Lion City Sailors’ Stipe Plazibat, Jorge Felipe nominated for SPL Player of the Year award

Teammates Stipe Plazibat and Jorge Felipe are among the three players nominated for the Singapore Premier League Player of the Year award this year. 

The third player vying for the award is Hougang United’s Tomoyuki Doi, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced on Thursday (Oct 7). 

The Lion City Sailors duo have put on several inspiring performances for the club this year, as they aim to pip Albirex Niigata to the SPL title. Striker Stipe has scored 14 times in 17 matches, while Jorge has been in colossal form in the heart of the defence. 

The LCS currently lead the title race on goal difference, entering the final day of the season. 

Meanwhile, Hougang’s 24-year-old striker Tomoyuki has been in electrifying form, scoring 19 times in 20 matches. 

The winner will be announced at the FAS Awards Night 2021, which will take place next Tuesday (Oct 12). 

Up to 10 awards are up for grabs, including the Young Player of the Year, the Coach of the Year. For the first time, the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets in a season will also be celebrated too, with the introduction of the Golden Glove award. 

Lion City Sailors are also represented in the Young Player of the Year award race, with Saifullah Akbar looking to retain the award he won last year. He will be up against teammate Nur Adam Abdullah, who has impressed with his dynamic displays at left back this season.

Albirex Niigata FC (S) attacking midfielder Ryoya Taniguchi, 22, is the third nominee. The Japanese player has a whopping 17 goal contributions to his name.  

In the Coach of the Year award, Albirex’s head coach Keiji Shigetomi will be up against Hougang’s  Clement Teo and Young Lions’ Phillipe Aw. 

Keiji, won his first SPL trophy last season and has once again led his team to another possible league title, while Clement led the Cheetahs to third place this season. Philippe has won plaudits for the fluid attacking football his Young Lions side has played in his first season at the helm.

The FAS Awards Night 2021 will start at 7:30 pm and will be streamed live on the FAS Facebook page and on Youtube.