|
Home United will need to outwit former Tampines Rovers head coach Akbar Nawas in Tuesday's AFC Cup semifinal against Global FC in Manila. The Singaporean has joined the Philippines side as a technical consultant just four months after parting ways with Tampines. Akbar, who managed Tampines in last year's AFC Cup, began work with Global over the weekend and will be assisting in tactics ahead of the ASEAN semi against Aidil Sharin's Home United at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. "We can't pretend to be experts in club management or even in the technical aspects of the game," Global owner Dan Palami told The New Paper. "I got to talk to Akbar over a dinner meeting where he shared his thoughts and I listened. "I wanted a critique of my club from someone who has beaten us, and there are not many of those in the Philippines." Akbar left Tampines at the end of January after they had lost to Global in an AFC Champions League qualifier, with Germany's Jurgen Raab appointed a couple of weeks later. But the S.League runners up had beaten Global over two legs in the 2016 Singapore Cup quarterfinals. "I'm honoured to have been recruited as a technical consultant for the first team of Global," Akbar said. "Global are a top team with many technically sound players and I'm looking forward to my time here. "It is a short-term commitment over here in Manila as of now and I am hopeful of a longer tenure if my services are required thereafter." His old club Tampines Rovers are second on the 2017 S.League table. They could cut the gap at the top to just a point if they're able to hand Albirex Niigata (S) their first defeat of the season at Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday.
|
