Team Venga submits proposal to amend FAS constitution

SINGAPORE — The long-awaited Football Association of Singapore (FAS) elections could be delayed, after R Vengadasalam and his team submitted a series of amendments to the proposed FAS constitution that was last week approved by the sport’s governing body Fifa.

In order to call for the their first-ever elections, the 46 FAS affiliates will first need to vote in the proposed FAS constitution during the National Sports Association’s (NSA) annual general meeting (AGM) this Saturday (Sept 24).

If it fails to garner a majority vote however, the FAS will have to make the necessary changes to the constitution and seek approval from Fifa once more – this process which will likely see the elections, which is slated to be held at the end of the year, be delayed.

But this scenario could very well occur, with Venga calling for changes to be made in order to ensure “fairness and balance” in the constitution.

TODAY understands that Venga, who is assembling a team to contest the FAS elections, emailed the FAS and its affiliates on Monday with the suggested amendments to the FAS constitution, along with an official letter and note to explain the reasoning behind their proposals.

A total of 40 amendments to the constitution were proposed.

Among some of the key changes that were recommended include an increase in the number of FAS council members from 15 to 18, having an additional three standing committees - in charge of women’s football, youth development, and the National Team respectively - as well as increasing the frequency of FAS council meetings from twice annually to at least six times a year.

Another amendment involved a relook into the Fifa required process of integrity checks for candidates hoping to run for elections, as they hope the constition can provide a clear definition of the scope of the checks and ensure that the privacy of the individual and confidentiality in handling such a matter was maintained.

In addition, they also hope the constitution will be changed to allow those who have “played an active role as ex-chairman of an S-League Club Member” to be eligible to run for the office of president.

Lawyer Alfred Dodwell, the first member to be confirmed as part of Venga’s team, told TODAY that while their proposal to amend the constitution might lead to a delay in the elections, it would be beneficial for Singapore football in the long-term.

“What we’ve done might delay the elections,” said Dodwell. “But if we are to do the first comprehensive relook of the constitution, we have to do it right. We cannot say that just because we don’t want the delay, that we vote to pass the constitution through.

“We’re not trying to change the entire complexion of the constitution. Our proposals have been very carefully calibrated to ensure that whatever that has originally been put into place is not changed needlessly.

“Critically, the thing we want to achieve through the amendments we’ve proposed is fairness in the constitution. It’s about getting the right legislation in place. It’s not about making us more electable, it’s for the overall good and future of Singapore football.”

Venga, the former manager of Woodlands Wellington, is confident that their proposed amendments will be welcomed, and expects majority of the affiliates to call for these changes at the upcoming AGM.

“Our proposals are rational, and my idea is that not only the affiliates but even the incumbents will want these changes,” said 56-year-old Venga, who yesterday also announced James Lim, a former deputy director at the People’s Association who now works on freelance projects, as the second member of his team.

“We acknowledge the good work the FAS has done in presenting the draft of the proposed constitution. Our inputs considered the need for FAS to engage the club members in decisions that impact them and Singapore football in general.

“We didn’t change the slate, didn’t change much except for certain rules and regulations. What we’ve done is create more responsibility for the people who are voted to be in charge of Singapore football.

“I’m not out to hurt anybody through this, not even the FAS. I’ve had unreasonable requests put forward to me by others which I’ve rejected, because I want to lead this team fairly and ultimately help Singapore football progress.”

THE 5 KEY AMENDMENTS

1. FAS - FAS shall be governed by a Council consisting of: the President; the Deputy President; four Vice Presidents; one Female member; eight other members.

TEAM VENGA - FAS shall be governed by a Council consisting of: the President; the Deputy President; four Vice Presidents; one Female member; 11 other members.

2. FAS - Meetings of the Council shall be held at least twice a year.

TEAM VENGA - Meetings of the Council shall be held at least six times a year. If any council member misses three straight meetings without valid reasons, he or she may be asked to resign from council.

3. FAS - A Presidential candidate shall have played an active role in association football (eg as board member, committee member, or an official within FIFA, a confederation, an association or an Ordinary Member of FAS) for two of the last five years.

TEAM VENGA - A Presidential candidate shall have played an active role in association football (eg as board member, committee member, or an official within FIFA, a confederation, an association or an Ordinary Member of FAS) for two of the last five years or has played an active role as ex-chairman of an S-League Club Member.

4. FAS - Only the President may propose the appointment or dismissal of the General Secretary.

TEAM VENGA - Only the Council may propose the appointment or dismissal of the General Secretary.

5. FAS - The integrity check for the candidates for the offices of the members of the Electoral Committee, including the Electoral Appeal Committee, shall be conducted by the Ethics Committee.

TEAM VENGA - The integrity check for the candidates for the offices of the members of the Electoral Committee, including the Electoral Appeal Committee, shall be conducted by the Ethics Committee and it comprises only as to checks pertaining to – (a) whether the candidate has a criminal record; and (b) Whether at the material time the candidate is an undischarged bankrupt. The findings of the ethics committee shall be made known to the candidate who shall be accorded a private hearing within seven days if he or she so wishes to be heard and at any such hearing, he or she will have to provide an explanation for final determination by the ethics committee. All records of all findings concerning the candidate shall be kept private and confidential at all times and all such record is only available to the Council members to review at the FAS office and no copies provided to any party under any circumstances unless so requested in official capacity by FIFA or AFC or AFF and all such release shall be provided only upon informing the said Candidate who has seven days from any such request to object to the same, and will be accorded a hearing on any such request by FAS Council for its final determination.