Chitchat Hypocrite cheebye Home United breaches contract, but shifts blames to reside

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SINGAPORE: A contract breach could have been the real reason behind the Singapore Land Authority’s (SLA) controversial decision to suspend football activities on weekends and weekday nights at the Home United Youth Football Academy (HYFA).

Earlier reports had suggested that the suspension was due to a petition filed by five residents living at Aljunied Road, which flanks the two main football pitches used by the academy.

But Channel NewsAsia understands that Home United could have breached its lease contract, by using the two pitches for commercial purposes.

The original contract allows the club to conduct "youth-at-risk trainings" on its two 11-a-side fields and prohibits the setting up of lighting infrastructure and night activities. However, Home United (HUFC) had leased the pitch on weekends to local football academy JSSL Singapore, which constitutes a breach of its contract terms with SLA.

Still, the football activities have struck a nerve with residents living at the nearby residential estate. This includes Block 126 at Aljunied Road, which is less than a hundred metres away from HYFA.


Mr Oh Cher Ming, who lives in a unit overlooking HYFA, stressed that he was not against football or Home United.

“Football is a game of passion," he said. "Many of us, myself included, we enjoy sports. I play football as well. But what I cannot understand is why they are here in the first place. I don’t think there are similar football activities, such similar ones, in such close proximity to the residents.

“We have had great amount of noise, starting from very early until at night when the lights are off. It happens Monday to Friday, happens Saturday, Sunday, continues again on Monday."

Mr Oh and other affected residents had earlier reached out to both the football club and SLA. “The email responses were initially very promptly replied. They had sit-down sessions where there were some ideas thrown around. Some improvements were made in terms of the whistles being used. But these measures didn’t work out very well.”

But later efforts to reach a compromise with HUFC and SLA came to naught, according to Mr Oh.

“We emailed them on and on, the replies almost stopped fully, especially from SLA and from HYFA. The PA (People’s Association) and our MP continue to be very engaging,” he told Channel NewsAsia.

HYFA is in the MacPherson single-member constituency, whose Member of Parliament Tin Pei Ling has called for a compromise to be reached among the affected parties. “Perhaps a reasonable situation would be that there could be certain nights where the activities can end earlier, so that there can be some reprieve to the residents whose homes are right here,” she said.

But Ms Tin emphasised that residents were not against football or the activities of Home United.

“For those who are affected, they are not against sports. They have never been against HUFC operating in this community. What they have been asking for is reprieve. To have some nights where they can have earlier rest, because at the peak of the whole issue, every night there has been activities till late. Over time as it built up, it was very stressful for them.”





The suspension of HYFA's football activities on the pitches came after residents living in the nearby block of flats complained that the activities have been generating too much noise. (Photo: Calvin Hui)

ONLINE PETITION TO REVERSE SLA’S DECISION


The suspension has since stirred debate among the local football community, with an online petition calling on SLA to “revoke the bizarre decision to curtail the HYFA”. This petition has drawn close to 2,000 signatures as of Saturday evening (Jan 21).

Channel NewsAsia understands that discussions are ongoing between SLA and affected parties.

The Football Association of Singapore’s interim President Lim Kia Tong said the petition was in response to a possibly "negative impact" that SLA’s suspension has had on the football ecosystem in Singapore.

Mr Lim also said it’s important to develop a culture of football in Singapore, not unlike that in Australia and Europe, where young children play football in open spaces as a weekend activity. He called on SLA “to consider adopting a decision which will allow such culture to be developed”.

“As we all know many years in Singapore, many people are prohibited from playing football at the void deck, people are prevented from playing football from certain available grass patches," Mr Lim said. "Now we have here a legitimate football area, but the youth are not able to play football at the times specified by the SLA.”

Fellow S.League side Hougang United had thrown its support behind Home United by issuing a statement on its website, saying it “fully sympathises with HYFA and share their dismay”, and called for the “co-existence of peaceful residential living and provision of basic sporting structure”.

HYFA operates a number of other pitches of varying sizes, which have not been affected by the suspension of activities. When approached by Channel NewsAsia, the S League club declined to comment.

For Mr Oh, he is not optimistic that he and his fellow residents will see any reprieve soon. “It’s plain to see that our chances are not very good, and it’s putting a huge emotional strain on some of us who petitioned. Most likely it’s going to end up as a great victory for HYFA and an unfortunate circumstance for me and my children and rest of the families living here.”

- CNA/sk


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