'Ideal candidate': FAS names ex-Lion City Sailors CEO Chew Chun-Liang as new general secretary

SINGAPORE: Former CEO of Singapore Premier League (SPL) club Lion City Sailors, Chew Chun-Liang, has been appointed as the new general secretary of the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS), after a two-month search to fill the top post.

Chew is currently serving notice as deputy chief of care systems integration at the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) and will start his role in November, FAS said in a statement on its website on Friday (Sep 13).

His predecessor, Yazeen Buhari, announced his resignation in July after six years at the helm and will step down on Sep 30. 

The Lions have international friendlies against Myanmar and Chinese Taipei scheduled in November, while the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championship takes place a month later.

Their packed schedule means Chew will have to get up to speed quickly, but given his experience, FAS expects him to "make a running start" in guiding Singapore's football governing body.

FAS president Bernard Tan said: "I am pleased to welcome Chun-Liang as the new general secretary.

“His proven leadership across diverse fields, including his distinguished service with the AIC and his time at Lion City Sailors positions him as the ideal candidate to lead FAS at this critical juncture."

Tan added: "Chun-Liang understands the challenges we have before us. Given his previous work in football, he knows the stakeholders and is familiar with the issues. We expect him to make a running start in guiding the FAS under his watch."

At the top of Chew's agenda will be working hand-in-hand with Lions head coach Tsutomu Ogura to improve the fortunes of the national team.

Singapore has been struggling on the international arena in recent years, having failed to make it past the group stage of the