SINGAPORE – The last time a Singaporean club was in the Asian Champions League (ACL), back-to-back losses to Japanese powerhouses Gamba Osaka sealed SAFFC’s fate as they exited the competition at the group stage in 2010.
As destiny would have it, Japanese outfit Gamba will welcome a Singaporean side back into Asia’s elite club competition after more than a decade when they face tournament debutants Tampines Rovers on Friday (June 25) at the Lokomotiv Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
A lot has changed in 11 years but one fixture remains: Tampines defender Daniel Bennett. Now 43, the former Singapore international was a key player for SAFFC in their two ACL group stage appearances in 2009 and 2010, which were the only previous times Singapore was represented in the competition.
Speaking to The Straits Times from Tashkent, Bennett said he was relishing the opportunity of mixing it with Asia’s best again.
“To play on these bigger stages and against the best teams and players – that’s what you aspire to do every year,” he said.
“In fact, I think the youngsters with us don’t realise how lucky they are to be here and to get to do this. There are plenty of fantastic footballers over the years in Singapore who never had the chance to play at this stage. We need to appreciate this and give the best account of ourselves.”
It will be a gruelling introduction to top-level continental action for Tampines, who will play six matches in 15 days.
The Stags qualified for the competition – which has expanded from 32 to 40 clubs from this year – after finishing as the top-ranked local side in the Singapore Premier League last season.
They are in Group H alongside 2008 ACL champions Gamba, two-time ACL winners (2006 and 2016 ) Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of South Korea and Thai side Chiangrai United.
While Bennett played every minute of SAFFC’s 2010 ACL campaign, it is likely his participation will be limited this time around.
But the former Lion, who has a record 142 caps for the country, will almost certainly mark a milestone by becoming the second oldest player to ever compete in the ACL. Bennett is about four months younger than when record holder Hussein Abdulghani featured last year for Al Ahli Saudi aged 43 years, eight months and nine days.
When asked about whether being able to play in the Champions League again is a reward for his longevity in the game, Bennett shifted the attention away from himself and said: “Look, it’s not a reward for myself. It’s a reward for the club for how it performed last year. We are the best club in Singapore.
“I don’t think of myself any different from how I did 11 years ago. My thinking has always been to come in, train and play to the best of my ability.”
Stags head coach Gavin Lee said Bennett’s experience means he will play a “big part” for Tampines in the competition.
Said Lee: “He is a model professional and off the pitch, I cannot emphasise how important his influence has been on the younger boys. Age plays a part in recovery but if you look at him on the pitch, he has been great for us. He is always ready.”
Teen defender Ryaan Sanizal said Bennett serves as a mentor to young players in the Tampines squad like him. Half of the Stags’ 24-man squad are aged 23 or younger.
“He always gives us a big boost,” said the 19-year-old.
“After training or matches, he will come up to me and tell me the areas I did well in and parts of my game where I can improve… He’s been telling us about the Champions League and I can’t wait to taste it for myself in the days ahead.”
Bennett is one of several senior heads Lee will be hoping can help guide his squad – Baihakki Khaizan, 37, and Fazrul Nawaz, 36, are others – but the coach is realistic about his side’s chances.
Still, he told ST he is sticking to his guns and will not abandon his principles of setting his side out to play possession-based, attacking football, which has earned them admirers.
While Lee described being in Tashkent preparing to face some of Asia’s best “surreal”, he added it was an exciting time for the squad and that they would have to come up with “our own definition of success.
“What we aim to do is to showcase our brand of football and earn that respect,” he said.
“Playing against these bigger (opponents), the natural assumption is that we must sit back and defend our box or as some would say “park the bus”. But that is not us.
“How we played got us to where we are. It does not make sense that we lose all our principles now that we are here.
“The challenge will be to maintain that thinking even when things are not going our way. We will see less possession than we are used to but we will not lose our identity. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”