Even though we’ve yet to reach the 4th quarter of the year, 2023 has already proven to be a truly strong year for Team Singapore’s Sportswomen, both locally and on the global scene. The year began with the Republic’s Tchoukballers claiming the Number 1 world ranking for the very first time. Still on team sports, we also saw our Floorballers winning their 2nd straight SEA Games gold medal, while our Bowlers triumphed in the Team Event at the Asian Junior Championships. On the track, we witnessed Shanti Pereira’s stunning streak of wins at the SEA Games, Asian Championships and more. And in football, 18 year old Danelle Tan became the first ever Asian to feature in the colours of Borussia Dortmund’s Women’s team in the German Landesliga.
Come 24 Sep 2023 and a new chapter will be written in the history books of TeamSG, as our women’s football squad will feature in their first ever Asian Games match. Under the tutelage of coach Karim Bencharifa, a squad comprising 22 players was announced last week. And this team will head to Hangzhou, China and compete as 1 of 16 teams at the 18th edition of the Asiad. For more on the Republic’s Games preparations and prior to the team’s departure, ActiveSG Circle caught up with Coach Karim and 2 Lionesses.
Q : Coach Karim, you've been in charge for more than 6 months now. How would you assess your team's performance so far?
Karim : I arrived in time to prepare the women’s team for the Paris 2024 Olympic pre-qualifiers in April, followed by the SEA Games in May. Those back-to-back tournaments gave me a great idea, regarding the overall standard and skill level of our national players. And in those 6 months, we played 7 games including a 2-2 draw against Malaysia in KL. Factually, I believe we’ve improved a great deal. For eg, we went from losing matches 80% of the time to 42% currently. Attacking-wise, we’ve also gone from averaging 0.5 goal to 1 goal per match. And defensively, in our last 3 outings, we didn’t concede goals from open play, but rather from 1 penalty and 1 free-kick only. All in all, the Lionesses appear to be stronger today and tougher to break, but there’s still more work to be done.
Q : In preparation for the Games, what are you working on with the Lionesses?
Karim : We will be facing North Korea twice in the group stage in Hangzhou, following the recent withdrawal of the Cambodians. That’s a major disappointment for us as we’ll now be facing the Koreans twice in Group C, with the overall winner advancing to the next round based either on points or goal difference. Looking at their FIFA rankings in 2022, North Korea were in the top 10 overall. Since then till now, we don’t know anything about their current squad. So we’re expecting a really tough fight. We were intending to catch their opening group match against Cambodia in Hangzhou, so as to see, what we’ll be up against. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case anymore.
Q : What are you hoping to achieve in our first-ever women’s football campaign at the Asian Games?
Karim : I wish to make it a historic outing for the national team. We have a squad that’s capable of so much more, as we saw at the SEA Games in May. Although we’re going to take on the North Koreans, we will put up a strong, confident and resilient performance. And who knows, we might do the unthinkable and reach the quarter-finals!
Name : Stephanie Dominguez
Age : 24
Position : Midfielder
No of International Caps : 33
No. of Goals Scored : 4
Q : What are 1-2 key takeaways from your SEA Games campaign 4 months ago in Cambodia?
Stephanie : I guess it would be the fighting spirit of the team and the overall bonding right after the Games. That 2nd match against Cambodia where we lost out by an unfortunate late penalty, was a tough pill to swallow. But we became stronger after that defeat, as we went on to beat Laos 2-1 and ended our campaign on a high. So the fighting spirit came through, despite our earlier defeats to Thailand and the Cambodians.
Q : Coach Karim Bencherifa has been at the helm for 6 months. Can you describe his coaching style?
Stephanie : He cuts across a fatherly figure on the pitch and he is also very demanding. I also like his repetitive training methods, as even though we keep doing the routines over and over again, there are creative variations to his repetitions. At the end of the day, everyone knows what he wants – one common goal, one common target. Even with the new players who arrive, it’s easy for them to blend in with the seniors, because he keeps repeating (smiles).
Q : In preparation for your Asian Games debut, what has the team been working on?
