SINGAPORE – Ahead of their World Cup qualifier against South Korea, the Lions gathered last Friday at the Kallang Football Hub for their first training session. And even as they strolled onto the pitch, stalwart Safuwan Baharudin was already waiting as he had arrived at least an hour before the rest of his teammates.

The 32-year-old central defender, who has 108 caps and helped Singapore win the 2012 Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championship, is clearly eager to make up for lost time after missing national duty since June 2022.

Safuwan has missed Singapore’s last 16 matches as he was not cleared by the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) medical team following successive head injuries.

But last Wednesday, he was called up to Takayuki Nishigaya’s squad for their World Cup qualifiers against South Korea on Thursday at the Seoul World Cup Stadium and against Thailand at the National Stadium next Tuesday.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, national team medical consultant Dr Cormac O’Muircheartaigh, said the decision to clear Safuwan for international duty was “derived from test results along with data-backed risk assessment”.

He added: “The FAS has been in regular contact with Safuwan over the last year to track his recovery progress. A minimum observation period was required before final tests were conducted once again by specialists not just in Singapore but also the United Kingdom. 

“There will be regular monitoring of Safuwan’s clinical status and objective testing performed at regular intervals to ensure that there is no change in his condition.”

Safuwan described the last 16 months as the toughest period of his career.

“Deep down, I did think that I won’t be able to play for the national team any more,” said Safuwan, who admitted that there were doctors who had advised him to hang up his boots for his own safety.

Safuwan’s troubles began during a Malaysia Super League (MSL) game against PJ City in May 2021, when he suffered cerebral concussion after a collision with an opponent.

The Selangor FC player would later sustain several other head injuries in matches and training. In June 2022, he took another knock to his head during a match against Sabah, and was later diagnosed with a “mild traumatic brain injury”.

On the advice of several neurosurgeons, Safuwan took an extended break before returning to action in February for MSL side Negeri Sembilan. He then joined his former team Selangor in July and has made six appearances for them in 2023.

Said Safuwan: “Every neurologist, every doctor has their own way of thinking about this injury. But I really wanted to just give it a try. I did not have any symptoms (of head injuries) and I wanted to play.

“That was when I got a call from coach K. Devan (of Negeri Sembilan), so I just packed my bag and went.”

Central to the defender’s relentless pursuit to prove his fitness was family.

Safuwan, who has two boys aged seven and three, said: “How can I retire from this sport when my kids have not been able to watch me play at the National Stadium? The younger one hasn’t and the older one has not been able to for a while now.”

Wearing the national colours and being part of the senior team – a feeling he first experienced in January 2010 at the age of 18 against Thailand – has driven him to keep trying. Even when he was not in the Lions squad, he was not too far away.

While it was frustrating, he made it a point to be close to the players and would try his best to be at every match, albeit as the 12th man in the stands.

But on Thursday, Safuwan will have the chance to make an impact and if he starts, he will come up against one of the best forwards in the world in South Korea captain Son Heung-min.

And while most fans are pessimistic about the Lions’ chances against the formidable Taegeuk Warriors, Safuwan disagreed.

He said: “Football is all about points. If we get zero points, it is a failure to me. There’s no difference between 1-0 or 10-0, because at the end of the day, it’s still a loss and it’s still a failure, (while) a win is success.”

And Safuwan’s fighting words are not just for show. After all, he has fought so hard just to be here again.