An invited club participating in the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) Island Wide League (IWL) has been slapped with a $5,000 fine for a social media post which was taken down after a few minutes.
On 5 May, TMSG confirmed that Yishun FC was handed a $5,000 fine by the FAS for putting up a social media post which questioned the logic of conducting fitness tests for amateur clubs, which the FAS considered “disparaging”.
On the social media post, the club said that it was the first time that the amateur club was made to take a fitness tests.
“This is the first time that we’ve been asked to do this and frankly, It’s ridiculous”, the post said.
“We are not full-time players” and “some of our guys had to retake the tests multiple times”, the post added.
The text in the post went on to say that “if you are a (sic) ex-footballer, then I advise you to go see doctor” and that “if you are not footballer then it’s better shut up and don’t implement stupid rules”.
Yishun FC is not an affiliate of the FAS, and was invited to participate in the IWL by the FAS.
The club had to fork out $3,000 to take part in the IWL as an invited club.
The FAS through its head of competitions said that by the “powers vested in me”, the offence would be compounded if the fine of $5,000 was paid, or risk an expulsion.
$5,000 FINE, EXTREME MUCH?
Two officials TMSG spoke to slammed the quantum of the fine imposed on the IWL club.
“The entrance fee to participate and the fine is $5,000 for a social media post?”
“So anyone who criticises the FAS will be slapped with such heavy fines?”
“If the FAS has a problem with raising funds, surely it needs to look for other means as opposed to slapping fines against IWL clubs which are run mostly by volunteers who just want to play football,” said the official.
Another official who spoke to TMSG on condition of anonymity added that the public should also impose fines on the FAS every time it fails in its duties, given that they are so quick to impose fines, like the one imposed on Yishun FC.
“What is the justification for the amount? Is the FAS saying that they are not open to such criticism?
“Shouldn’t they have found a way to compromise before slapping the club with this $5,000 fine?”
$3,000 DEPOSIT REQUIRED
What is also shocking was that the club will have to pay a deposit of $3,000 if it intended to file an appeal to the $5,000 fine.
And if the club loses the appeal, the $3,000 will be forfeited.
Yishun FC did not respond to queries.
MAIN PHOTO: TMSG SOURCE