The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has hit another snag in its search for new clubs to join the Singapore Premier League (SPL).
This time, the excuse is ‘good but incomplete’ applications in its latest Request for Proposal (RFP).
Despite earlier optimism that fresh blood could be injected into the ailing nine-club league, the FAS has now scrapped its latest round of applications and relaunched a fresh RFP.
The move is part of what FAS says is a broader effort to “refresh and rejuvenate” the competition, but to outsiders, it reeks of another round of uncertainty for local football.
“FAS has received good proposals but the applications were incomplete,” CNA reported.
“To maintain the integrity of the RFP process, we have closed the current RFP and launched a new one for the existing applicants as well as any new clubs to submit their applications,” said an FAS spokesperson to CNA.
Applications for new clubs were opened in February this year, inviting both local and foreign clubs to submit “comprehensive proposals” to enter the SPL for the 2025/26 season.
The deadline for applications was 14 March, but with this latest setback, the search continues.
TMSG understands that at least two submissions were made – from Woodlands Lions and Tengah FC.
FAS still intends to evaluate and announce the results of this re-opened RFP by the end of April.
But if history is anything to go by, there’s no guarantee that a new team will actually make it to the starting line.
There is online uncertainty about DPMM FC.
The last club to receive in-principle approval, believed to be Tengah Football Club, pulled out of the upcoming 2024/25 season due to prolonged due diligence delays and a tight timeline before the league’s kickoff in May.
With yet another RFP reset, local football fans can only watch and wait–again–to see if the SPL will finally get its long-promised boost.
MAIN PHOTO: TMSG