Delay in changes to FAS constitution
FAS president Zainudin Nordin (left) and vice-president Bernard Tan at the press conference after the association’s AGM. (Photo: Safhras Khan / Yahoo Newsroom)
The planned changes to the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) constitution have been delayed.
FAS president Zainudin Nordin revealed this towards the end of the association’s annual general meeting (AGM) on Saturday (24 September), which was when the highly anticipated amendments were expected to be revealed.
He said that while the initial proposal was approved by FIFA and disseminated to affiliated local clubs, the implementation of the changes was delayed due to requests from clubs to study the proposals and provide feedback.
“Feedback is important and there is a need for the clubs to discuss (the proposal first)… it was only decided on Friday (23 September) that we would not be seeking an approval for the changes today,” said Zainudin at a press conference after the AGM.
Three-step process
According to Zainudin, who was accompanied by FAS vice-president Bernard Tan at the press conference, there are three phases to getting the changes approved.
First, they needed to consult FIFA to get the approval of the football world’s governing body. Second, they will then need to consult the FAS council members to obtain their feedback on the proposed changes.
The third phase involves putting the matter to a vote at the AGM.
Zainudin said that clubs were still giving their feedback and had asked for more time to study the proposals before casting their votes.
“Not one or two members asked for an extension. It was more than that and that is why we decided to postpone it,” added Tan. He said that there were many opinions and that it was a difficult decision to make.
According to Tan, the members’ concerns were spread across a variety of issues.
The pair also emphasised that it is only good for local football that there are people who want to give their opinions on how to improve the local scene.
Status quo for now
They added that, for now, the current council will ask for an extension on its term and that the old constitution will continue.
Zainudin said that, under the current constitution, the association will need to get the approval from the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) for an extension to be granted. If the ministry is unable to do so, FIFA’s approval will have to be sought.
For now, the association will focus on collating feedback from its members and consider them before submitting it to FIFA. Admitting that this could be a long process, Tan said that a cut-off time will be set for the submission.
The pair also gave reassurances that things would continue as per normal in the local football scene.
“The key thing is to do good for Singapore football,” said Tan, who was unable to give an exact date for when the changes would be implemented.
