SINGAPORE – The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) and Sport Singapore’s (SportSG) Safe Sport Commission will look into claims of sexual misconduct allegedly committed by a coach from a private football club.
The club, which has boys’ teams in the various age groups, play in the Singapore Youth League that is run by both organisations.
The Feb 24-Dec 1 league comprises six age-group categories – Under-eight, Under-10, Under-12, Under-13, Under-15, and Under-17 – with more than 200 teams from 52 clubs and academies.
The claims were revealed by online publication The Monitor SG (TMSG) on June 18. Its report said that the coach had allegedly shared a photo of his private parts on Instagram story, which was visible to only a few of his players.
Three other individuals, believed to be current or former players from the same club, also contacted TMSG about the coach’s misconduct, which allegedly included lewd and suggestive text messages.
In a joint statement to The Sunday Times on June 22, the FAS and national sports agency SportSG said they are aware of the matter.
Both parties added: “We take a serious view of any misconduct that threatens the core values of sport and undermines the mental and physical health of participants.
“The FAS is working closely with SportSG’s Safe Sport Commission to look into this matter expediently. The Safe Sport Commission will assess if a potential breach of the Safe Sport Unified Code has occurred and following that, commence formal investigations where appropriate.”
To clamp down on harassment and misconduct against athletes, the Safe Sport Commission was set in 2019 in partnership with the Ministry of Social and Family Development, the Singapore Police Force and Ministry of Education.
After nine months of consultation with over 200 experts, athletes, parents and stakeholders, the commission launched the Safe Sport Unified Code in 2021 to provide the sporting community clear guidelines on what constitutes inappropriate behaviour.
The code includes standards of sexual, psychological and physical misconduct, as well as other inappropriate acts such as grooming.
The Safe Sport programme prescribes sanctions in the form of limitations, conditions, suspensions or denial of participation as a consequence for engaging in such misconduct.
These issues have been in the spotlight following several prominent cases of sexual misconduct in other countries.
Singapore has also had several cases, including one in 2018 when a football coach was sentenced to 26 years’ jail and 24 strokes of the cane for sexually assaulting seven boys aged between eight and 11.
In 2022, a coach at a private football academy in Singapore was sacked after allegedly sending a lewd photograph over Whatsapp to two female teenage players under his charge.
The FAS and SportSG said they are “committed to protecting participants in the sporting environment from any form of abuse and harassment that undermines the well-being of individuals and the integrity of sport”.
They urged athletes and players to report any suspected abuse and/or misconduct at sporting activities via www.safesport.sg/case-management/reporting