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Tag: Football Association of Singapore

  • Five Immediate Tasks For New FAS Council

    Five Immediate Tasks For New FAS Council

    Singapore football’s course over the next four years will now be guided by new Football Association of Singapore (FAS) chief Lim Kia Tong.

    The New Paper looks at some of the pressing issues they have to instantly deal with.

    1. S.LEAGUE

    The S.League has not been given the attention it deserves in the last few years.

    The LionsXII’s participation in the Malaysian Super League from 2011 to 2015 meant it became the FAS’ main focus, instead of Singapore’s own professional league.

    S.League administrators also made a major blunder in the proposed age-cap on players, a plan which was eventually scrapped because of the opposition it met with. Players, too, complained about the low wages and practice of 11-month contracts, and nothing has been done to improve the situation.

    Hyundai Motors coming on board as co-title sponsors in February has lifted the gloom somewhat, although there is still much to be done.

    Some in the local football fraternity have suggested increasing the number of clubs in the S.League, which currently has nine teams. Out of the nine clubs, six are local.

    John Yap, chairman of Gombak United, who have sat out the S.League since 2012, said: “When we were a part of the S.League, there were 12 teams, and one season (in 2012) there were even 13.

    “I feel a league with more teams is more vibrant, more competitive.

    “There is talk that Singapore is small, and that justifies just having just a few (local) teams… I think that is wrong.

    “I think our landscape can support a few more teams in the S.League.”

    2. NFL & GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL

    Considering the S.League’s woes over the years, imagine how bad the amateur National Football League (NFL) have it.

    From 2015 to last year, the FAS spent about $8 million on the various national teams’ training costs.

    During the same period, it spent about $250,000 on grassroots football, which includes the NFL.

    But the FAS has made moves to rectify the situation.

    Starting this year, the 23 NFL teams across Division 1 and 2 get seed money of $8,500 per club, group insurance from Great Eastern Singapore for their players, among other improvements.

    Gurbachan Singh, operations manager of NFL Division 2 side Singapore Khalsa Association, said he was pleased with the commitment by the new council to make improvements for all NFL sides, saying “the previous FAS council were more interested in only the S.League and Division 1.”

    Zairi Ahmari, club secretary for Division 1 side Sporting Westlake, said he hopes the changes do not merely represent a false dawn.

    “What we have fought for has been given,” he said.

    “Definitely, we look forward to better things.”

    Whether the FAS will continue to make improvements to the long-neglected NFL, remains to be seen.

    3. FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT

    During the campaign, Team LKT came up with the vision of building a national team that would consistently win the AFF Suzuki Cup and South-east Asia Games.

    Those are bold targets, considering the Lions went into the Suzuki Cup as underdogs in three (1998, 2004 and 2012) of their four successes, and the fact Singapore have never won a SEA Games football gold medal in the biennial competition’s 58-year history.

    The FAS believes the key to building a strong national team is to create a conveyor belt of talent, so in April 2014 it roped in Michel Sablon, who came up with a blueprint.

    Sablon was the man largely credited with developing Belgium’s current golden generation of players such as Vincent Kompany and Eden Hazard.

    Last October, the FAS also formed a new age-group national team – the Under-20s – with Fandi Ahmad taking the helm, in hopes of preventing late-bloomers from slipping through the cracks and disappearing from the game.

    Khairul Asyraf, technical director of NFL Division 1 champions Eunos Crescent and co-founder of the 2Touch Soccer School, said: “The exco of the new FAS council must decide matters in the future such as national coach, technical director and national playing philosophy, in consultation with the the technical committee.

    “As for Sablon, he came with a lot of promise, and on paper (his blueprint for Singapore football) has more ticks than crosses… I’m not completely convinced but I want to be, and someone with his credentials should be given the benefit of doubt.”

    4. FUTURE OF KEY FAS SECRETARIAT POSITIONS

    Barely an hour after being elected, Lim was asked about the future of FAS general secretary Winston Lee.

    Lee, who has been in his present role since 2008, was involved in a public war of words with Game Changers’ Ng over the controversial $500,000 the latter donated from Tiong Bahru Football Club’s funds for the Asean Football Federation’s (AFF) Football Management System.

    The 52-year-old Lee was present during Saturday’s election but left the venue before the post-election press conference.

    When asked about Lee’s future, Lim said: “We’ll deal with each staff behind closed doors. We have to respect the terms of their employment contracts… we won’t make any comment on his future and it is best left to be decided much, much later.”

    A week earlier, Bernard Tan, who was on Saturday voted in as Lim’s deputy president, said: “It’s as good as saying whether we will keep (national coach) Sundram or Fandi.

