FAS sorry for mistake
PUBLISHED ONJuly 23, 2015 4:00 PMByAli Kasim
The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) issued an apology last night, after a serious mistake in its effort to pay tribute to one of Singapore's greatest football players, Quah Kim Swee.
Kim Swee, one of the legendary Quah siblings who starred for the national football team, passed away last Saturday at the age of 76 after a long battle with illness.
As part of a tribute, there was a one-minute silence observed before the S.League match between the Courts Young Lions and Hougang United at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Monday night.
A photo of Kim Swee was supposed to be displayed on the electronic scoreboard during the tribute.
Instead, a picture of his brother, Kim Lye, was mistakenly put up, much to the confusion of some among the 500 fans in attendance.
It is believed that an FAS staff had unwittingly chosen the wrong photo.
When contacted, S.League CEO Lim Chin apologised for the error.
"It was a very bad mistake and we regret it very much," Lim said.
"I want to apologise on behalf of the S.League to the Quah family, and to all whom we have disappointed.
"We also wish to express our deepest condolences to Kim Swee's family and loved ones."
Photo
The photo of 72-year-old Kim Lye - the sixth of 11 Quah siblings who represented Singapore in sports from the 1950s through to the 1980s - was of him holding aloft the Malaysian Chinese Football Association Cup trophy in 1977.
Striker Kim Swee, who was part of the Singapore team from the late 1950s to the early 1970s, was regarded as one of the continent's best players at his peak, scoring goals for fun as he struck terror into opposing defences.
He was part of the Singapore team that finished fourth at the 1966 Asian Games.
He received professional offers from England and, with Majid Ariff (1960, 61), is the only Singaporean to make Asian All Stars team, in 1967.
A Mass will be held at St Joseph's Church today at 2.30pm and the cortege will leave for Mandai Crematorium at 4.15pm.
This article was first published on July 22, 2015.
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