SINGAPORE – After all the controversies, public spats, police raids and arrests that have dogged the lead-up to the first-ever Football Association of Singapore (FAS) elections in the last fortnight, the only thing that matters will be how the 44 affiliates will be casting their votes on Saturday morning (April 29) to decide whether it will be Team LKT or Team Game Changers who will be governing the national sports body for the next four years.

With the state of local football in bad shape and in need of an overhaul, the importance of choosing the right team has certainly not been lost on the affiliates, who will have to gather at the Sport Singapore (SportSG) Black Box auditorium at the Singapore Sports Hub to cast their votes.

Unfortunately, the elections have been overshadowed by the recent saga surrounding a S$500,000 donation that Tiong Bahru FC (TBFC) owner Bill Ng, who is spearheading Game Changers, made to the Asean Football Federation (AFF) via the FAS.

It eventually led to a police report being filed by SportSG into the suspected misuse of club funds at TBFC and an attempt by a senior club official — believed to be Ng — to obstruct the completion of audits of the S.League’s sit-out clubs.

This led to the police raiding the FAS headquarters as well as the clubhouses of TBFC, Hougang United and Woodlands Wellington, and carting away computer equipment and boxes of files and documents.

Ng, his wife Bonnie Wong, former FAS president Zainudin Nordin and FAS general-secretary Winston Lee were also called in for questioning. They were arrested, and are now out on police bail.

Despite overshadowing the elections run-up, the controversy has not stopped both teams from working the ground and courting the affiliates through regular dialogue sessions and meetings.

STRAW POLL

In a confidential straw poll conducted by TODAY, the votes of 18 affiliates remain unknown.

Eight were uncontactable while 10 were either undecided or declined to comment when asked who they were voting for.

Meanwhile, 14 affiliates said they would vote for Team LKT which is led by former FAS vice-president Lim Kia Tong while Ng’s Game Changers were endorsed by 12 affiliates.

On Friday night (April 28), both teams sounded their respective final rally call for votes.

Since the start of the elections, Lim has always said that his team is built on the principles of “Change, Inclusiveness and Integrity”.

And Bernard Tan, the team’s candidate for deputy president, spoke about integrity again on Friday night.

In a media statement, the former FAS vice-president said: “It is extremely important that the FAS leadership restores the respect and confidence of all stakeholders in the sport.

“This is not only crucial for the players, coaches, officials and administrators who work under the umbrella of the FAS and its clubs, but also those who support the sport with its funding - sponsors and grant providers - without which, the FAS activities would be severely affected.

“We ask for the voters to vote for a FAS whose leadership is one that stakeholders can trust completely to operate with transparency and integrity and retain the confidence of all.”

Tan also reiterated that the team will bring about a more consultative style of leadership to the FAS if elected.

“We…(will be) more inclusive in our approach and more consultative in decision making,” he said.

“We have shown in the FAS provisional council that core members of Team LKT are willing to listen and where possible, respond to the pain points of the clubs, and we will continue with this approach.”

Tan added that his team, which includes seven former FAS council members, has the advantage over the Game Changers in implementing their plans as they are familiar with how the FAS works.

“We have promised real change to bring football to a better place with the 10-point plan we have laid out in the manifesto,” Tan declared.

“Ideas and plans are at inception only worth the paper they are printed on. Team LKT’s key advantage is that it can hit the ground running (because) we know the organisation and we know the ecosystem.”

BUZZWORD

Change is also the buzzword for Ng’s team, whose slate of candidates have never sat on the FAS council before.

Ng had previously highlighted the current plight of Singapore football and vowed “to bring back the Kallang Roar” if he and his team were elected.

Game Changers have identified nine key areas of local football which need improving, and these points were once again highlighted by the team in a five-page long release sent to the affiliates and media on Friday night.

The team also called on the affiliates to vote for a radical change of leadership in local football.

“There is so much more which Singapore football deserves. Affiliates, like all of you, deserve so much more,” said the release.

“Do not agree to continue with status quo. Many of the candidates in Team LKT have had their opportunity to serve and do well for all of you, but they have failed you in so many ways over the years.

“For them to now state that they will do more for football is self-serving and a bit too late.

“There is so much we can do together for Singapore football. And like we have shared on multiple occasions over the last few months, there is so much more we want to do.

“But first, we need your trust, and we need your partnership, to help us carry out the revamp and rejuvenation of Singapore football.”

The landmark elections will see a total of 15 council seats up for grabs in the form of a nine-member slate and six individual seats.

A total of 44 FAS affiliates – comprising nine S.League teams, 23 NFL clubs, and 12 others – will be eligible to vote in the elections.

A minimum of two-thirds of the total votes is needed for teams contesting in a slate to win.

If no team manages to meet that mark in the first round of voting, a second round will be conducted where the team with a simple majority will win.

Independent candidates need only a simple majority to get voted in.