraye (1%, 5 Votes)
- Muhd Ridhuan (1%, 3 Votes)
Total Voters: 391
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i figured he didn’t have a realistic chance being capt that’s why i left him out 🙂 but you are right about the qualities he brings to the team.
its a shame hes not even in the poll!
u can see noh alam shah always encouraging and talking to his teamates.. he even talks to the ref! my reason is that we need fire and passion to lead the team and he has it all. looks like hes over his bad behaviour.
[…] Saturday, December 13th, we posted a story about how Singapore had three different captains in as many games during the group phase of the ASEAN Football Championship (AFF Suzuki […]
but noh alam shah is not a player that can lead the team, instead he is an opportunistic striker who takes chances when they come. i’ve always believed that a captain should be a vocal player, usually a defender or defensive midfielder, and on rare occasions a striker (ie alan shearer) or a goalkeeper. it is quite true that baihakki may not be a mature enough player to be captain, but he is a vocal player in the heart of the defence and giving him the armband would definitely boost his confidence. another choice would be lionel lewis, and he definitely can organise his defence very well, and would also be an ideal choice for a captain. however one drawback is that he cannot command most of the forward forays into the opponent’s final third, and this is usually the reason why goalkeepers are seldom chosen as captains of their clubs and countries.
baihakki for captain? maybe another 5 yrs. hes not mature enough for that in my opinion. maybe noh alam shah for captain if he can maintain his behaviour.
only the strongest among the rest will lead this nation!
even though we have so many foreign born players in our team, it is always a nice gesture to keep the singapore captain a home-grown player. if not, daniel bennett or mustafic would be ideal choices. however the best choice in my opinion would still be baihakki or lionel lewis because they are very vocal players and would have a tremendous boost in confidence with the armband firmly slung around the biceps, being local players who have followed singapore football since young.