No shocking revelations in this piece but it is crafted from the perspective of twisting the knife in on how truly sad the FAS had become (and boldly addressing how things are not really what they seem in Singapore's squeeky clean image - that Titanic analogy is very apt):
https://www.fourfourtwo.com/sg/feat...ts-and-raids-wont-halt-farcical-fas-elections
Singapore’s ‘close one eye’ culture and an unquestioning deference to men of power and wealth left the game in a perilous state and will make it hard to clean up, argues Neil Humphreys
Consider this plot outline for an espionage thriller.
Established political leaders are accused of wielding too much influence, having been appointed internally by government figures.
They are, in effect, promising to overthrow themselves and replace themselves … with themselves
An independent body demands change to appease the masses so elections are slowly and grudgingly organised.
Most of the incumbents promise to revolutionise an organisation that has failed its objectives, choosing to ignore the comical irony that they were all part of the failed organisation.
They are, in effect, promising to overthrow themselves and replace themselves … with themselves.
Meanwhile, an independent candidate arrives on the scene, ringing a jackpot bell and promising to clean out the cronies and sycophants. He’s made his money and reputation independently.
He’s not part of the Establishment.
Only he is.
He has secretly ‘donated’ to various causes to remain in favour with the same political heavyweights he now seeks to topple.
But he quickly gains popularity, until undercover officers raid his premises, acting on the instructions of even higher political powers after receiving a tip-off alleging wrongdoing.
The timing is impeccable, coming just days before the election.
Almost immediately, political leaders, both past and present, disassociate themselves from the independent candidate, claiming no relationship with the guy, despite documented evidence to the contrary.
Every candidate now stands beneath a cloud of uncertainty and mistrust and yet, inexplicably, the elections go ahead because that’s how political intrigue works. That’s the making of an espionage thriller.
Only it isn’t.
It’s actually happening right now, here in Singapore, making a mockery of its global reputation for business trust and transparency by allowing a farcical election to go ahead.
Forty-four affiliates will come together at the end of the week to vote on the next council for the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), which is
arguably the most pointless exercise since the chief steward rearranged the deck chairs on the Titanic for a better view of the iceberg.
Whether it’s Lim Kia Tong’s Status Quo,
playing those familiar three chords over and over again in the hope that no one realises they’re essentially singing the same tune, or Bill Ng’s team of Jackpot Game Changers,
little will change.
As the old song goes, no matter who you vote for, the Government always gets in.
A revolution doomed before it begins
In this instance, no matter who wins the FAS elections,
it is those men of wealth and power that will prevail.
The feigned shock over Tiong Bahru’s total revenue of $36,736,775 from its jackpot machines is tough to swallow
Add those ingredients to a nationwide indifference to the local game and it’s hard to see how the kind of revolution required to rejuvenate the sport can even take place.
That ‘close one eye’ culture has persisted for as long as the game itself, allowing match fixers, loan sharks and jackpot machine operators to thrive for decades.
Authorities have made great strides in tackling match fixing, but the influence of jackpot machines remains an uncomfortable grey area.
As a rookie reporter almost 20 years ago, an early visit to an S.League club culminated with a trip to a jackpot room filled with retirees feeding the machines money they clearly couldn’t afford.
The official smiled and pointed out that the musty room propped up the club. Gambling addiction, particularly among retirees and the society’s most vulnerable, was keeping the S.League alive. It was common knowledge then, just as it is now.
So the feigned shock over Tiong Bahru’s total revenue of $36,736,775 from its jackpot machines in the last financial year is tough to swallow.
Tampines Rovers aside, most clubs rely on jackpot money, both in the S.League and the National Football League. Ng just happens to be exceptionally adept at maximising his jackpot revenues.
This is nothing new. An uneasy relationship between Singapore football and the country’s penchant for gambling has always existed and an FAS election will not change that, irrespective of who wins.
Similarly, the deference paid to men in authority allowed too many to remain in power for too long, despite a long list of failings and embarrassments.
The alleged row between FAS general secretary Winston Lee and former president Zainudin Nordin; the SEA Games spat between under-23 coach Aide Iskandar and national head coach Bernd Stange; the Suzuki Cup debacle; the S.League’s demise; the paucity of funds for NFL clubs and donations being made to foreign entities –
it’s a tawdry tale of failure, dissension and decline.
But where was the accountability? Where was the national outrage and demands for revolution?
If the elections do proceed, it’ll be a preposterous episode beyond the pages of an espionage thriller
Apart from the usual social media angst,
those in charge of the national sport were granted the kind of autonomy and latitude that would be unthinkable in most football nations.
That's why it's no surprise the whistleblower ended up coming from within.
Ng made an allegation against Lee concerning his $500,000 donation that quickly backfired.
Ng intended to open a can of worms. He just didn’t anticipate opening enough cans to fill a supermarket shelf.
Even now, it’s still proving difficult to get answers to the most obvious questions. Why didn’t the FAS Council know about the $500,000 donation? Why did Lim and Ng contradict themselves and each other? Why did Zainudin take so long to respond to the allegations? Why did anyone sign off on local football money leaving the country? And can the industry really feign such ignorance over the integral role of jackpot machines?
When one considers all of the above, how is it possible that the FAS elections are still going ahead?
Ng’s clubhouses were raided. The FAS office was also raided. Lim and some of his candidates are previous FAS members.
No charges have been laid and there’s every chance that the facts and figures add up in favour of both Ng and Lim.
But Ng is still involved in an ongoing investigation with the Commercial Affairs Department and Lim’s team surely need to wait for the outcome, as several were at the FAS when the $500,000 donation was made.
And yet, the interminable elections will rumble on nonetheless, a shameful indictment of an indifferent culture that continues to close one eye to those with a better bank balance or a more impressive name card.
If the elections do proceed, it’ll be a preposterous episode beyond the pages of an espionage thriller.
But this isn’t a work of fiction. This is Singapore football, what’s left of it.