SINGAPORE — Tatsuma Yoshida, Takayuki Nishigaya and now, Tsutomu Ogura. The successive appointments of candidates from Japan to take charge of Singapore's national football team have raised eyebrows, and Thursday (Feb 1), Football Association of Singapore (FAS) chief Bernard Tan sought to quell speculation.

“There is no agenda to exclude any nationality or to pick any nationality,” he said.

Speaking at a press conference held to unveil new Lions head coach Ogura, Mr Tan said Japan had the most “advanced ecosystem” for football in Asia.

“We actually interviewed people from multiple nationalities,” said Mr Tan. “That shows that we tried to be as broad as possible, but obviously there are certain criteria you need to match.”

The FAS president added that Japanese coaches were “quite sought after” globally.

“If we want to seek a coach which understands where Asian football is... obviously their adaptability as well as their knowledge of ecosystem and knowledge of football would probably place them in high demand,” said Mr Tan, who was elected FAS president last year.

SINGAPORE-JAPAN FOOTBALL TIES

In 2022, FAS and JFA renewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate and develop football for the third time. The two governing bodies first signed an MoU in 2011, then again in 2015.

However, the Japan Football Association (JFA) did not play a part in this latest decision-making process, said Mr Tan.

“The JFA was not involved but obviously before Ogura-san signed on, we did reference checks and he passed with flying colours," said Mr Tan, using the Japanese title of respect for the 57-year-old Osaka native.

But Mr Tan was tight-lipped about the actual hiring process.

"Today is about Ogura, I rather not really speak about the process. But let me just say that we had interviewed quite a significant amount of coaches. The exco (executive committee) was involved in most of the discussions... but the focus is we found Ogura-san to be the most suitable candidate."

He added that the FAS had taken "a lot of pains" to find a suitable candidate.

"It's one of the most important decisions that any FA can take," said Mr Tan. "There's a pool of coaches that are available, we've looked at quite a number of them." 

Both Ogura's predecessors Yoshida and Nishigaya had come "highly recommended" by the JFA, said FAS in the press releases following their appointments.

Ogura's official title as director of national teams for Singapore means he will lead the men’s senior team while also overseeing the performances of the Under-23/22 team and its coach.

This is to ensure “seamless coordination and synergy between the men’s senior and under-23/22 squads”, said FAS.

Ogura was a former assistant coach of the Japanese national team (2006-2010) as well as the Olympic team (2010-2012).

He moved to club football after that, spending five years at Yokohama F Marinos as its sports director. His last role was at Tokyo Verdy as an assistant coach.

The team finished third in the J2 League last season and won promotion through the play-offs to the top tier of Japanese football.

'WRONG TIME, WRONG PLACE, WRONG CIRCUMSTANCES'

Earlier this week, FAS announced the sacking of Nishigaya, describing recent performances and results as "below expectations". His last two games in charge were defeats to Thailand and South Korea, leaving the Lions bottom of their World Cup qualifying group.

FAS said then that an "early transition to a fresh successor would re-energise the team and allow a longer runway for the national team to prepare for important matches in the next few months and the year-end AFF (Asean Football Federation) tournament".

The timing of the dismissal, less than two years into Nishigaya's appointment, was reached after “careful consideration”, FAS said.

Like his predecessor and compatriot, Nishigaya took over the Lion's hot seat in 2022 despite a lack of experience coaching at the international level.

But while Yoshida led Singapore to the AFF Suzuki Cup semi-finals in 2021 — the first time in nine years that the team had reached the last four of the regional tournament — Nishigaya struggled to win over fans and critics. 

So, was the hiring of Nishigaya a mistake? 

"Hindsight is 20/20... I'm sure every single manager that has been appointed by any club... they have high hopes and they want the coach to do well," Mr Tan told the media at Thursday's press conference.

"Have we learned what is needed going forward? I think the answer is yes."

While Nishigaya was a "devoted person" and "committed to the task", he simply wasn't the right fit, said Mr Tan.

"In football, there are many, many managers that are very good managers. But in the wrong time, wrong place, wrong circumstances, they find it extremely difficult to deliver on what is expected," said the FAS president.

"So I'll put Nishigaya in that category and leave it as such."

LANGUAGE ABILITIES

Addressing what many saw as a shortcoming for Nishigaya, the new man in charge told CNA after the press conference that he was confident in his language abilities, given his experience communicating with foreign players and coaches alike.

He declined to use a translator at his official unveiling, opting to field all questions in English.

Speaking to reporters, he emphasised the importance of direct communication with the people under him.

"I would also like to learn from the players, the coaching staff, because (it is a way) to respect the local people and learn the culture. I want to build up the Singapore style and Singapore way," he said.

In his 20 months as Lions head coach, Nishigaya relied heavily on assistant coach Koichiro Iizuka as a translator. According to sources, while he had not lost the dressing room, his lack of English fluency meant that he often struggled to get his points across to players and build meaningful relationships with them.

Ogura also said he hoped his players would show "courage" in their performances.

"Football fans always expect to win... I promise to keep fighting, show it on the pitch and that the players will fight... I want the team to bring more fans to come to watch the team," he said.

The Singapore job is Ogura's first outside Japan, fulfilling a dream of his, he told CNA.

"(In the past), I thought that if I had the chance to go overseas, I would try," he said. "I like adventure, a challenge."

Given football's special position in Singapore's sporting culture and the national team's lack of success in recent years, describing his job as a "challenge" would almost be an understatement.

But for Ogura, the only way is up.

"The past is not so important, the future is important." CNA