    “We do not discuss staff issues like that. It is highly inappropriate. To be fair to the people employed, they have contracts, and they deserve to be treated in a way that’s professional.”

    Besides the position of general secretary, the S.League chief executive’s seat is also vacant, after Lim Chin left the role last month.

    Lim, however, said he and his new council have not yet decided if it intends to find a new man for the role, or instead make structural changes to the S.League which might see the position become obsolete.

    5. TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY

    One of the 10 points on Team LKT’s manifesto was: Create a transparent FAS that has a high standard of administration.

    Cleaning up the FAS’ image and ensuring transparency will be high on its to-do list, especially after the controversy that shrouded Ng’s $500,000 donation.

    Ng claimed he had donated the money to FAS – who explained they had facilitated the donation to the AFF.

    But Lim, Tan, and the new council’s vice-presidents Edwin Tong, Razali Saad and S Thavaneson – who were all on the previous council – all claimed they had no knowledge of the donation.

    If this is true, then it shows major problems with accountability.

    Lau Kok Keng, who ran as deputy president on the Game Changers’ slate, said: “No one in this country would have imagined that the council was led by one man alone, and the rest did not know what was going on.

    “All NSAs are societies, and a lot of them – like FAS – have a lot of money.

    “So maybe (the whole donation saga) calls for some kind of examination… and we will see what the new council does.”

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • FIFA Monitoring FAS Situation

    FIFA Monitoring FAS Situation

    The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) Electoral Committee (EC), which oversees the processes leading up to the FAS election – confirmed yesterday that the April 29 congress will go on.

    This is despite national sports agency Sport Singapore filing a police report against National Football League (NFL) club Tiong Bahru FC, whose chairman is Bill Ng, one of two presidential candidates for the FAS election.

    Ng’s Game Changers are challenging former FAS vice-president Lim Kia Tong’s Team LKT to earn the mandate of the association’s 44 affiliates next Saturday.

    Yesterday, SportSG revealed that it filed the police report on Wednesday night about an alleged misuse of funds at Tiong Bahru.

    Shortly after the announcement, the FAS’ offices at the Jalan Besar Stadium were raided, along with the clubhouses of Woodlands Wellington, Hougang United and Tiong Bahru.

    Despite the ongoing investigations, the FAS’ EC chairman K Bala Chandran said in response to media queries that there “is no reason for any disruption of the elections”.

    “The Ad Hoc Electoral Committee (EC) has no power to postpone or call off the election of the FAS Council and as at this moment knows of no reason for any disruption of the elections,” he said in a statement.

    “The duties of the EC are primarily to supervise the administrative process relating to the FAS Council elections.

    “Bearing this in mind, the EC is of the view that it will not be proper for the EC to comment and or give its views on the matters which are being raised in the press and media.”

    However, The New Paper has learnt that world football governing body Fifa is monitoring the FAS situation.

    Sources have revealed that there is a possibility of a postponement of the election, preceded by the installation of a normalisation committee as was the case in the lead-up to the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) election on Nov 10 last year.

    The PSSI were slapped with a ban for government interference in a failure to resolve a dispute between the sports ministry and football association – they were barred from football activity from June 2014 to May 2016 – before the normalisation committee was installed and the election was carried out.

    But it is not clear if a similar fate awaits Singapore.

    “In relation to your query, Fifa is monitoring the situation concerning FAS. Please understand that we can’t speculate on potential future scenarios,” a Fifa spokesman told TNP.

    Members of the local fraternity are calling for a postponement of the election, at least until investigations are concluded.

    “Looking at the current scenario, maybe a deferment or postponement of the election to a later date could be in order,” said ex-Geylang International chairman Patrick Ang, who is unaffiliated at this election.

    “This way, the affiliates can have a clearer picture, to make an informed choice in an important vote that will decide the leadership of football.”

    Former Singapore international Seak Poh Leong agreed.

    “This situation also has several implications for Lim (Kia Tong), so there is a logical reason for a delay,” said Seak.

    Lim, a former FAS vice-president, was still in office at the time several of the incidents under investigation occurred.

    CAUTIOUS

    Former FAS general secretary Steven Yeo urged all parties concerned to take a cautious, consultative approach to the matter – to ensure that Singapore does not get slapped by a Fifa ban for what could be perceived as third-party interference in football affairs.

    “If the authorities cannot assess the case by the election, how will affiliates vote? That may not go down well with the international community,” he said. “In the current circumstances, it is best that the FAS, SportSG – and their legal teams – have a consultative dialogue with Fifa.”

