FAS calls for Nov 7 EOGM, some affiliates unhappy
But some affiliates unhappy, claim football body has not consulted members over proposed constitutional amendments
The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) may have called off the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Sept 24 without addressing the issue of constitutional amendments.
But most of its affiliates left the Jalan Besar Stadium smiling that day, after a "constructive dialogue" with Fifa and Asian Football Confederation officials on the matter.
Those smiles have now disappeared.
The FAS postponed the voting on the constitutional amendments then because they said "more time was needed for consultation" with the affiliates.
But The New Paper has learnt that the FAS has called for an Extraordinary General Meeting (EOGM) on Nov 7, without any further consultation with the affiliates.
Notice for the EOGM was sent late on Saturday night and it has only one point on the agenda - the adoption of the new FAS constitution - ahead of the election of the new president and council.
Alfred Dodwell, whose team proposed 40 changes to FAS' new constitution last month, was livid.
"After the AGM, we expected them to call us in for a discussion, considering that we were the ones who tabled the most amendments to their proposed constitution," said the lawyer, who is a representative of Island Wide League (IWL) side Gymkhana FC.
NO DISCUSSION
"There was no discussion... Not a sniff; not a call to ask us to come down for a discussion.
"This is unbelievable - they're going about it in exactly the same way as they did the first time."
Similar sentiments were echoed by Alim Omar, manager of National Football League (NFL) side Siglap FC.
"It is unbelievable what they are doing. They said that they took the voting for the constitution off the AGM agenda because they needed to consult the members, but now without any consultation they are calling for the EOGM," he told TNP.
"To my understanding, there has been no consultation. It is a very strange move by the FAS."
The FAS has 46 affiliates: nine are S.League sides, including those that are sitting out of the competition, 10 NFL clubs, 14 IWL clubs and 13 others - including five clubs from the Women's Premier League.
TNP had earlier asked the FAS exactly how they proposed to conduct consultation with their affiliates, and while it did not answer the questions directly, vice-president Lim Kia Tong said in a statement dated Sept 28: "The taskforce will use this additional time to further canvass the views of our members, and our members will likewise use this time to study the proposed amendments further and share more of their feedback.
AMENDMENTS
"Thereafter, we will call an EOGM to consider any amendments, and then vote on the draft amendment."
FAS affiliates will now have until Friday to propose any amendments to the new constitution making clear what changes are being proposed and why.
Said Dodwell: "We were waiting for the FAS to engage us, and now we have another short deadline to meet if we are to propose changes.
"It seems that they are trying to make it cumbersome for us.
"Also, I have asked FAS for the electoral code and the code of financial regulations, and there has been no word from them."
There was no discussion... This is unbelievable — they’re going about it in exactly the same way as they did the first time.
— Island Wide League (IWL) side Gymkhana FC’s representative Alfred Dodwell on FAS’ upcoming Extraordinary General Meeting
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