FAS inks MOU with Johor FA, to organise more friendlies and youth football activities
Matches involving Singapore and Malaysian sides have often been tense affairs, drawing many fans from both sides of the Causeway.
Soon, these supporters can look forward to an annual football competition between Singapore and Johor selection teams, as well as friendlies involving both sides’ youth and senior outfits.
This was among the key objectives in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) inked between the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) and the Johor Football Association (JFA) at the Shangri-La Singapore hotel on Tuesday.
In a ceremony, which was witnessed by Minister for Culture, Community, and Youth Edwin Tong and Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, the two associations signed a three-year agreement aimed at “fostering closer ties and cooperation” in football development.
Tunku Ismail is on an official visit to Singapore, at the invitation of Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
Under the MOU, youth players from both sides will also be involved in exchange programmes, while training camps across the border for respective sides’ clubs are also in the works. There may also be commercial ventures that align with both parties’ objectives.
FAS acting president Bernard Tan, who signed the MOU with JFA president Ismail Karim, said it is important to ensure that “there is a mutually beneficial partnership to uplift football on both sides”.
He added: “Together with the JFA, we are fully committed to actively riding on the MOU to develop new programmes and we look forward to a fruitful and lasting partnership.”
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