    Despite the uncertainty surrounding their leader Ng, it was business as usual for the Game Changers who met up with NFL clubs and women’s football sides at Bussorah Street last night to discuss plans to develop their respective games.

    Ng was not present.

    Harman Ali shared his team’s plans to secure medical coverage, links with foreign clubs, more recognition through higher prize money and an awards night, and training courses for coaches and officials.

    Zaki Ma’arof touched on a business model which could take the form of a cafe and facilities being run like a cooperative, where profits from membership and sales flow back to the NFL and Women’s League clubs to make them sustainable.

    Arriola Buenaventura Alphonsus, president of NFL Division 2 side Starlight Soccerites FC, one of 16 clubs and affiliates represented at the meeting last night, said: “Why not give them a chance to fulfil their plans and prove their worth?

    “What I feel after hearing their presentation, however, is that if they get elected, they should focus on getting the football aspects right from the first year before looking at the business model.”

    Zamri Abdullah, chairman of Women’s National League side Girls Dream Team Circuit FC, added: “A sustainable business model is a necessity for NFL and the Women’s League teams in the long run and it’s good to hear these ideas.”

    The football grapevine was abuzz with talk that some members of Ng’s Game Changers were poised to drop out of the election, but team spokesman Steven Tan rubbished the talk.

    “The full slate for the elections for Team Game Changers has been confirmed for April 29, and the team is looking forward to it,” said Tan.

     

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    Source: http://www.tnp.sg

  • ASEAN Football Federation Contradicts FAS Regarding $500,000 Donation By Bill Ng

    ASEAN Football Federation Contradicts FAS Regarding $500,000 Donation By Bill Ng

    The Asean Football Federation (AFF) has contradicted earlier statements by the Football Association of Singapore regarding a $500,000 donation by Bill Ng.

    The FAS had previously said that it was former FAS president Zainudin Nordin, who had approached Ng with a proposal to support the AFF’s Football Management System (FMS), and that Ng had decided to donate the money directly to AFF through a soccer club that he owns.

    “It is clear that the amount of $500,000 was never meant to be donated to the FAS or any Singapore footballing activity… This was not a case of FAS accepting a donation and thereafter channeling the amount to AFF instead of using it for local football.” – FAS

    FAS provided a quote which it claimed was from“an AFF spokesman” saying:“We are thankful to our donors and partners who have come onboard to support this new programme, including one of the FA Singapore NFL clubs who donated S$500,000 towards the system.”

    Team Game Changers which is led by Ng and will be contesting the FAS elections on April 29, issued a four-page statement yesterday to refute the FAS’ assertions. Read their press statement here: http://www.theindependent.sg/we-are-here-to-serve-singapore-football.

    The following is a press release by the AFF in full.

    —
    PETALING JAYA (17 April 2017) – As a result of various queries from the media on the subject of the FMS, the AFF would like to clarify particularly on the system.

    The Asean Football Federation (AFF) Football Management System is an initiative aimed at enhancing the capabilities of football associations and clubs which will then better position them to achieve success in key result areas including but not limited to income generation, information technology, corporate governance, and facilities utilization, among others.

    The sharing of resources among football associations in this region will strengthen ongoing efforts aimed at raising the standards of football management in Southeast Asia. We are in the last phase of preparations and we expect to launch the system within the next nine to 12 months.

    The AFF Council members were informed at the 3 Council Meeting held on 6 December 2015, that the FA Singapore had donated a sum of SGD500,000 on 4 November 2015 as a payment to develop the System. The Council recorded its thanks and appreciation to FA Singapore for their effort to make the project a reality.

     

    Source: www.theindependent.sg

  • Football: Fandi Ahmad Named FAS’ Head Coach Of Youth

    Football: Fandi Ahmad Named FAS’ Head Coach Of Youth

    Local football icon Fandi Ahmad has been named the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) new head coach of youth.

    The announcement was made by FAS vice-president Edwin Tong during a media conference on Tuesday (Oct 4).

    Fandi has signed a three-year plus three contract with the FAS.

    He will take charge of the 2018 Asian Games, 2019 and 2021 SEA Games and Tokyo 2020 Olympic teams.

    The 54-year-old’s current contract as FAS staff coach is set to end in December.

    The Straits Times had reported last month that Fandi was understood to be mulling over an offer from Malaysia Super League side Pahang FA. He had played for the state team in 1991 and 1992, winning the Malaysian league and Malaysia Cup double in 1992.

    On talk regarding that possibility, Fandi said “the links to Pahang were serious but my heart was always to stay in Singapore”.

