AFC Cup rivals’ watch: Tampines Rovers

Sportskeeda profiles Singapore’s Tampines Rovers, one of East Bengal’s Group H opponents in this year’s AFC Cup.

History

Founded in 1945, Tampines Rovers are the second most successful club in Singapore’s S-League history, having won the title four times including the last two seasons. Nicknamed the ‘Stags’, Tampines Rovers are one of six clubs to have played in every season of the S-League but they underachieved in the early years as their highest finish was sixth in the first six seasons. They won their first league title in 2004 and have been one of the most consistent Singapore clubs ever since.

Tampines Rovers have had some success at the continental level also as they won the 2005 ASEAN Championship, a tournament that East Bengal had won in 2003. This will be their sixth appearance in the AFC Cup and they have the distinction of reaching the quarter-finals in three consecutive editions between 2005 and 2007. Tampines played in the round of 16 in 2011 but finished bottom of their AFC Cup group last year.

Current Team

Tampines Rovers are eyeing a hat-trick of league titles this time and have gotten off to the perfect start as they lifted the Charity Shield beating Singapore Cup champions Warriors FC before thrashing Geylang International 5-0 in their S-League opener. Croatian Nenad Bacina was appointed as their head coach in December 2012 and the S-League champions have a good mixture of foreign and local talent. Argentinean Martin Wagner has been their most notable foreign recruit this term while Japanese duo Seiji Kaneko and Kunihiro Yamashita have also been signed.

The S-League holders have retained the services of 30-year-old Serbian striker Sead Hadzibulic, who scored some vital goals in their title run-in last season. Five players are currently part of the Singapore national setup including new signings Shahdan Sulaiman and Khairul Amri, who has happy memories of playing against the Indian national team as he scored twice against them, including his first international goal back in 2004. However, recently retired Singapore international Aleksander Duric remains their most famous player and he even won the S-League Player of the Season award last year at the age of 41.

Duric

Key Players

Fahrudin Mustafic

Born in Yugoslavia, the tenacious central midfielder is a Singapore international who has been playing in Singapore for more than a decade now and is in his second season at the club. The 31-year-old is also the captain and is a very influential figure in the team.

Shahdan Sulaiman

The 24-year-old creative midfielder is in his third spell at the club and would be looking to make a huge impact. Sulaiman was watched by Bolton Wanderers scouts last year and is known for his ability to score goals from midfield.

Khairul Amri

Amri (No.19 in Red)

The 27-year-old striker has rejoined the club after spending two years with them from 2008 to 2010. Amri has a decent record at international level and has started his second spell at Tampines in style, having scored in his first two games.