Football Association of Singapore

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This article is about the governing body of Singapore football. For the former Singapore team which competed in domestic football competitions from 1921 to 1994, see Singapore FA.

Football Association of Singapore
AFC
Football Association of Singapore crest.svg
Founded29 August 1892; 129 years ago (1892-08-29)
Headquarters100 Tyrwhitt Rd, Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore 207542
FIFA affiliation1952; 70 years ago (1952)
AFC affiliation1954; 68 years ago (1954)
AFF affiliation1984; 38 years ago (1984)
PresidentLim Kia Tong
Websitehttp://www.fas.org.sg

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is the governing body responsible for the administration of football in Singapore. Established in 1892 as the Singapore Football Association (SFA), it is the oldest football association in all of Asia.[1][2] The FAS is also one of the founding members of both the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF). It has been affiliated with FIFA since 1952.

The FAS oversees the organisation and development of football and advancing the game at all levels in Singapore, and is responsible for all aspects of the amateur and professional game in its territory. This includes its flagship domestic league, the Singapore Premier League (SPL), as well as the men's, women's and youth national football teams. The FAS is headquartered at the Jalan Besar Stadium, located at Kallang.

The FAS also manages the organisation and running of league and cup competitions, the stewardship of international teams, the establishment of youth development, women's football, refereeing and coaching frameworks.[3]

History[]

The association was also previously known as the Singapore Amateur Football Association (abbreviation: SAFA) on 14 May 1929 before adopting its current name on 13 January 1966.[4]

Singapore national team[]

Main article: Singapore national football team
Further information: Singapore results and fixtures (football)

The Singapore national football team, administered by FAS, is one of the most successful sides in ASEAN Football Championship history, winning the regional international tournament four times in 1998, 2004/5, 2007 and 2012.[3] Despite the country having a relatively small population pool, it has generally punched above its weight by successively producing squads that has fiercely competed with its larger and much more populated neighbours.

Singapore has also achieved notable results beyond their sub-confederation. In the 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification, Singapore became the only team to beat Iraq where Iraq were en route to their Asian Cup winning campaign. Singapore also drew with China 0–0 and 1–1 at home in 2006 and 2009 respectively. In March 2008, Australia also failed to beat Singapore when the game ended in a goalless draw. During the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Japan was held to a draw at home at the Saitama Stadium by Singapore, being the only game where Japan had dropped points in the group.

Youth Development Programmes[]

The FAS focuses on football development and operates national age group programmes with U-15, U-16, U-17, U-18 and U-23 teams (known as Young Lions, who compete in the country's professional Singapore Premier League).[3]

All Singapore Premier League clubs have also fully implemented their own programmes for the Under-14s, adding on to the existing U-16s and U-18s program.[3]

Former presidents[]

Council members[]

  • President: Lim Kia Tong
  • Deputy President: Bernard Tan
  • Vice-Presidents:
  • Honorary Treasurer: Lelaina Lim
  • Members:
  • General Secretary : Yazeen Buhari

Reference:[26]

Name Position Source
Singapore President [27][28]
Singapore Deputy President [28]
Singapore Vice President [27][28]
Singapore 2nd Vice President [27][28]
Singapore 3rd Vice President [27][28]
Singapore Edwin Tong 4th Vice President [27][28]
Singapore General Secretary [27][28]
Singapore Treasurer [27]
Australia Technical Director [27][28]
Japan Tatsuma Yoshida Team Coach (Men's) [27][28]
Singapore Stephen Ng Heng Seng Team Coach (Women's) [27]
Singapore Media/Communications Manager [27]
Singapore Referee Coordinator [27]

FAS Tournaments[]

FAS Affiliates 2017[]

Singapore Premier League Clubs[]

  • Albirex Niigata (S)
  • Balestier Khalsa
  • Geylang International
  • Home United
  • Hougang United
  • Tampines Rovers
  • Warriors FC
  • Gombak United (sit-out club)
  • Tanjong Pagar United (sit-out club)

FAS National Football League Clubs[]

