A controversial donation to the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) will be investigated when the new Football Association of Singapore (FAS) leadership is in place by the end of the month.
Last week, it was revealed that the AFF received S$500,000 from Singapore for its Football Management System (FMS) project in 2014 and 2015.
The amount was reportedly part of a S$850,000 donation to FAS from Hougang United and Tiong Bahru FC chairman Bill Ng, who leads one of the teams contesting the FAS election on April 29.
SportSG, the national governing body, has asked for more details.
"Much has been reported about the management of large donations to or through the FAS, and the source and management of these funds," SportSG said in a statement reported in The New Paper.
"As the sports sector charity administrator, SportSG will require the new council to provide a complete and satisfactory report on the management of these matters."
Ng's team for the election is called Game Changers. The other camp in the running is Team LKT, led by ex-FAS vice-president Lim Kia Tong.
Lim revealed that the S$500,000 donation was never discussed during his time with FAS, and asked the national body to be transparent about the matter.
"This is a very serious statement, calling into question the financial integrity of the FAS and raises questions about the nature of the transaction," he told Today. "The allegation raised cannot be left without a full and proper account of the facts."
But FAS explained that the donation to AFF wasn't from them, but from Tiong Bahru FC.
"The FAS did not support the FMS financially," its spokesman told Today. "This was a donation from Tiong Bahru FC to AFF, not FAS... it was never raised in any council meetings.
"The FAS acceded to the request of Tiong Bahru to help facilitate the donation to AFF and this was the extent of FAS' involvement.
"It is clear that the amount of S$500,000 was never meant to be donated to the FAS or any Singapore footballing activity. This was not a case of FAS accepting a donation and thereafter channelling the amount to AFF instead of using it for local football."
Grassroots leaders were upset by the news of the generous cash injection to AFF, given the ongoing financial struggles of local football in Singapore.