An internal whistleblower has provided detailed evidence chronicling issues and allegations against a former Singapore and FIFA referee, who is now holding another position at the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) referees committee.
TMSG has decided not to name the individuals involved but will show the evidence as much as possible, given that there needs to be transparency over why there was no action taken against the alleged perpetrator, given the extent and severity of the complaints.
The allegations have included alleged assault on multiple occasions against another volunteer referee assessor, whom we shall refer to as Mr K, threats against his wife, and also alleged errant sexual behaviour.
The former referee is also alleged to have sent inappropriate photos to the wife of Mr K which included a photo of his private parts, doing so knowing that she was still married.
The former referee is also married and it must be stated that his overtures were reciprocated.
TMSG has also seen the photo of his private parts and will not be publishing it for obvious reasons.
A former referee, he was at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
A STRING OF POLICE REPORTS
The latest police report filed against the former referee was on 14 September 2022.
According to the police report, the former referee is alleged to have slapped and kicked Mr K at the Yishun MRT station on multiple occassions.
He is also alleged to have used English and Tamil vulgarities against the complainant.
In this police report, the complainant also added that he had been previously assaulted in December 2018 outside his own home at Choa Chua Kang.
On that day in December 2018, the former referee is alleged to have thrown a punch which landed on the left side of the complainant’s face.
On that same day, he is also alleged to have raised a bamboo pole at the complainant, according to the police report.
A few months after this incident in February 2019, he allegedly went to the the work place of Mr K to speak to his supervisor, and a police report for unintentional harassment was made.
Subsequently, the Mr K’s wife filed a police report, alleging that the former referee had threatened her and that “he will harm my husband further in the future”.
In the same police report, it was stated that the said former referee had said that he would “come over to my residence to whack my husband.”
Yet another police report was filed on 28 April 2019.
GETTING HIS MP AND DPM LAWRENCE WONG INVOLVED
Subsequently, the complainant went to see his Member of Parliament and current Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong for help.
The Jurong Division responded to the complainant in September 2019, stating that it was looking into the issues.
NO RESPONSE FROM FAS
TMSG also saw emails which were sent to FAS general secretary Yazeen Buhari, which was also addressed to the former and late FAS president Lim Kia Tong and referees committee chairman Lim Tong Hai, seeking intervention.
One of the emails was sent by Mr K’s wife.
It is not known why no internal action was taken against the former referee, given that multiple police reports were filed.
TMSG reached out to the victim Mr K, but he declined comment.
TMSG reached out to the FAS general secretary Yazeen to ask if he was aware of the issues at hand involving the former referee and to question why action was not taken against him, or to have him be put on a leave of absence pending the outcome of any internal or external probe, given the extent of the allegations.
TMSG did not receive a response at time of publication.
Chats with others involved in the department have also put forth another issue involving a female staff, which was undocumented and unreported.
But the female staff had confided in her superiors that she was allegedly touched inappropriately.
In response to queries, the former referee said that he was going to take legal action against the complainant for defamation.
The reality is that the former referee tried to take legal action against the complainant but he was roundly rebuffed by Mr K’s lawyers.
Given the current environment where people in positions need to own and be accountable for their behaviour, there are answers which need to be forthcoming from the national football body over why no action was taken despite all the complaints.
No, this is not a personal issue, as it involves people who are sitting in committees, and who are working together.
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