MCCY appoints FAS provisional council, with Lim as president

SINGAPORE - A provisional council for the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has been appointed by the Ministry for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) to oversee the national football body as it prepares for its first-ever elections for office bearers.

The move followed the expiry of terms of the previous council but there were several familiar faces in the provisional body, which will run the FAS from Nov 16 to Mar 31 next year.

For example, all four previous FAS vice-presidents were included in the new council.

Bernard Tan, Member of Parliament Edwin Tong and former Singapore Pools chief executive officer Tan Soo Nam were made vice-presidents again while Lim Kia Tong was appointed president of the Provisional Council.

Sarjit Singh will serve as honorary treasurer, the same post he held in the previous council, while Balestier Khalsa chairman S. Thavaneson and former national captain Razali Saad have been appointed as council members.

In a media statement on Tuesday (Nov 15), the MCCY said: “The key focus of the Provisional Council will be to prepare for the election of the new Council in early 2017, while ensuring stability and continuity in FAS operations in the interim period.”

Lim said in an FAS statement: “I am honoured to be selected to lead the Provisional Council in the interim period, and we will work to ensure that all ongoing plans and programmes of the FAS will continue during this period.

The 64-year-old lawyer, who had previously indicated an interest in running for the FAS presidency, added that the Provisional Council will be looking into “several key issues” during its term.

These include the future of the S.League and the revamp of the National Football League to a two-tier promotion and relegation system.

“Also on our list of priorities will be the cultivation of grassroots football such as women’s and school’s football as well as community participation as a whole,” said Lim.

He added that the Provisional Council will establish “communication channels to form an open eco-system of discussion, that will include not only the key stakeholders, but also its Ordinary Members and the general public.”