He Wants Unity For Fraternity

Balestier's Darwin promises long-term fix as he takes on Li in battle to be FAS president

- Deepanraj Ganesan

There is set to be a tussle for the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) leadership after Balestier Khalsa vice-chairman Darwin Jalil submitted forms to contest in the elections just hours before the deadline on March 31.

Pending the FAS electoral committee's checks on candidates' eligibility, Darwin's nine-member slate will take on the team headed by tech billionaire and Lion City Sailors chairman Forrest Li.

The deadline for nomination of candidates to the FAS general secretariat was 6pm on March 31, while the announcement of qualified candidates for the elections will be made on April 18, 10 days before the extraordinary congress to choose the office-bearers for the 2025-29 term.

Li, 47, founder of home-grown tech firm Sea Limited, threw his hat into the ring for the post on March 17, when nominations opened, while incumbent president Bernard Tan announced that he will not be seeking re-election for a second term on March 29.

The FAS elections will see teams put forward a slate of nine candidates - president, deputy president, four vice-presidents and three council members - with six other council-member positions to be contested on an individual basis.