Baihakki Khaizan quits Football Association of Singapore post
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Baihakki Khaizan (second from right), with current and former local footballers (from left) Zulfahmi Ariffin, Fazrul Nawaz and Khairul Amri, as he launched the FAS Players’ Concierge in 2023.
ST FILE PHOTO
Follow topic:
- Former Lion Baihakki Khaizan resigned from the Football Association of Singapore, marking the end of his first administrative role.
- Baihakki joined the FAS in 2022 after retiring, holding roles such as lead of special projects and head of planning.
- While his wife's social media post about their son's U-16 national team omission stirred debate, it is understood to not be a key factor behind Baihakki's departure.
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SINGAPORE – Former Lions stalwart Baihakki Khaizan has left the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) den, ending his first foray into football administration.
On Sept 16, the 41-year-old made the announcement on his Facebook and Instagram pages, writing: “With humility and respect, I officially announce my resignation from the Football Association of Singapore.
“I still remember my first days in office, asking myself where to begin. Drawing from my time on the pitch, I carried with me the principle to ‘play simple, but effective’.
“From that, I shaped a guiding belief for my work: “small idea, huge impact”.
He thanked his colleagues for their “trust, friendship, and teamwork”, adding that “everyone believed in these ideas and helped turn them into reality”.
While he did not respond to The Straits Times’ query on his next port of call, the former national defender added: “This may be the end of a chapter, but the mission to serve the game will always continue.”
Baihakki, who played his club football in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, has 140 caps and won three Asean Football Federation Championship titles with the Lions.
He was the hero in the 3-2 aggregate win over Thailand in the 2012 Suzuki Cup final, scoring what proved to be the winning goal to help Singapore win their fourth and last Asean crown.
He joined the FAS as its lead of special projects and ambassador straight after he hung up his boots in 2022.
His job scope included spearheading projects to further elevate football in Singapore through partnerships and collaborations with various stakeholders. He was also involved the initiatives for national football project Unleash The Roar.
In 2023, he was redesignated as head of planning at the FAS’ technical division office, and launched the FAS Players’ Concierge, which aims to address the financial, educational and career developmental needs and concerns of professional footballers in Singapore.
In August, his wife Norfasarie Mohd Yahya’s post went viral on social media, garnering contrasting views after she questioned the FAS’ decision to omit her son Mika, the eldest of the couple’s four children, from the national Under-16 team for forgoing an overseas training stint in Bahrain to prepare for his N-level exams.
However, ST understands that the episode was not a key factor behind Baihakki’s departure at a time when the FAS is also undergoing administrative changes, with Badri Ghent replacing Chew Chun-Liang, who resigned as FAS general secretary on Sept 1.
