Incoming FAS president Forrest Li outlines mission to bring pride and joy back to Singapore football

Lion City Sailors chairman Forrest Li embraces Song Ui-young after the team's 2-0 win over Sydney FC in the first leg of the Asian Champions League Two semi final on April 9. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY

SINGAPORE– Incoming Football Association of Singapore (FAS) president Forrest Li told The Straits Times on April 18 that he wants to bring pride and joy back to Singapore football.

In a media statement shared with ST shortly after FAS confirmed that Li’s team are the only candidates nominated on a slate basis for the 2025-2029 term, the tech billionaire and Lion City Sailors chairman said he was “grateful for this opportunity to lead the FAS Council”.

The 47-year-old founder of homegrown tech firm Sea Limited added: “Football is more than just a sport. It is a powerful force for uplifting and uniting communities. A hard-fought win, an incredible goal: these are common memories that communities can cherish, feel pride in, and talk about for years, even decades.”

“As Council President, my mission will be to bring that joy and pride back to Singapore football.”

Li’s slate of nine, who are named Team One, includes lawyer and current BG Tampines Rovers chairman Desmond Ong (deputy president), and four vice-presidential candidates – Bill Ng, founder of private equity firm Financial Frontiers and chairman of Hougang United and Tiong Bahru FC, national captain Hariss Harun, Sailors general manager Tan Li Yu and Sean Bai, chief of staff at English Championship side Burnley.

The three council members that will be elected en bloc with the rest of the slate are Bruce Liang, the head of strategic projects at Sea Group and SeaMoney and executive director of the Sailors; Arivan Shanmugaratnam, a lead manager at Tasek Academy and Social Services and Roy Quek, chairman of St Joseph’s Institution (SJI) International.

The nine of them will be formally sworn in as office holders on April 28 at an extraordinary congress at Raffles Town Club. There was initially set to be contest after former Balestier Khalsa vice chairman Darwin Jalil had submitted forms to stand in the FAS election.

But on April 17, Darwin confirmed that his team were disqualified due to the ineligibility of one candidate.

The remaining six seats on the FAS Council, which will be elected individually on April 28, will be contested by seven candidates.

They are former national forward Aleksandar Duric, ex-Lions captain Aide Iskandar, chairman of Island Wide League side Woodlands Rangers James Lim, former FAS Council member and FAS medical committee chairman Dr Dinesh Nair, Andy Tan, a manager at Singapore Football League Division One side Katong FC, Syed Faris, the leader of the Lions’ die-hard fan group SingaBrigade for the last 13 years and Yeong Sheau Shyan, the Sailors’ head of women’s football.

Yeong will automatically be part of the new team as the FAS Council must consist of least one female member.

Li said he is glad to be joined by a strong team who have “deep experience in the local football scene”.

He added: “Our focus will be uniting all footballing stakeholders, so we can work together to improve the entire ecosystem, and drive real, meaningful change for the future of Singapore football.”

It is expected that Li and his team will share their concrete plans to lift local football after the FAS extraordinary congress.

Li will take over local football’s top post from outgoing president Bernard Tan, who is not seeking re-election.

Li, who reportedly has a net worth of US$8.6 billion (S$11.28 billion), was third among Singapore’s richest in Forbes’ annual list of global billionaires released on April 1.

In his time in Singapore football as Sailors’ chairman after Sea’s investment in the Singapore Premier League club, he has already put Singapore football on the map and brought euphoria to the fraternity with the club’s exploits in Asia.

They made history on April 16, becoming the first football team from Singapore to reach the final of a continental competition, after they beat Australian side Sydney FC in a two-legged semi-final to reach the Asian Champions League Two final.

They will face Sharjah FC from the United Arab Emirates on May 18.

On top of winning the 2021 SPL title and the 2023 Singapore Cup, the Sailors have made a splash off the field too, signalling that in his capacity as FAS president, Li will be able to garner more resources for the national sports association.

In 2021, the club made waves with the signing of Brazilian midfielder Diego Lopes from Portuguese Primeira Liga side Rio Ave for €1.8 million (then S$2.89 million). It was the first time that a local club paid a multimillion-dollar transfer fee for a player.

Since then, other notable players such as South Korean Kim Shin-wook, former Belgian Under-21 international Maxime Lestienne and former Dutch international Bart Ramselaar have donned the Sailors’ colours.

Under Li’s leadership, the Sailors have also established a $10 million training centre – a 28,000 sq m facility along Mattar Road – in 2022 as part of a “commitment to revitalise local football”.

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