Fraternity hope Sailors' Li can help FAS make waves

Optimism is rising within the local football fraternity with the arrival of Forrest Li as the new Football Association of Singapore president on April 28.

- David Lee

The Lion City Sailors chairman has charted considerable success for the Singapore Premier League (SPL) side and there are hopes that the billionaire can replicate the same outcome at the national level.

Albirex Niigata Singapore general manager Koh Mui Tee said the commitment of "rich and influential" people like Li to improving local football will inspire confidence.

He said: "Forrest is a resourceful man, so hopefully he and his new team can do more things for Singapore football. With Sea Limited, he runs a successful international business, so I don't think running Singapore football in a small country will be a big problem for him.

"The Sailors are doing things right by getting all the facilities and right human resources for their club, so I hope they can translate this to the national level."

Former Tanjong Pagar United player Sudhershen Hariram, who is now a lawyer, agreed, and felt that Li's corporate shrewdness, combined with his experience in running a successful SPL side, will stand him in good stead.

"Forrest has shown a willingness to get the best people involved while also giving them the space to do what they are good at.

"With the right people making the decisions and with his willingness to involve and rely on the right expertise to carry out the decisions, I think we have reasons to be optimistic for the future."

Under Li's leadership, the Sailors have been making waves since their introduction in 2020, as they won the SPL in the following year and the Singapore Cup in 2023.