Former national footballer K Kannan received a letter from the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) reminding him that he was not to partake in any football-related activities due to his lifetime ban, and now he has made an appeal to have it lifted, said former journalist and ex-chairman of Singapore People’s Party (SPP) Jose Raymond on Tuesday (22 Aug).
Kannan was sentenced to prison in 1995 after he was convicted of conspiring with two other men to offer $80,000 to then-national goalkeeper David Lee to concede a goal in a Malaysia Cup match.
He was also convicted on a charge of receiving $5,000 as a reward for arranging the bribe. Kannan has since been banned for life from all football activities.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Mr Raymond noted that a close friend had told him that Kannan received a letter from FAS after he was spotted playing social football with his friends a few months back.
The letter, signed by FAS president Lim Kia Tong, was issued to remind him that he was not to partake in any football-related activities either directly or indirectly.
It stated that Kannan was “permanently suspended from taking part in football management or membership or the activities of the Association” on 18 April 1995 following his conviction, adding that the former footballer is aware the ban extends to “all football-related activities”.
“I thought this was preposterous as an individual should be allowed to play with his friends, as a means to keep fit, and age gracefully, especially if it doesn’t involve any football activities directly organised by the FAS, or a sanctioned event,” said Mr Raymond.
Following the issuance of letter, Mr Raymond decided to meet Kannan with the help of a close friend and subsequently introduced him to lawyers from Eugene Thuraisingam LLP.
He noted they have submitted an appeal to have Kannan’s lifetime ban lifted last week.
“We are fighting for Kannan, who turns 60 in January 2022, to have his ban lifted so he can move on with his life, and does not need to go to the grave with this life ban on his back,” he said
Mr Raymond noted that “Kannan has no intention to play, or manage or coach any professional football teams”.
“His days are over and has served his time, and has stayed on the straight and narrow after his conviction in 1995, and ensured that he did whatever he could do to put food on the table for his family, even till today,” he added.
Mr Raymond further noted that the former footballer has been on the list of banned players for 26 years since 1995, pointing out that Kannan should be allowed to move on with his life by now.
“No one should be punished for the rest of their lives, especially after doing the time for their crimes. Everyone deserves second chances, and an opportunity to live and die with dignity,” he remarked.
Netizens say lifetime ban is “ridiculous” and “stupid”
Upon reading Mr Raymond’s post, netizens were quick to voice their opinions under the comment section of the post, calling the lifetime ban “ridiculous”, “stupid” and “unreasonable”. They added that Kannan should be allowed to play football casually or for fitness sake without having FAS breathing down his neck.
Two-time SEA Games marathon winner Soh Rui Yong slammed FAS, stating that the ban should be limited to only FAS organised activities. He added that ban is “stupid” and the Government should not practice “these archaic laws”.
He also noted that FAS should not waste its time going after a 60-year-old man playing casual football, and it should instead focus on spending more time and resources in improving the national football team.
Agreeing with Mr Soh, other netizens have called FAS to lift Kannan’s lifetime ban given that he has already paid his dues. They said he should be allowed to move on and lead a normal life. They added that everyone makes mistake and Kannan should be permitted to play football casually as he has served his punishment.
“I hope they (FAS) exercise common sense and lift this ban on K Kannan so he can continue playing the sport that he loves,” said an user.
Some even thanked Mr Raymond for highlighting this matter and assembling a legal team to help Kannan.
One user, who claims to be Kannan’s classmate in high school, said that even criminals are given a chance in life after completing their due, adding that he don’t understand why this can’t be done for a crime in football.
“Everyone makes mistake in life even those who are holding it against him. Give the man a chance. I believe there are many out there who will support this motion,” he said.
Separately, another user pointed out that the current FAS team is a “bunch of poor sighted, useless group of people who are only motivated for their own gain and like to play football politics”.
He added that there are many good soccer talents in Singapore that are going unnoticed because FAS is busy going after retired soccer stars, adding that FAS is not going down to the ground to see what can be done to get Singapore back on track.
