SportsSG, a statutory board of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, is meeting all FAS affiliate clubs for an “engagement session” tomorrow (21 Oct) at 7.00pm at the SportsHub. The meeting is scheduled ahead of Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) Extraordinary General Meeting (EOGM) scheduled on 7 Nov.
The FAS had been earlier slammed for calling for an EOGM on 7 Nov without any further consultation with its affiliates (https://theindependent.sg.sg/fas-slammed-for-calling-for-eogm-without-consulting-affiliates). The affiliates pointed out that the reason why the AGM held on 24 Sep was postponed was because the current FAS office holders wanted more time to consult with affiliates about changes to the Constitution which were proposed.
The disgruntled affiliates complained that notice for the EOGM was sent late on 8 Oct night giving them very short deadline to meet for any proposed changes. The adoption of the new FAS constitution is the only point on the Agenda.
The FAS has 46 affiliates: nine are S.League sides, 10 National Football League clubs, 14 IWL clubs and 13 others (including 5 clubs from the Women’s Premier League).
A source who spoke on conditions of anonymity said that SportsSG can call for the meeting with the affiliates because FAS is still governed by the old constitution. The old constitution gives a lot of power to the Government because it specifies that all Council Members to FAS must be appointed by the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth in his discretion.
Last year, the FIFA said that the FAS should end third-party influence in the Association, even if that third party is a government ministry. FAS acceded to FIFA’s request.
The source said that it is unlikely that SportsSG will blatantly ask FAS’s affiliates to vote a certain way, but that they may put forth certain conditions under which the government could withdraw funding from the sports. If such conditions are put forth, it may inadvertently influence the outcome of the EOGM.
SportsSG chief executive officer Lim Teck Yin had earlier defended FAS officials, saying that they have done their best with the resources that they had.