Lions coach Tsutomu Ogura wants younger players to have a bigger leadership role

SINGAPORE – As far as birthdays go, Shah Shahiran may never get a more memorable one than last week, when Singapore hosted Myanmar in an international friendly on Nov 14.

The central midfielder, who turned 25 that day, was handed the captain’s armband in a surprise move by coach Tsutomu Ogura.

Leading the Lions out at the National Stadium, he worked tirelessly in the comeback 3-2 win. The birthday to remember has also deepened his determination to step up as a leader.

Speaking to The Straits Times at Parkroyal on Beach Road ahead of the Lions’ Nov 18 friendly against Chinese Taipei at the National Stadium, Shah said Ogura pulled him aside a few hours before the Myanmar match and told him that he will be the captain instead of regular skipper Hariss Harun, 33.

The BG Tampines Rovers player said he was happy and nervous at the same time, adding: “You always dream of becoming a national player but to be honest, I had never dreamt of being a captain.

“But it was a real honour and a special moment for my family and me. I knew they were going to be in the stands and it ended up being a huge night for me. It was a perfect birthday present.”

While it was a moment to savior for the 24-cap Shah, the decision did raise eyebrows as Hariss (133 caps) was also in the starting XI. There were also other seniors such as Safuwan Baharudin (114 caps), Nazrul Nazari (65 caps) and Shakir Hamzah (66 caps).

Asked about the skipper switch, Ogura told ST that he wants to groom the next generation of leaders.

He said: “Hariss is still the team captain, but I decided to also have a captain for the match.

“We are using this opportunity to let younger players have a bigger leadership role and hopefully, they will step up and grow to assume that responsibility.”

Ogura did not confirm who will don the armband against Chinese Taipei in the Lions’ final warmup game before their Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championship opener against Cambodia on Dec 11.

Since taking on the captaincy permanently from Shahril Ishak in 2018, Hariss had only once not been skipper previously, despite being in the first XI. That came in September 2022, when Hassan Sunny was captain against India to commemorate his 100th cap.

Asked how he felt not wearing the armband against Myanmar, Hariss said: “To be honest, it did feel a bit weird, because I’m so used to being at the front leading the team out. But I’m still the same person.

“I will still play and organise the team and talk to my teammates as if I’m the captain, but without wearing the armband.”

Hariss, who turns 34 on Nov 19, added that he did not have any second thoughts about handing the armband to Shah when Ogura asked him about it.

He added: “I said ‘for sure’… I have never shied away from the responsibility and from the armband. It has been an honour all these years to wear the armband and it still is. But we have to look at the bigger picture for Singapore football.

“The (younger) players have to step up. That’s the only way… that they will grow, become better players, better men and lead the team forward. The older heads are more than happy to guide them along.”

Shah, who has also taken the next step in his personal life after getting married in July, recognises that he needs to take on more responsibilities on the field.

He said: “Hariss and Safuwan have given so much for Singapore and we want them to play for as long as they can, but we know the day will come when they too have to hang up their boots.

“I think coach Ogura has a few players in mind to take this (captain’s) role and I am sure he will try others too.”

Ogura said on Nov 17 that he has a rough idea of what his final squad for the AFF Championship, also known as the Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup, will look like and hinted that he will shuffle his pack against the Taiwanese.

Chinese Taipei coach Gary White, who was also in charge during the teams’ last meeting in 2023 – a 3-1 friendly loss to Takayuki Nishigaya’s side – noted the “tactical nuances” of this pride of Lions.

“For example, we see the fullback being inverted, especially on the right side, which is a common thing now in football. We have a plan for them and we are just really excited for the game,” said the Englishman.