  • Academy Junior Football
  • Admiralty CSC
  • Admiralty FC
  • Balestier United RC
  • Bishan Barx
  • Eunos Crescent
  • GFA Sporting Westlake
  • GFA Victoria
  • Gymkhana FC
  • Jungfrau Punggol
  • Kaki Bukit SC
  • Katong FC
  • Kembangan United
  • Police Sports Association
  • SAFSA
  • Siglap FC
  • Singapore Cricket Club
  • Singapore Khalsa Association
  • South Avenue SC
  • Starlight Soccerities
  • Tiong Bahru FC
  • Yishun Sentek Mariners
  • Warwick Knights FC

Singapore M-League/M-Cup Team (The Lions)[]

Main article: Singapore Lions

Former national players[]

Notable Former National Players – Singapore National Football Team

Corporate structure[]

The FAS council was first appointed by the government in 1968, and has been controlled continually by government appointees for more than three decades from the 1980s to 2015.[29][25] From 2004 to 2015, its president had been an elected member of the ruling People's Action Party, and was appointed by the Minister for Sports.[30]

In 2015, FIFA requested an end to political appointments of the national body's council members.[31] FAS therefore changed its constitution in 2016 and held general elections for its council members starting from 2017.[32][30][33] In response, the FAS also stated that "We have always been in consultation with FIFA over the last 30 years. They are aware of the uniqueness of our situation, and have always given us special dispensation."[34]

Investments[]

During the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on September 2016, it was revealed that organising expenses on grassroots competitions like the National Football League (NFL), Island Wide League (IWL) and FA Cup amounted to about $70,000 during the previous financial year from April 2015 to March 2016. This figure which represented a mere 0.2 per cent of the FAS' total annual budget of S$35.8 million sparked disapproval within the local football community with many perceiving it as FAS's lack of regard for grassroots football.[35]

In a press conference on 13 October 2016, FAS vice-president Bernard Tan clarified that the amount did not include prize money and participation fees contributed by the teams counted under the domestic league account.[36]

Funding[]

In early April 2017, Bill Ng, chairman of SPL club Hougang United and NFL club Tiong Bahru Football Club (TBFC), claimed that he had donated S$850,000 to the FAS with the intention of helping Singapore football, but that the money had gone to the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) instead.[37] The allegations came in the prelude to the first open election of the FAS council.[38]

FAS secretary Winston Lee responded that Ng was aware of where the funds were used, that $200,000 went to the former LionsXII, while $500,000 was used to support the AFF's Football Management System.[39][40] Lee said that it was former FAS president Zainudin Nordin who asked Ng to donate to the AFF, while Ng disputed the claim.[41][42] FAS responded with a statement that Ng's allegations of financial impropriety within FAS to damage the credibility of the association was regrettable, and it was unusual that Ng had chosen to hide Zainudin's role in the transaction.[43]

On 20 April 2017, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) raided the FAS headquarters over alleged financial misuse of funds filed by Sport Singapore (formerly known as the Singapore Sports Council). Zainudin Nordin, Winston Lee, Bill Ng and his wife Bonnie Wong, were all arrested before being subsequently released on bail. The four assisted with the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) with the probe into the alleged misuse of funds and obstruction of club audits of TBFC.[44][45][46] In September 2021, the CAD in accordance with the Attorney-General announced that they had concluded their investigations and that the individuals involved will not face charges.[47]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ The FAS was under the management of the National Sports Promotion Board and later, the Singapore Sports Council.

References[]

