AFC Cup 2010
2009 Singapore Cup champions Geylang United make their return to continental football in six years since their semi-final appearance in the inaugural AFC Cup in 2004.
On Monday's AFC Cup group stage draw held in the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, the Eagles are drawn into Group H alongside Hong Kong FA Cup winners Tai Po and Thailand FA Cup holders Thai Port. Either Sriwijaya (Indonesia) or Da Nang (Vietnam) will join this group after the AFC Champions League East zone play-offs early next year.
Meanwhile, should S.League champions Singapore Armed Forces FC (SAFFC) fail to navigate the Champions League play-offs, they will end up in either Group F or G.
Confirmed teams drawn into Group F are Victory of Maldives, Vietnamese club Binh Duong and Malaysian Super League champions Selangor, while Indonesian club Persiwa, 2009 AFC Cup semi-finalists South China of Hong Kong and another Maldivian team VB officially make up Group G.
Should Geylang finish among the top two in their group, they will face runners-up or winners from Group F in a one-off round of 16 clash.
The Warriors might have to make a long-distance Middle East journey to face a team from Group E if they are Group G runners-up. It will be more preferable for them to host, but either way, the prospect of an exit at the feet of the Arabs is daunting.
Group E comprises of Al Rifa (Bahrain), Al Nahda (Oman), Al Whidat (Jordan) and the AFC Cup play-off winner. One of the play-off teams,Al Rayyan (Qatar), will take the last slot instead should the FIFA suspension on the Iraqi football association remain upheld, rendering the Iraqi clubs ineligible for competition.
AFC Champions League 2010
Two teams that featured in the group stage in 2009 are facing off each other for the right to continute their participation in this competition.
SAFFC will take on Indonesian Cup winners Sriwijaya at home in the East zone first play-off round on 30 January 2010. The match will also mark the return of Singapore international defender Precious Emuejeraye since his move to the visiting team at the end of the 2009 domestic season.
Should the Warriors succumb despite home advantage, they will proceed to join the other teams in Group G in the AFC Cup.
Win, and they will be at home again against the winners of V-League champions Da Nang and Thailand Premier League winners Muang Thong United (Thailand) to fight for one of two remaining spots at the group stage on 6 February 2010. If they fail, they will move into Group F in the AFC Cup.
The winners of playoff East will be rewarded with a place in Group G where they will take on Chinese Super League outfit Henan Jianye, former Champions League winners Gamba Osaka of Japan and K-League giants Suwon Bluewings.
If the Warriors progress that far to join the group, Suwon coach Cha Beum Kun may end up moaning about "the weather and the pitch" at Jalan Besar once again.
With the draws for the group stages of both Asian club competitions complete, it is now the onus of SAFFC and Geylang United to assemble their squads so that they can compete on both domestic and continental fronts.
The Warriors are now frantically assembling their squad for the 2010 season in the midst of heavy team rebuilding after winning four straight S.League titles under head coach Richard Bok. Before the year is out, we will know who this master tactician will entrust to defend the league title and fly the Singapore flag in the Champions League again.
As for the Eagles, they have more than a month to fine tune their playing roster and get their act together on the pitch. With the additional time afforded to them to submit the squad list by the 30 January deadline, can they provide a first team capable of representing the league in the AFC Cup with honour while improving their league position in the upcoming S.League season?
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