SINGAPORE: Incumbent Football Association of Singapore (FAS) president Bernard Tan said on Saturday (Mar 29) that he will not be seeking re-election.

Speaking to CNA, Mr Tan said that the decision was not easy and one made with a “heavy heart”.

“I’ve repeatedly said that I’m not married to this job, and I will always do what’s good for Singapore football,” he added.

“It’s been a distinct privilege to serve as the president of the FAS. I know some people will be disappointed in my decision, and to these people, I apologise, but … I believe that my decision is for the good of Singapore football.”

Mr Forrest Li, the billionaire founder of tech giant Sea and chairman of Singapore Premier League (SPL) club Lion City Sailors, has announced his intention to run for the FAS' top position.

Without naming Mr Li, Mr Tan said that "disruptive change" in local football needs a “huge injection of resources”.

“Having known that there’s a candidate that’s going to offer a possibility of a disruptive change to the ecosystem, I want to free the way for the delegates of FAS to decide,” he added.

FAS had earlier this month called for the election of council members for a four-year term from 2025 to 2029.

The election will take place during an Extraordinary Congress on Apr 28, said FAS. Its annual congress usually takes place in the third quarter of the year.

An announcement will be made on Apr 18 on the candidates who have qualified to contest.

Mr Tan said that he is prepared to take up other posts if called upon.

"I remain a fan of Singapore football, of the Lions and Lionesses. I am prepared to remain connected to the ecosystem and will contribute if wanted. But for this round, it will not be as president of FAS," he said.

DEALING WITH BRICKBATS

Tan has been in his post for less than two years.

He was FAS deputy president when then president Lim Kia Tong died after a heart attack in September 2022, and took over the role as acting president thereafter.

Tan was elected president for the remainder of the FAS council's 2021 to 2025 term in September 2023 after he was the only one to submit his candidacy for the election.

Over the last two years, Singapore has registered a number of painful results, both at the age-group level as well as at the senior level.

In January 2023, the Lions lost 4-1 to Malaysia for their heaviest defeat to their fierce rivals in 21 years as they crashed out of the AFF Championship - now known as the ASEAN Championship - before the national under-22s were thrashed 7-0 by their Causeway counterparts at the Southeast Asian Games in May. 

It was Singapore’s worst loss at the biennial Games since 1971, and the winless team also finished last in their group.

This was the lowest point in his presidency, said Mr Tan.

"In retrospect now, it was for me the best thing that ever happened. It made me think and reflect quite deeply," he said.

"(It) was instrumental in (me) learning a lot of things."

After the defeat, Mr Tan responded to a comment on his Instagram account calling for his resignation.

"Instead of abusing me here. Abuse me face to face. Let's meet," wrote Mr Tan. " Drop me an email ... I will leave your comment for 24 hours. After which I will delete you. It's my wall." 

"I was a bit naive, that I thought I could conduct a conversation over social media. You can't," recalled Mr Tan.

FAS later unveiled 10 recommendations to improve Singapore’s performance at future SEA Games, including giving young players more game time in the SPL and providing the men's under-23 and under-22 sides with access to the resources of the full-fledged national "A" team.

"Generally, I don't look back. You live and learn, you move forward," said Mr Tan. "I don't regret those times - I just say: 'Great, I learnt from it.' There are things I would (have liked to have avoided) like the (7-0) defeat, that constantly remains in my head, but there are also high points."

And there is no "heat shield" for the president, he pointed out.

"Expectation is high, resources are low ... everything is on your shoulders. This can be unfair but some will say that's par for the course," said Mr Tan.

The job has taken a toll, he added.

"I've taken it in my stride, but clearly the people around me have observed that it has had an effect ... I don't think (the job) is without stress - there are times where you ask yourself why you are doing this, but those times are few and far between," said Mr Tan.

"The privilege I've had in trying to move Singapore football in the right direction has outweighed the toll."

One of the things Mr Tan said that he has learnt is that the role of president requires a "full-time commitment".

"You almost have to be a little bit obsessive. I'm convinced this role also cannot be delegated; it's got to be led from the front," he explained.

"When the question has been asked, 'What keeps you awake at night?' ... for me for the last two years, it has always been football."

And given that he has a full-time role with Indonesian conglomerate Sinar Mas, Mr Tan added that are times where he has felt like he has not "given enough".

"I am also not advocating that the position becomes a full-time position. I just wish I could do more," he said.

Mr Tan added that he would have wanted to grow the commercial side of local football. But at the same time, he pointed out that it was important to have a good league before this, and FAS needed to fix this first.

"I won't say ... there are regrets but there are lots of things left undone," he said.

FOOTBALL IN A “BETTER POSITION”

Mr Tan said he and his team have left Singapore football in a “better position” than it was in before.

“I do want the exco and the council that have served with me to hold their heads high, because I do believe that over the last four years, we have left Singapore football in a better position than before.”

At the senior level, he pointed out that the Lions qualified for the semi-finals of the ASEAN Championship last year - the first time they had done so since the 2021 edition of the regional tournament. Tsutomu Ogura’s men were subsequently eliminated by Vietnam 5-1 on aggregate.

“We appointed coach Ogura to come in. He has been a breath of fresh air. And he's connected with the ecosystem, he's (blooded) young players,” said Tan.

“He brought us to the semi-final of the (ASEAN Championship) in a very short space of time."

And that has brought an element of “belief” to local football, said Mr Tan.

The Lionesses beat Timor-Leste 1-0 in a third-place playoff in the 2024 AFF Women’s Cup to book their place in this year’s ASEAN Women’s Championships.

Pointing to the work Lionesses head coach Karim Bencherifa has done to revamp the team and their subsequent qualification, Mr Tan added that the women's team is also in a "much better state".

Another thing which has changed for the better is that there is now a structure for youth football in Singapore, said Mr Tan. This was established alongside the Unleash The Roar (UTR) national project.

"I have firm belief that UTR has laid the foundation for a better future and it's just a matter of time before we actually deliver," he said.

Mr Tan added that he has also contributed to "moving goalposts" and "tried to do the things that are difficult to do".

These include building a better environment for matchgoing fans, creating a "much better" SPL and restarting the naturalisation initiative for foreign-born players.

"These things require not only effort on our end, but really (also from) partners, and support (from) people who want the best for Singapore football," he said.

Mr Tan did not rule out the possibility of remaining involved in local football. He added he will miss the people in FAS and the wider local football ecosystem.

"I would not have survived through the tough times without their friendship, their support and their trust placed in me," he added.

Looking ahead, he stressed the importance of unity.

"The FAS elections should not distract us from the goal of football remaining united as a community," said Mr Tan.

"Once it is over, we should unite. We need to find ways to harness the energies of all and to be inclusive as we move forward. Football in Singapore is too small for us to be divided."