SportSG lodges police report over suspected misuse of funds at Bill Ng's Tiong Bahru FC
Sport Singapore (SportSG) has lodged a police report over suspected misuse of funds at National Football League (NFL) club Tiong Bahru FC as well as a purported attempt by a senior club official to obstruct the completion of audits of S.League's sit-out clubs.
The national sports agency revealed this in a press statement released at 4.48pm today.
In the statement, SportSG said it had lodged a police report at about 7.50pm on Wednesday night over suspected misuse of Tiong Bahru Football Club's funds, as well as a purported attempt by a senior officer at a Football Club to instigate another club to delay or obstruct the completion of audits until after the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) Elections on April 29.
Tiong Bahru FC are helmed by chairman Bill Ng, who is one of two presidential candidates for next week's FAS election.
Ng leads the Game Changers and is up against former FAS vice-president Lim Kia Tong, who is leading Team LKT.
The election is scheduled to be held at the Singapore Sports Hub next Saturday.
SportSG added that on April 3, it had received a letter from a named individual, who had made the allegations.
The identity of the individual was also not revealed.
After news emerged last week that Tiong Bahru FC had donated $500,000 to regional football body the Asean Football Federation - through FAS - SportSG made several checks which it said "raised some serious questions about the use of funds".
It filed the police report after seeking legal advice.
The full SportSG statement is as follows:
"On 3 April 2017, SportSG received a letter from a named individual alleging that a senior officer of a Football Club had instigated another Club to delay and/or obstruct the completion of audits until after the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) Elections, scheduled to be held on 29 April 2017, with false reasons.
"The said audits had been initiated in mid-2016 by the FAS in response to queries by SportSG.
"Following the media reports that Tiong Bahru Football Club had donated $500,000 to the Asean Football Federation through the FAS, SportSG looked into the matter, and received further information on 18 April 2017.
"On the same day, SportSG also made further checks, which raised other serious questions about the use of Club funds.
"Based on legal advice, SportSG decided to file a police report on 19 April 2017 at about 7:50pm, in respect of suspected misuse of Tiong Bahru Football Club's funds and a purported attempt by a senior officer of the Club to delay and/or obstruct the completion of audits into the S.League sit-out clubs."
"SportSG will also request to meet the FAS' Ad-hoc Electoral Committee to clarify the way ahead for the upcoming elections."
More in The New Paper tomorrow (April 21).
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now