SINGAPORE: Billionaire tech entrepreneur and Lion City Sailors owner Forrest Li is set to become the president of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS).

Li's slate was the only one that qualified for the upcoming FAS council election on Apr 28, the association announced on Friday (Apr 18), meaning he will succeed Bernard Tan as its chief.

The team also includes Tampines Rovers chairman Desmond Ong, Hougang United chairman Bill Ng, Sailors general manager Tan Li Yu, Burnley FC chief of staff Sean Bai and national team captain Hariss Harun.

In a statement, Mr Li said that he wants to revitalise Singapore football during his tenure as FAS president.

"Football is more than just a sport. It is a powerful force for uplifting and unifying communities," he said.

"A hard-fought win, an incredible goal: these are common memories that communities can cherish, feel pride in and talk about for years, even decades.

"As council president, my mission will be to bring that joy and pride back to Singapore football."

The 47-year-old said that he would be joined in his quest by a strong team that has "deep experience in the local football scene".

"Our focus will be uniting all footballing stakeholders, so we can work together to improve the entire ecosystem, and drive real, meaningful change for the future of Singapore football," he said.

The election, which will take place during an extraordinary congress, involves slate-basis and individual-basis votes.

In the slate-basis vote, a team comprising nine candidates will be elected en bloc, with its leader appointed as FAS president.

Of the other eight members of the team, one will serve as deputy president, four as vice-presidents and three as council members.

An additional six council members will also be proposed and elected individually on Apr 28.

Ong is set to be elected as Li's deputy, with Ng, Tan, Bai and Hariss serving as vice-presidents.

The other three members of Li's team – Sailors executive director Bruce Liang, St Joseph's Institution International chairman Roy Quek and Tasek Academy and Social Services lead manager Arivan Shanmugaratnam – will serve as council members.

On Friday, FAS also announced that seven candidates will stand in the individual-basis vote, including former national footballers Aide Iskandar and Aleksandar Duric.

The other candidates are: Andy Tan, Dinesh Nair, James Lim, Syed Faris and Yeong Sheau Shyan.

Yeong – the Sailors' head of women's football and a former women's national team player – will be the only woman standing for election, and she is set to be elected as FAS requirements call for its council to include at least one woman. 

Those elected will serve a four-year term from 2025 to 2029.

Li, the billionaire founder of tech giant Sea, announced his intention to run for the FAS presidency last month.

CNA previously reported that he would run unopposed after a candidate in former Balestier Khalsa vice-chairman Darwin Jalil's team was deemed ineligible to participate. This disqualified Mr Jalil’s slate from the election. 

CNA has contacted FAS to ask why the candidate from Mr Jalil's team was deemed ineligible.