Forrest Li urges more support for local football, confirms Lions’ $2m bonus came from his own pocket
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Football Association of Singapore president Forrest Li (left) and national men's head coach Gavin Lee at a press conference to announce Lee’s appointment on Nov 28.
ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
- FAS president Forrest Li urges more support for Singapore football, aiming for a "golden era" after a key coaching hire.
- Li personally funded the $2 million bonus for Asian Cup qualification and encourages corporations to contribute to FAS.
- Recent fan support and inquiries about contributing show promise, signalling a potential turning point for Singapore football.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – With the key decision of hiring the men’s national team head coach now out of the way, Football Association of Singapore president Forrest Li is charging ahead to ensure Singapore football continues to herald in a “golden era”.
But to do that, Li has urged more to come on board to be part of the journey and support the FAS in its mission to improve the state of local football.
At the press conference to officially announce Gavin Lee as the Lions coach at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Nov 28, Li, the founder of home-grown tech firm Sea Limited, said when asked whether the $2 million bonus the Lions received for Asian Cup qualification
“I hope this will not always be the case, because if Gavin keeps winning, you need to buy me McDonald’s,” he quipped, as the room broke into laughter.
But as he shifted to a more serious tone, Li said his financial assistance is a “first step”, adding that he hopes for more support.
Li, who was elected unopposed as FAS president in April, added: “When the national team does well, everybody is happy, and every family is happy. It’s really full of pride and joy.
“I think whoever cares about Singapore, cares about Singapore football, if you have resources, if (you are a) big corporation, I hope you can come in to contribute and I will make sure as president of FAS, every single dollar will be well spent.
“It would not be wasted. And we treat every single dollar seriously.
“If you do feel our national team is doing great, brings you happiness, builds pride, please find a way to contribute.”
(From left) Football Association of Singapore deputy president Desmond Ong, FAS president Forrest Li, national men’s coach Gavin Lee and general secretary Badri Ghent at the press conference to announce Lee’s appointment.
ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
Li said that recent signs – since the 2-1 victory over Hong Kong clinched the Lions a historic, first qualification on merit for the Asian Cup – have been encouraging.
“Right after our Hong Kong game, the FAS e-mail and hotline got a lot of inquiries,” said Li.
“We get a lot of e-mails saying ‘we want to contribute’... and ‘how can we contribute?’. That is what we hope and that is what we’re going to work on.”
Football Association of Singapore president Forrest Li (left) praised the Lions’ recent 2-1 victory over Hong Kong which resulted in a historic, first qualification on merit for the Asian Cup.
ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
Li in his opening address on Nov 28 also took the opportunity to express his delight at the recent swell of backing that the national team have received, as witnessed by the travelling support of around 2,000 away fans in Hong Kong and the more than 100 supporters who welcomed the team back at Changi Airport after Asian Cup qualification was secured.
Li said: “So this really gives us the hope. And I think this is just the beginning and we know when we are all together, we can achieve a lot more.
“Before the matchday (against Hong Kong), I visited the team and (told them)... if you can win the match, I promise you, this will be the beginning of a golden era for Singapore football.
“So I think now it’s up to us, right? And we still have a long way to go and now we have Gavin to join us to make that happen. And I do hope this gives us a great momentum, and there’s a lot of great days ahead of us.
“Let’s all hope for that.”
