SINGAPORE — The Lions’ failure to advance to the knockout stages of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championships for the second consecutive edition this year proved that Singapore’s previous dominance of South-east Asian football was well and truly over.

The likes of Indonesia, Myanmar, and even Cambodia have made up ground on the Lions, who ended this year’s tournament with just one point and one goal to show for their efforts.

But national captain Shahril Ishak is not surprised.

After all, the 32-year-old, one of the most successful players to have donned the Lions jersey with three AFF championships to his name, claims that these countries have managed to improve after reaping the benefits of having a strong local league.

And Shahril, who has plied his trade in the Indonesian and Malaysian leagues, claims that Singapore should follow suit by focusing more on improving the standards of the S.League, if the Lions are to return to their glory days.

“It is important for us to try and make the S.League more competitive, because that is one of the best ways to bring up the quality of the players here,” Shahril, who is Singapore’s joint-most capped player with 132 national team appearances, told TODAY.

“Our neighbouring countries now have very good local leagues and you can see from their results and performances at the Suzuki Cup that they’ve improved a lot over the years.

“So we also need to focus on improving the S.League. After all, we need to try and increase the base of players in Singapore. In order to do that, parents and their kids must see the value in being a footballer, and so our local league must have a certain standard in order for them to believe that.

“Otherwise, if we have a limited pool of talented players, then the national coach will have very few options to call up for tournaments, and this will naturally affect how the national team performs.”

Following the end of his contract with Malaysian outfit Johor Darul Takzim (JDT), Shahril added that he is now weighing up a move back to the S.League next season after a six-year absence. The playmaker revealed that he is currently negotiating with local clubs, and is hopeful of sorting out his future within the next two months.

“I’m still looking around and am in talks with some local clubs,” he said. “I always wanted to come back to the S.League, which is where I started my football career, and I eventually want to end it here as well. I’ve still got a lot to offer, both on and off the pitch, and hopefully I’ll get some news about my future soon.”

Having spent the past three years at JDT, Shahril has also seen first-hand how JDT owner Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim (TMJ), the Crown Prince of Johor, has transformed the club into a regional powerhouse.

JDT have won the Malaysian Super League (MSL) for the past three seasons and also made history last year by winning the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup for the first time ever.

And Shahril believes there are many things local clubs can learn from JDT, not least of which is their commitment to youth development.

“You look at TMJ, he doesn’t just focus on building up the first team,” explained Shahril. “He wants every aspect of his club to be run professionally — from the youths to the senior levels, everything must be top-notch. This is a mindset that we need local clubs to have as well ... we have the facilities and the coaches to do it. This way, the club will improve as a whole and this will only benefit Singapore football in the long run.”

One example of TMJ’s commitment to developing his players is his decision to send Singapore midfielder Hariss Harun out on loan to either a Japanese or Portuguese club next year.

Backing Hariss to make the most out of this opportunity, Shahril said: “It’s a great move for him now and it’s great that TMJ is doing this. As players, it’s important for us to always challenge ourselves at a higher level. I’m sure he’ll benefit greatly from this loan stint and come back a much better player.

“Hariss has been a key player for Singapore and JDT, and I have every confidence in him that he will rise up to the challenge and make a name for himself wherever he goes.

“Hopefully, his stint will also make people sit up and take notice of Singaporean footballers in future.”