Stephanie : We began our centralised training 3 weeks ago, 6 times a week. And the squad has just been trimmed down to the final 22 players who’ll be travelling to Hangzhou. There’re a few new faces in the team. And we’re working together to form a cohesive unit, all united and aiming for one key target.
Q : What do you know of your Group C opponent North Korea and their playing style?
Stephanie : Honestly, Zero! There’s no information online about the team, especially since 2022. So we’re kind of going in to face the unknown, but knowing the fact that we will be in for a truly tough fight on both occasions (24 Sep and 27 Sep). It’s extremely disappointing for us, not to be able to face Cambodia, as we were pretty set and confident of getting a good result. Nonetheless, it is what it is and we’ll be sure to challenge ourselves and push hard against the Koreans in both matches.
Q : Tell us briefly about your new team captain, Rosnani Azman?
Stephanie : Regardless of whether she’s the captain, Nani has natural leadership skills. Through her personality, she naturally is able to bring the team together, especially with the new and younger players.
Q : It's the national women's football team’s debut at the Asian Games. What are you hoping to achieve in Hangzhou?
Stephanie : Despite facing the Koreans twice, we’re still hope to reach the next round (quarter-finals) on our debut. It’s not “mission impossible” as we just have to believe in ourselves, stick to the plan, remember our training and take the game to the Koreans. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain at this point. So let’s go do it!
Q: What are your plans after the Asian Games?
Stephanie : Upon returning to Singapore, the immediate task is to continue to compete in the Women’s Premier League. That will be till the end of November. And in 2024, I’m aiming to travel to Australia for football trials. I’m already 24 and if I don’t take my playing career to the next level now, it could be too late if I were to hold off that dream any longer.
Name : Nur Raudha Kamis
Age : 24
Position : Striker
No of International Caps : 24
No. of Goals Scored : 5
Q : What are 1-2 key takeaways from your SEA Games campaign 4 months ago in Cambodia?
Raudha : We learnt not to allow the disappointments of defeats affect our training and mindset of the next match. After the defeat to the Thais and that unlucky loss to the Cambodians by a penalty, we were still able to remain positive for our last group match against Laos. We went all out, got the win and returned with a smile, knowing that we’ve grown together with this campaign.
Q : Coach Karim Bencherifa has been at the helm for 6 months. Can you describe his coaching style?
Raudha : He’s a no-nonsense coach and takes training seriously. He brings a wealth of experience to the team and I believe, we’ve been improving slowly yet steadily.
Q : In preparation for your Asian Games debut, what has the team been working on?
Raudha : I think we’re tactically sound after these last few weeks in centralised training. Being together 6 times a week, is not easy as everyone has had to sacrifice their personal time, work or studies to being a part of this historic journey. We’re now fine-tuning some tactical plays and working on our fitness. We will be truly ready come, Matchday!
Q : What do you know of your Group C opponent North Korea and their playing style?
Raudha : From what I was told, they are a strong and robust team. They are 1 of the top 3 nations in the continent and we’ve got our work cut out for us. Playing twice will be a massive challenge for us, especially since we don’t know any details about them. We just to have remember our training, follow our gameplan and go for the win.
Q : It's the national women's football team’s debut at the Asian Games. What are you hoping to achieve in Hangzhou?
Raudha : Just like everyone else – our main aim is to qualify for the next round. With the exclusion of the Cambodians, the task of qualifying for the last 8 will be a difficult challenge. But we have to keep faith and confidence in ourselves and face the Koreans head on.
Q : What are your plans after the Asian Games?
Raudha : Finish competing in the Women’s Premier League, followed by a break and see what’s in store for us in 2024.
(On 19 Septermber, Singapore’s Football Association announced the withdrawal of midfielder Nur Umairah Hamdan due to an injury sustained last weekend. And Balestier Khalsa’s Mastura Jeilani has been called in as a replacement to complete the roster of 22 players.)
Catch the Asian Games live on Singtel TV, Singtel TV Go, Singtel Cast and mewatch.