SINGAPORE, Nov 9 — Football Association of Singapore (FAS) vice-president Lim Kia Tong has indicated that he is willing to run for presidency in the first-ever elections to be held, after a revised Constitution allowing that was passed on Monday night.

An unanimous vote was passed in an extraordinary general meeting at the Jalan Besar Stadium by the 38 FAS affiliates in attendance — out of a total of 46 — to pave the way for the next step in the process of calling for the elections, which must be concluded by May next year.

When contacted by TODAY yesterday regarding his intentions to run for the new presidency, Lim indicated that it is not an "appropriate” time to make an official announcement at this juncture.

However, the 64-year-old lawyer asserted that he is willing to go ahead with a candidacy in future, even if it means he will likely have to relinquish his current role as deputy chairman on the Fifa Disciplinary Committee (DC). 

He became the first Singaporean to assume a leadership role on committee of the world football governing body when he was elected to the role in May 2013.

Lim explained that these Fifa rules — put in place earlier this year to prevent potential conflict of interest — will not prevent him from standing for president. However, in the event that he is successfully elected as the new president, he can only stay on in the Fifa DC as a member.

"I can go ahead (to contest for FAS presidency), regardless of my position in Fifa or AFC (Asian Football Confederation),” said Lim, who has also been chairman of AFC’s DC since March 2011. 

"Even if I am currently in the DC now, I can still stand for any position in the (FAS elections).

"Now, the regulations are saying that if you hold the position of president or vice-president, you cannot continue to be the deputy chairman of the Fifa DC.

"So, if I choose to run and I win and ... (Fifa) adhere strictly to that position, I can continue in the DC (if elected as new FAS president) — but only as a member.”

But Lim, who became involved in FAS when he joined its DC in 1992 and has been vice-president since 2007, is willing to sacrifice his Fifa role if it serves the interests of local football. He had indicated in a press conference last month that he intends to focus more "attention” on grassroots football in the event he is a candidate.

"Whether I choose (to run) or not depends if a certain circle of people think that Singapore football needs me to continue,” he said. "(It is about) whether there’s a call of duty by Singapore football.

"The fact that I did (already) indicate there’s a chance I will step forward is because people have asked me to compete.”

If he is to run, there will be a need to put together a slate of nine people, the rest of whom will run for four deputy presidential and three council member positions. One of the candidates has to be a female.

Lim added that he has encountered difficulty in finding a suitable female candidate "who can contribute” despite many "prominent names”. 

He did not elaborate on who those were.

In any case, the process of piecing a slate has not been "easy” and his efforts have been hampered by his commitments to current roles, including being part of the taskforce that drafted the revised constitution.

For now, Lim is waiting to see whether his petition to be on the FAS provisional council will be approved by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community. 

This council will helm the association throughout the electoral period and is expected to be appointed by Nov 15, which is when the terms of the current council expire.

"If that scenario arises, my focus will be on the S.League and all that, because the season has just ended and ... we have to basically address issues like funding and all that,” he said. 

"Supposing I am not in the provisional council, then there is more time (for me) to think of the candidacy.” — TODAY