Chew Chun-Liang, Former Sailors boss, appointed as new FAS general secretary

Chew will be making a comeback to the sport in November, rejoining the Singapore Premier League (SPL) club less than two years after he left to take on the role of deputy chief at the Silver Generation Office.

The Straits Times understands that terms have been agreed and the FAS is expected to make an announcement of his appointment in due course. When contacted, the 48-year-old declined comment out of respect for his current employer.

The search for a new general secretary started before incumbent Yazeen Buhari announced on July 5 that he would be stepping down on Sept 30 to join his family in Malaysia. The veteran sports administrator, who has been in the position for more than six years, had already indicated his intentions to the FAS earlier.

The FAS general secretary is responsible for day-to-day operations, implementation of strategies and policies, and the hiring of department heads, while its executive council appoints the technical director, national team head coach and general secretary.

Sources told ST that candidates within and outside the sports fraternity were considered before Chew’s appointment. They include Lenard Pattiselanno, a director at the National Volunteer And Philanthropy Centre, and Sport Singapore’s former director of national sports association partnership and business partnership.

Chew was appointed Sailors CEO in December 2020, the year they became Singapore’s first privatised football club. They won their first, and to date only, SPL title in 2021, and a year later opened a $10 million training centre in Mattar Road.

He left the club in December 2022 to return to the Silver Generation Office, where he previously had a two-year stint as its director of operation. Before that, he spent 22 years with the Republic of Singapore Navy, where he held the rank of colonel and was commander of the Naval Military Expert Institute from 2015 to 2018.

On his LinkedIn page, he describes himself as a highly adaptable individual, a people person, and someone who “strongly believes in showing gratitude and paying back to the society through serving in the community we live in” and “whose principle is to see everyone in his team succeed”.

Among his listed key achievements were operationalising new capabilities in the military, rolling out nation-wide healthcare outreach operations for seniors and “establishing new frontiers with the Sailors”.

Those who have worked with Chew have given mostly positive feedback about him.

After he left the SPL club, Sailors chairman Forrest Li said he was sad to lose Chew, whom he had “developed a great working relationship with”.

Sailors captain Hariss Harun also said: “It was his openness and warmth that struck me... and that never changed whether the team was on a high or going through a bad patch.

“He would sometimes send encouraging messages to us players that would go along with a warm handshake when we see each other in person – these little things make a difference. We really appreciate all that he’s done for the team.”

When told of the latest development, Tampines Rovers chairman Desmond Ong said: “I found Chun-Liang very professional and highly competent when he was at the Sailors. He has big shoes to fill and we hope to be able to support him.”

However, a local sports official who did not want to be named, noted that Chew is taking on a huge responsibility. He said: “I hope Chun-Liang does not underestimate the magnitude of the work required. This is not running a football club where he listens to only the owner or chairman.

“I hope he can instil a champion’s mindset by rebuilding the secretariat and changing the culture within the association to make people believe in Singapore football again.”