Football Association of Singapore president Lim Kia Tong dies aged 70

SINGAPORE — Football Association of Singapore (FAS) president Lim Kia Tong died on Wednesday (14 September), reportedly of a sudden heart attack. He was 70.

A lawyer with more than 40 years of practice who headed the criminal department at Hin Tat Augustine and Partners, Lim became FAS' first elected president in 2017, when his Team LKT beat Bill Ng's Team Game Changers. He was re-elected unopposed four years later.

Lim was a highly respected figure in the footballing community for his role as deputy chairman of the FIFA disciplinary committee, and as chairman of the Asian Football Confederation disciplinary committee.

He was appointed as an FAS council member in 1999 and became a vice-president in 2007.

Lim is survived by his wife and two children - a 31-year-old daughter and a 30-year-old son.

FAS said in a Facebook post that it is "devastated" to receive news of Lim's sudden passing.

"(Lim) was a dedicated servant of the sport he loved.... On behalf of the FAS Council, secretariat, and the wider football fraternity, we send our deepest condolences to the family of the late Mr Lim during their time of grief," it said in the post.

From Thursday, the FAS will be setting up a tribute space in its office lobby at Jalan Besar Stadium for those who would like to pay their respects.

The Singapore Premier League (SPL) announced that the draw for the 2022 Singapore Cup - originally planned for Wednesday - would be postponed until further notice.

This week's round of SPL matches have also been postponed to 21 and 22 October.

FAS deputy president Bernard Tan will likely to be the interim president until next year's Congress, when a new leader will be elected for the remaining period of office.

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