  1. ^ "Local Football of Singapore". eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  2. ^ Ng, Huiwen (29 August 2014). "Flashback Friday: Singapore Amateur Football Association founded on Aug 29, 1892". The Straits Times. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Constitution of Football Association of Singapore" (PDF). fas.org.sg. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  4. ^ "It's the F.A. of S'pore". The Straits Times. 14 January 1966. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  5. ^ "This can be SAFA's make-or-mar year". The Straits Times. 1 March 1957. p. 14. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  6. ^ Teoh, Eng Tatt (21 March 1963). "Hussein president of new SAFA council". The Straits Times. p. 16. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  7. ^ Boey, Francis (21 September 1965). "Bakar is new Safa chief". The Straits Times. p. 17. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  8. ^ "FAS chief resigns 'with regret'". The Straits Times. 21 September 1967. p. 17. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  9. ^ "Woon is new FAS chief". The Straits Times. 27 March 1968. p. 19. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  10. ^ Dorai, Joe (5 July 1968). "Rodrigo heads the new line-up". The Straits Times. p. 20. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  11. ^ Dorai, Joe (19 June 1971). "Rodrigo: I've not failed as head of FAS". The Straits Times. p. 27. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  12. ^ Dorai, Joe (16 March 1974). "Pates will head new FAS Council". The Straits Times. p. 26. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  13. ^ "Ganesan now chairman". The Straits Times. 1 April 1976. p. 39. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  14. ^ Dorai, Joe (1 April 1982). "Teo named new FAS chairman". The Straits Times. p. 39. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  15. ^ Dorai, Joe (19 March 1988). "Maj Abbas named FAS chairman". The Straits Times. p. 43. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  16. ^ "Hsu Tse-Kwang is new football chief". The Straits Times. 25 March 1991. p. 1.
  17. ^ "New boss Ibrahim to look into youth development". The Straits Times. 31 March 1994. p. 31.
  18. ^ "Minister Mah is new FAS president". The Straits Times. 23 March 1999. p. 1.
  19. ^ "Mah Bow Tan steps down as football chief". The Straits Times. 29 March 2004. p. 4.
  20. ^ "Ho Peng Kee is new FAS chief". The Straits Times. 29 March 2004. p. 2.
  21. ^ Wang, Meng Meng (25 March 2009). "New man Zainudin wants to continue FAS' success". The Straits Times. p. 35.
  22. ^ "The next FAS president?". AsiaOne. The New Paper. 8 November 2016. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  23. ^ "SportSG concerned by delay by FAS in constitutional changes". ESPNFC.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  24. ^ "FAS election: Five things to know about new FAS president Lim Kia Tong". The Straits Times. 29 April 2017. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  25. ^ a b "Provisional council appointed to oversee FAS". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  26. ^ "Council & Committees". Football Association of Singapore. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l FIFA.com. "Member Association - Singapore - FIFA.com". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g h i "The AFC.com - The Asian Football Confederation". The AFC. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  29. ^ "Rodrigo heads the new line-up". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  30. ^ a b "Football: Football Association of Singapore leaders to be elected from 2016". The Straits Times. 1 October 2015. Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  31. ^ "Football: Fifa slams brakes on Singapore FA polls". The Business Times. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  32. ^ "The next FAS president?". AsiaOne. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  33. ^ "FAS concedes to FIFA: No more political interference in football appointments". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  34. ^ "Football: Singapore accepts FIFA directive to elect office-bearers". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  35. ^ "FAS spending on grassroots competitions sparks outrage". Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  36. ^ "FAS says it spent S$250k on grassroots football". Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  37. ^ "FAS calls Hougang United chairman's claims about donations 'baseless and untrue'". Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  38. ^ "FAS saga: Ball in Fifa's court". The Straits Times. 26 April 2017. Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  39. ^ "FAS probe: A $500,000 Singapore football fiasco". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  40. ^ "I thought S$500k donation was for local football, says Ng in twist". www.todayonline.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  41. ^ "Football: Documents show that ties between Bill Ng and Zainudin Nordin go beyond sport". The Straits Times. 22 April 2017. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  42. ^ "I have no business dealings with Bill Ng: Ex-FAS president Zainudin". www.todayonline.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  43. ^ "Bill Ng 'aware' that S$500,000 donation meant for AFF: FAS gen sec". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  44. ^ "FAS scandal: Four, including Bill Ng and Zainudin, arrested and out on police bail". www.todayonline.com. Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  45. ^ "FAS saga: Bill Ng, wife, Zainudin Nordin and Winston Lee all out on police bail". The Straits Times. 25 April 2017. Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  46. ^ "Will an election be a game changer for Singapore's Football Association?". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  47. ^ Abdullah, Ahmad Zhaki (27 September 2021). "No charges against ex-FAS senior officials Zainudin Nordin, Winston Lee in funds misuse probe: AGC". CNA. Retrieved 21 November 2021.

External links[]

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