‘Ideal candidate’: FAS names ex-Lion City Sailors CEO Chew Chun-Liang as new general secretary

DAUNTING IN-TRAY

At the top of Chew’s agenda will be working hand-in-hand with Lions head coach Tsutomu Ogura to improve the fortunes of the national team.

Singapore has been struggling on the international arena in recent years, having failed to make it past the group stage of the Southeast Asia Games since 2013.

At the last edition in 2023, they failed to win a single match, and were hammered 7-0 by fierce rivals Malaysia in their final group outing. It was Singapore’s heaviest defeat at the Games since the competition became an age-group affair in 2001.

Singapore also failed to win any of its four 2026 World Cup qualifiers – drawing 2-2 against China and losing twice against South Korea and once against Thailand as they finished bottom of their group.

But FAS noted several milestones during Chew’s tenure with the Sailors from 2020 to 2022 which may augur well for the Lions.

The SPL outfit won their first league title in 2021 and opened Singapore’s first integrated training football facility at Mattar Road a year later, with the state-of-the-art centre costing S$10 million (US$7.7 million).

Chew said his time at the Sailors had given him a “deeper understanding” of the local football fraternity, and that it was clear to him that football holds a “special place in the hearts of Singaporeans”.

Thanking Tan and FAS’ executive committee for entrusting him with the leadership reins, Chew added: “I’m confident that I will be able to contribute to steering the organisation in the direction that Bernard, the FAS council and Singaporeans want football to head towards.”

“I will be building atop a foundation that Yazeen helped lay, and I hope to continue the good work in a manner that will see Singapore football grow even more in the years ahead.”