‘Thai football has a bright future and a chance to succeed’, says former Lions prospect Ben Davis on decision to play for Thailand

SINGAPORE — Fulham footballer Ben Davis said playing for Thailand’s national South-east Asian (SEA) Games football squad is the “best choice” for him. 

Speaking publicly for the first time since he was named in Thailand’s provisional SEA games squad, Davis said in an interview with Thai television channel True4U: "I have decided now. I talked to my family about choosing my citizenship. I have a chance to choose to play up to four countries — Singapore, Thailand, Wales and England. I have decided to choose the Thai national team.”

“At first, my dad wanted me to play for the Singapore national team, but for some reason, that did not happen,” said Davis, adding that the Thai national team “has given me an opportunity. I will try to do my best to pay back”.

Davis — who was born in Thailand and granted Singapore citizenship in September 2009 — said Thai football “has a bright future and a chance to succeed”. 

“My parents support my decision to the fullest in choosing the Thai national team,” Davis said. 

The Football Association of Thailand announced the provisional squad on its website on Sept 28. Davis, 18, is the youngest player in the squad and the only one based outside Thailand. 

The SEA Games will be held in the Philippines from Nov 30 to Dec 11 this year. The Games' football competition is an Under-22 tournament, with two over-aged players allowed. 

Davis, whose mother is Thai and father is English, was born in Phuket and moved to Singapore when he was five and became a citizen four years later. He subsequently represented Singapore at the Under-16 and Under-19 levels.

In July 2017, the former Singapore Sports School student joined Fulham Football Club on a two-year scholarship deal and in June last year, Davis signed a two-year contract, becoming the first Singaporean to sign a professional contract with a top-tier English club. Fulham were relegated to the Championship at the end of last season.

Davis had applied for deferment to his National Service (NS) enlistment, but was turned down by the Ministry of Defence in June last year as he did not meet the “criteria for long-term deferment from full-time NS".

He was due to enlist earlier this year in February, but he defaulted on his NS obligations.

His father, Mr Harvey Davis, had previously told TODAY that the family is prepared to allow him to lose his Singaporean citizenship in order to fulfil his footballing dreams.

The younger Davis said: “My dream is to play in the top leagues of the world, including the (English) Premier League, La Liga in Spain, and most importantly, the Uefa Champions League."