Stags approach for Pipat held upTampines Rovers have hit a snag in their bid to sign Thailand star Pipat Thonkanya (above, front row, third from left), even as they continued to add to their attacking options ahead of the upcoming NTUC Income-YEO'S S.League season.
The 29-year-old was earlier said to be on the verge of moving to Tampines from Thai powerhouses BEC Tero Sasana.
PipatÂ’s arrival would have seen him link up with compatriots Sutee Suksomkit and Santi Chaiyaphuak, who together with Sead Muratovic have already agreed to don the StagsÂ’ colours for the 2008 S.League season.
But they have now been told they would have to wait to complete the switch, after BEC Tero withheld the playerÂ’s international transfer certificate.
Tampines team manager Syed Faruk confirmed the delay in PipatÂ’s transfer.
“It’s true that the move hasn’t worked out yet,” he told sleague.com on Monday.
“There is a slight problem Pipat is facing back in Thailand with his club. That is one of a few reasons why the move has been left hanging.
“But we are still keeping contact with Pipat, and there is still a bit of a waiting game we have to play. We might still be able to pull the move off.”
Should Pipat be able to eventually complete his move, it will be the second time he is plying his trade away from his homeland.
The striker, who started his career with Thai side Rajapacha, had turned out for Vietnamese side Dong Thap Cao Lanh in 2005 and 2006, before moving to BEC Tero.
He was ThailandÂ’s top scorer in the ASEAN Football Championship in 2007 with four strikes, including both of his teamÂ’s goals in a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Singapore in the grand final.
He also scored both goals in his countryÂ’s memorable 2-0 victory over Oman in the 2007 Asian Cup, which Thailand had co-hosted with three other Southeast Asian countries.
While PipatÂ’s proposed move has been put on hold, Tampines have nonetheless expanded their arsenal of frontline threats by making a shock swoop for Chinese forward Qiu Li.
Qiu had been struggling to fit into the Home United system for much of the past season, after joining the club from the Young Lions in late 2006.
Despite featuring in 34 matches in all competitions for the Protectors, Qiu managed a return of just eight goals – a sharp drop from what he had managed a year earlier.
The burly hit man nonetheless attracted interest from Tampines, who moved quickly to clinch his signature on Monday morning.
QiuÂ’s arrival sees him fill the void left behind by veteran Brazilian Peres de Oliveira, who had moved in the opposite direction in December after serving the Stags for two years.
Apart from Qiu, the RHB Singapore Cup finalists have also acquired the services of Imran Sahib, who has left Woodlands Wellington after one season.
Imran is expected to provide cover for Singapore international Ridhuan Muhammad, who has inked a new deal over the weekend that will keep him at Tampines.
Former Singapore centreback Razif Mahamud, out of favour at double winners SAFFC, has also moved east to provide defensive cover for the Tampines squad following Nazri NasirÂ’s decision to retire.
Also off the Stags roster are evergreen striker Mirko Grabovac – who has moved to Sengkang Punggol – and reserve goalkeeper Ahmadulhaq Che Omar – who rejoined Woodlands after leaving them early last year.
Meanwhile on the youth front, highly-rated striker Ahmed Fahmie and versatile midfielder Naufal Omar Ashiblie, who had joined the club in 2006, have been enlisted for National Service and will not turn out for Tampines in the Prime League this season.
Road to South Africa: Provisional Lions squad for Saudi date namedLions coach Radojko Avramovic has named his provisional 22-man squad ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Asian Zone Qualifying Tournament Third Round match against Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, 06 February 2008 in Riyadh.
Singapore have been drawn in Group 4 together with the 2007 AFC Asian Cup runners-up as well as Uzbekistan and Lebanon with the top two teams in the group going through to the next round.
The travelling team will depart for Muscat on Monday, 21 January for a training camp where they will play at least two friendly matches against Kuwait and Oman before departing for Riyadh on Sunday, 03 February.
The squad features thirteen players from the team that returned home with a bronze medal from the 2007 South East Asian Games in Korat.
Young Lions goalkeeper Jasper Chan is the only uncapped player in the squad.
Goalkeepers: Lionel Lewis, Hassan Sunny, Jasper Chan
Defenders: Precious Emuejeraye, Sevki Sha'ban, Juma'at Jantan, Noh Rahman, Daniel Bennett, Baihakki Khaizan, Ismail Yunos
Midfielders: Shahril Ishak, Shi Jiayi, John Wilkinson, Mustafic Fahrudin, Ridhuan Muhamad, Hariss Harun, Isa Halim
Forwards: Agu Casmir, Indra Sahdan, Aleksandar Duric, Fazrul Nawaz, Khairul Amri