    The former national football captain had also previously coached the Young Lions, then the national Under-23 team, from 2003 to 2006, leading them to two third-placed finishes in the S-League – their best-ever showing.

    He rejoined the FAS in late 2013, succeeding current national caretaker coach V. Sundramoorthy as coach of the now-defunct LionsXII. Last year, he led the team to victory in the Malaysia FA Cup.

    On his long-held ambition to coach the senior team, Fandi said: “I still want to coach the national team but maybe in four or five years when this project is over.”

    National youth coach Richard Tardy will remain in charge of the 13- to 18-year-olds, while Fandi will work with those aged 18 to 23 in his new role.

     

    Source: The Straits Times

  • Grassroots Football Leagues In Spotlight After Brawl

    Grassroots Football Leagues In Spotlight After Brawl

    No security personnel, no medical support and no insurance coverage for the players. It sounds like a scene from a regular weekend social football game, but these are the same conditions that the clubs from the National Football League (NFL) and Island Wide League (IWL) – regarded as Singapore football’s second and third division respectively – have had to play their matches in.

    TODAY understands that some of the other common issues the clubs have encountered include double booking of football fields, match officials arriving late, and even match commissioners failing to turn up for a game.

    These issues paint a bleak picture of what the NFL and IWL clubs have had to go through over the last few years.

    But the management of the two leagues have come under the spotlight following last Saturday’s (Oct 1) brawl between the players of Balestier United Recreation Club (BURC) and the Singapore Armed Forces Sports Association (SAFSA) during a FA Cup match.

    A police report was lodged over the incident, and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is investigating the matter.

    This comes on the back of revelations at the FAS’ Annual General Meeting (AGM) last week that only about S$70,000 – which represents 0.2 per cent of their total annual budget of S$35.8 million – had been spent on the NFL, IWL and grassroots competitions.

    A look through FAS’s financial records for the past seven years revealed that their funding for grassroots football has dropped steadily from almost S$100,000 in 2009 to just S$70,000 this year.

    In contrast, the FAS allocated more than S$1 million to develop women’s football and S$4 million for the defunct LionsXII’s Malaysian Super League campaign.

    Several NFL club representatives that TODAY spoke to revealed the leagues have being poorly managed over the last few years.

    “There is usually no security or stadium stewards at our games, and so situations such as what happened on Saturday can arise,” said GFA Sporting Westlake FC team manager Mohamad Abdul Latiff. “It’s very difficult to manage such situations if the organisers don’t take control. It’s not uncommon to hear of fights happening on the pitch during games, although it usually isn’t as serious as what happened on Saturday.

    “We’ve also seen situations before when the referee is being harassed by players after a match and he could only leave the field after calling the police in.

    “But that’s not all. There are also many instances where the field is double booked. This year alone, my team has had to face seven game cancellations at the last minute, which costs us time and money.

    “Of course, this will not happen if the FAS can ensure that the leagues are better run and organised.”

    Agreeing, Siglap FC team manager Alim Omar added: “FAS staff are seldom seen in any NFL matches. All match inspectors are also volunteers, and it’s very rare that you can see a referee assessor in the lower leagues. But if FAS spends so little on the league, it’s not surprising that this is what you get.”

    One of the biggest bugbears that the NFL and IWL clubs have is the absence of professional medical coverage, although each team is required to bring their own first-aid trained personnel for every match.

    “There’s never been any medical coverage, and if any bad incidents happen, only then will an ambulance be activated,” said former national goalkeeper Yakob Hashim, who is now coach of Yishun Sentek Mariners. “The players are also not covered by insurance so, if they get injured, they will have to pay the medical bills themselves. This can discourage players from taking part.”

    Another NFL coach, who requested not to be named, believes that while medical coverage is essential, it is not necessary for the FAS to hire security for the games.

    “The basic thing needed is medical support,” he said. “But I don’t think we need a security detail and we shouldn’t waste resources on it.”

    Referring to the brawl on Saturday, the coach added: “At the end of the day, this boils down to the club and how officials educate and manage their players.

    “There were less than 100 people at the game, why should there be security for that? So it’s the clubs’ duty to ensure their players behave professionally.”

    FAS’S SPENDING ON GRASSROOTS COMPETITIONS

    (National Football League, Island Wide League, Singapore 9s)

    2009 – S$99,207

    2010 – S$94,321

    2011/2012 – S$90,587

    2012/2013 – S$89,174

    2013/2014 – S$85,842

    2014/2015 – S$79,793

    2015/2016 – S$70,701

    * Figures from FAS Annual Report

    * Amount derived from FAS expenses minus clubs’ entry fees

     

    Source: TODAY Online