Li's arrival is football's chance to emerge from doldrums

As he nurses one "baby" — tech conglomerate Sea Limited — to full health, Singaporean billionaire Forrest Li has decided to adopt another one as he was sworn in as the new Football Association of Singapore (FAS) president on April 28.

- David Lee

Like actual parenthood, the 47-year-old will have his hands full as he looks to get Singapore football back on the right track after this "prodigal child" went wayward in recent years.

Once in the world's top 100, the four-time Asean champions are now a lowly world No. 161 and sixth in South-east Asia.

Li will know there is no silver bullet to make Singapore instant football powerhouses — in Asean, Asia and then the world.

After all, he was in a similar situation with his first "baby" when Sea's share price plunged for two years before he steered it back to self-sufficiency and profitability in 2023.

At the heart of the recovery is getting the hiring and firing right, and unyielding commitment.

Just as a child needs good teachers, coaches, mentors and caretakers to look after his educational, sporting and developmental needs, Li will need a capable secretariat to run the men, women's and youth teams, competitions, marketing and communications departments at a high level.

This of course requires paying the right price for the relevant talent.

However, for far too long, the FAS has had the highest expenditure among all the national sports associations — it spent $30.5 million from April 2023 to March 2024 — but still finds itself strapped with just too many aspects to support and develop.