The Acting President of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) Bernard Tan has said that he will step down if he has lost the support of the football stakeholders.
He added that that this includes “people from the public and private sector that will fund us, the FAS family that supports what goes on in football, and wider society,”
He made the remarks in an interview with The Straits Times (ST), at the back of the national football body’s release of the 10 recommendations following the 2023 Southeast Asian Games disaster.
“I am not silly,” he told ST.
“The FAS president can run only if he has the confidence of the stakeholders.
“If I feel that I’ve lost that support, I will step down.”
But he then added that if he is given an opportunity to carry on, he will “focus to drive Singapore football forward with the fraternity.”
He also said that if there is someone else who steps forward, he will be “happy to work with him, and for him to take over the baton.”
“It is perfectly fine.
“I want the best for Singapore football, not for myself.”
Unfortunately for the football fraternity, there hasn’t been another possible candidate who has stepped forward to want to take on the position to lead Singapore football, and drive the change which is needed in the sport within the national football body itself.
Tan has been under the microscope over the last few months as he was installed as Acting President following the demise of former President Lim Kia Tong.
And during that time, Singapore football fans have had to stomach a 4-1 defeat at the hands of arch rival Malaysia in the group stages of the 2022 Mitsubishi Electric Cup, which also saw the Lions exit the competition at the group stage, and a more recent 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Malaysia again at the SEA Games.
The Young Lions also did not make it past the group stages.
Not only that, Tan came under fire for his terse online response to a fan, which then led him to turn his social media profiles private.
Despite the failures, Tan wants Singapore to win the gold medal at the SEA Games in 2029 when Singapore hosts the biennial Games.
“I would really like us to go for gold and win it in front of our own fans in 2029,” he said.
When UTR was launched in 2021, former Chief Executive Officer of Sport Singapore, a co-driver of the project, said he was expecting that Singapore wins the gold by 2027.
Looks like Tan has bought himself a bit more time, if he remains as leader of the national football body.
MAIN PHOTO: TMSG