'NO NEED FOR COACHES TO BE FOREIGN'

Ex-Lion Alam Shah, who is on a coaching stint in Japan, says his goal is to prove this

- Deepanraj Ganesan

Former Singapore international Noh Alam Shah led the attack for the Lions from 2001 to 2010, scoring 34 goals in 80 games and helping them lift the Asean Football Federation Championship trophy in 2004 and 2007.

Now 43, the former Tampines Rovers striker wants to lead the national team to more glory as a coach.

The journey to improve his coaching knowledge has taken him and former Lions midfield linchpin Isa Halim to Japan on a coaching attachment with Tokyo Verdy, where they have been immersed in the day-to-day running of a top-tier J.League club.

The pair, who both hold Asian Football Confederation A licences, started their stint on May 24 and will remain in Japan until the end of 2024.

They are the inaugural batch of participants for the Coaches Overseas Attachment programme, a new initiative which is part of the Unleash The Roar! (UTR) national football project.

Tokyo Verdy are currently 11th in the 20-team J1 League. Their former assistant coach Tsutomu Ogura is now the Lions' coach after taking the job in February.

Singapore have had a number of foreign coaches through the years.