SINGAPORE - Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) Grace Fu has called on the football fraternity to unite following the end of the Football Association of Singapore's first-ever election on Saturday (April 29).

The polls saw Team LKT, led by lawyer and former FAS vice-president Lim Kia Tong, sweep all 15 council positions at stake.

But the build-up to the affair was a bitter one, marked by claim and counter claim and mud-slinging, and it was not lost on Ms Fu, who said: "The fraternity should put aside its differences and unite to work together for the future of football in Singapore."

She also urged the new leadership to "engage its stakeholders, and rebuild trust and confidence with the stakeholders and the public".

She noted that the new council had a full in tray to deal with, adding: "There are pressing issues for the FAS leadership team to address, including the development of local football and the future of the S-League."

And she also called on the FAS' new leaders to fix several governance issues that had come to light during the election campaign.

"It is critical that the new FAS leadership prioritise the review of its internal governance structures and processes, to implement a more robust system going forward."