It is not a matter of whether Bernard Tan will leave his role as President of the Football Association of Singapore, but now it is a matter of when.
And barely 18 months after saying that he wants to bring the FAS to where he wants it to be, he is now preparing to take a bow and exit.
He has been involved in the FAS since being parachuted into the executive committee in 2013.
In fact, even the when he will step down has been settled and it will take place on 28 April, if the announcement on 17 March by the FAS is anything to go by.
ELECTIONS, NOT THE GENERAL ELECTIONS
On 17 March, the national football body announced that the FAS elections for office bearers will take place on 28 April.
Further to that, Sea Limited founder and Lion City Sailors owner Forrest Li has made it official that he is running for the top job at the dysfunctional football body.
“Forrest Li has confirmed that he will be running for the FAS presidency, and he looks forward to sharing more about his team in the coming fortnight,” said Li’s spokesman to the Straits Times.
Li’s entry into the role as possible FAS President has been circling for some time.
It is understood that he was asked to consider taking up the role by a senior establishment member.
About two weeks ago, Tan also started informing various stakeholders that he will exit his role and will not seek re-election as President.
Remaining in any other role in the FAS leadership would also be seen as a demotion, and surely a former general in the military would not take that too lightly.
STAGNATION AND CRITICISM
Tan’s tenure has been marred by stagnation and criticism over the state of the local game and it remains to be seen if he is kept on in another role as part of Li’s slate of candidates.
Tan took over following the passing of Lim Kia Tong in 2022 and was officially elected in September 2023 to complete the remainder of the 2022-2025 term.
This extraordinary congress will see elections conducted via a mix of slate and individual votes.
Nine positions, including president, deputy president, four vice-presidents, and three council members, will be elected as a team.
It is yet unclear who will stand along with Li.
Another six council members will be selected individually, with at least one seat reserved for a female candidate.
The official list of qualified candidates will be announced on 18 April, leading up to the FAS extraordinary congress on 28 April, when the elections will take place.
PHOTOS: LION CITY SAILORS, FACEBOOK