Ahead of their World Cup qualifier against South Korea, the Lions gathered last Friday at the Kallang Football Hub for their first training session. And even as they strolled onto the pitch, stalwart Safuwan Baharudin was already waiting as he had arrived at least an hour before the rest of his teammates.
The 32-year-old central defender, who has 108 caps and helped Singapore win the 2012 Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championship, is clearly eager to make up for lost time after missing national duty since June 2022.
Safuwan has missed Singapore's last 16 matches as he was not cleared by the Football Association of Singapore's (FAS) medical team following successive head injuries.
But last Wednesday, he was called up to Takayuki Nishigaya's squad for their World Cup qualifiers against South Korea on Thursday at the Seoul World Cup Stadium and against Thailand at the National Stadium next Tuesday.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, national team medical consultant Dr Cormac O'Muir-cheartaigh said the decision to clear Safuwan for international duty was "derived from test results along with data-backed risk assessment".
Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin November 16, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin November 16, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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