Lionesses skip Asean Championship, chase milestones

Six months after securing their first appearance at the Asean Women's Championship, the national women's football team will not feature in it after the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced on June 9 that they have withdrawn from the Aug 6-19 tournament.

- Hana Chen

Fans and some players, however, were kept in the dark, and those who tuned in to watch the live broadcast of the tournament draw ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam, on June 9 were left wondering why Singapore were omitted from the draw—Timor-Leste were included instead.

The FAS' statement on the withdrawal was issued only seven hours after the ceremony.

In its statement, the national sports association said that the "decision-making process involved careful consideration of overlapping fixtures, team readiness and our broader commitment to key Asian Football Confederation (AFC) competitions".

The decision to pull out of the tournament was influenced by the need to manage player welfare, maintain performance standards and prepare the teams for the challenges ahead, added the FAS.