Former Singapore national football team captain and current head coach of the Young Lions Nazri Nasir.
SINGAPORE: The Young Lions’ head coach Nazri Nasir will take on an “advisory role” this year as he continues his rehabilitation following a mild stroke last year, said the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) on Thursday (Mar 11).
The Young Lions will be helmed by coach Philippe Aw as the team kicks off their 2021 Singapore Premier League (SPL) season against Balestier Khalsa on Sunday.
Nazri will remain a “key member” of the Young Lions’ coaching staff in an advisory role this year, said the FAS.
The former Singapore captain suffered a mild stroke after he was admitted to hospital on Dec 16 for a medical procedure, the FAS said in December. He was discharged later that month.
“In addition, Nazri, in his role as the Under-22 Men’s national team head coach, will monitor eligible players in SPL clubs and work closely with club coaches as part of the preparations for the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers in late October and the SEA Games in November,” said the FAS.
Aw, 44, stepped in to lead the Young Lions’ pre-season preparations following Nazri’s medical procedure last year. He will also assist Nazri with the U-22s during the international windows this season.
“Youth development has been a big part of my coaching journey and I am happy to help out at the Young Lions, which is also about developing players. I am very clear about what I want to do here, which is to improve each and every one of them,” said Aw.
“They are at a developmental stage given some of them are as young as 16 years; if I can help to improve each of them by the end of the season, for me that’s my objective met from day one.”
Nazri, a former midfielder for the Lions, was part of Singapore’s 1998 Tiger Cup winning side. He also had a brief stint as caretaker coach of the national team and is the national team’s assistant coach to Tatsuma Yoshida.
