Press Releases ● Aug 30, 2019
FAS MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT – WARRIORS FC
SINGAPORE, 30 AUGUST 2019 – The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) wishes to announce that it had directed Warriors FC (WRFC) yesterday (29 August 2019), to remove the club’s General Manager and Honorary Secretary, Paul Poh Por Chuan from both his appointments with immediate effect.
This direction arises from the FAS’s discovery of serious and repeated lapses which WRFC have failed to take steps to rectify, and also having regard to the best interests of the players and staff at WRFC.
Since January 2019, WRFC have been unable to pay staff and players’ monthly Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions. There is an obligation in law to do so, and this failure is presently being looked into. FAS first learnt, in March 2019, that CPF payments had not been made. The FAS decided to retain monies from the subsidies granted to WRFC and to make the CPF payments directly. This is to ensure that the required CPF contributions to players and staff could be made.
In addition, the FAS has also undertaken the payment of the salaries of the club’s Centre of Excellence (COE) staff since June 2019.
It has now come to FAS’s attention that there are serious discrepancies in the claims which had been made by WRFC for subsidies for fitness coaches’ salaries. This gives rise to concerns over whether claims made by WRFC can be properly verified in the first place. This is compounded by the fact that WRFC have repeatedly failed to submit its Monthly Management Accounts to FAS. To-date, WRFC have not submitted any monthly management accounts since April 2019. WRFC have also failed to submit its 2018 Audited Financial Statements/Report.
Given the totality of the above matters, and from the findings of our preliminary investigations, the FAS is of the view that the Paul Poh should vacate his positions with immediate effect.
The FAS will be assisting WRFC in the interim, including the possibility of seconding an FAS staff to manage the club administration till the end of the ongoing season, while the club, in consultation with the FAS, searches for a permanent replacement for the position of a General Manager of WRFC.
To ensure that the WRFC players are able to keep to their training regiment, the FAS will continue to further assist with the club’s field bookings so that the club is able to focus on preparing for their games in the Singapore Premier League (SPL).
We look forward to a smooth transition phase so as to allow the club and its players to fully concentrate on the remaining matches of the 2019 SPL season.
Following this statement, the FAS will not be making any further comments until such a time when it is deemed appropriate to do so.
