SINGAPORE — As independent candidates at the upcoming Football Association of Singapore (FAS) elections who are not aligned to either Team LKT or Team Game Changers, both Mr James Lim and Mr Sebastian Tan believe they will be best placed to provide checks and balances on the new FAS Council if they are voted in on Saturday.

That was one of the key messages that the pair were keen to impress upon the eligible affiliates during their press conference at The Arena yesterday, where they unveiled their plans for local football.

Mr Lim and Mr Tan, along with businessman Kumar Appavoo and Tanjong Pagar United chairman Edward Liu, are the only independent candidates at this election.

The remaining 10 individual candidates are either aligned to Team LKT or Game Changers, the two teams competing in the elections.

And Mr Tan, who is a deputy director with the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), was keen to emphasise the importance of having a member of the council who is not part of either slate.

“Currently, as you can see from recent events, there are clearly insufficient checks and balances in the FAS,” said Mr Tan referring to Tiong Bahru FC’s S$500,000 donation to the Asean Football Federation’s Football Management System via the FAS, which FAS Council members said they were completely in the dark over.

Mr Tan, who has 23 years of experience in law enforcement, added: “Given my background (as a law enforcement officer), I have zero tolerance for wrongdoing. I come with no baggage as well, so I’m not afraid to ask the hard questions if elected into the council. I’m not beholden to either of the two teams who are contesting, and I’ll make sure that whichever team wins the election will keep their promises.”

Mr Lim, who is a general manager of an education company and a diehard Woodlands Wellington fan, agreed. “If you allow the FAS to be dominated by one team, then you’ll have a council with only one voice. The affiliates need a voice, and we hope to be that voice for them,” he said.

However, both Mr Lim and Mr Tan also stressed that, if elected, they were open to working with the winning team, as long as their vision and plans benefit Singapore football.

Said Mr Tan: “From their manifestos, we can see that both sides have good ideas. If we perceive these ideas to be good for the interest of football, then of course we’ll give them our full support.”

One thing Mr Lim said he will push for, if elected, is better welfare and job security for local players and coaches.

“We want to see a FAS that is more focused on Singapore football, and one that will look after the players and coaches,” explained Mr Lim.

“We cannot have players playing on 11-month contracts and expect them to give their best when at the end of the season they’re out of a job. It’s not fair to them. I understand the clubs may not have the budget, so we will find ways to ensure they can be better supported. Ideally, all the S.League clubs should have a three-year budget so they can plan ahead.” NOAH TAN