SINGAPORE — It is a once in a lifetime opportunity that young footballers can only dream of, and Mr Harvey Davis is not about to let the chance to play for English Premier League club Fulham FC slip by for his 17-year-old son Ben.
While he remains hopeful that Ben will be able to defer his National Service (NS) pending an appeal, he told TODAY that the family is prepared to allow him to to renounce his Singaporean citizenship in order to fulfil his footballing dreams.
Should Ben give up his citizenship, he would be eligible to play for England or Thailand according to Fifa’s rules, as Mr Davis is originally from the United Kingdom and his mother is Thai.
“I’m still hopeful that with the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) support for the appeal, and with the sentiment that the public are expressing, that will help,” said Mr Davis, who runs the JSSL Arsenal Soccer School here, on Monday (July 16).
“At the end of the day, as a parent, I have to do what is best for my son. It’s (giving up Singaporean citizenship) not something we want to consider.
“If we have no choice, and we find ourselves in that situation, I don’t think it’s a choice we will make lightly.. .either that or we have to ask our son to give up his dream.”
Ben’s case has been a hotly discussed issue among Singaporeans since it was reported last week, and an online petition to Mindef supporting his NS deferment has since drawn more than 6,200 signatures as of Monday afternoon.
More at https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/ben-davis-wont-give-fulham-dream-may-give-sporean-citizenship-if-ns-deferment-appeal
Would not commit to a date= not serious about returning to fulfill NS obligations?
That is a nasty extrapolation as far as interpreting the boy's intent goes. He still needs quite a while to sort out the necessary paperwork and details with Fulham FC before he can give an answer in the affirmative hello???!!!!!!!
Sigh......RIP to the football dreams of Ben Davis.
Wow MINDEF accuses Ben Davis of having no intention to return to SG to serve NS, do you believe these accusations?
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/ben-davis-has-no-intention-to-fulfil-ns-duties-mindef-10541112
How Foreigners Reacted To The Ben Davis Deferment Saga
Foreigners Weighed In On The Ben Davis Saga After BBC’s Coverage Of It
What a week it has been for local football.
A 17-year-old football prodigy got his NS deferment request rejected by the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), sparking a massive debate online on the effect of deferments on Singapore’s sporting scene.
The prodigy in question, Ben Davis, was signed to Fulham Football Club.
A long back and forth ensued between father and ministry, with everyone weighing in on who was right and wrong. Even Olympic golden boy Joseph Schooling had something to say, telling Davis to “follow his dreams”.
So much drama that even foreign news outlets like the BBC have started to cover this entire saga. Foreigners responded in droves to the British news site’s article — we summarise their points after the jump.
Most agreed with MINDEF
An overwhelming majority of commentors supported MINDEF’s decision, citing equality and fairness. But they might not also understand how big a deal having a Singaporean in the EPL is.
Many in the United Kingdom are used to sporting excellence. After all, it’s the English Premier League that Ben is joining.
With so much sporting talent in the UK, many British commenters might not have understood the importance of this one young man, and why his sporting achievement is causing such a huge fuss in Singapore.
Some supported Ben Davis
But a handful supported Ben Davis.
One commenter pointed out that Davis would still be serving his mandatory service after his football career, while another stated that Ben has an opportunity to serve Singapore in another way: through football and sports.
Others just hated on Singapore
As with almost every other comment thread on the Internet, there were haters.
The hate was directed at our “archaic”, “obsolete” and “uncivilised” National Service policies.
On a completely unrelated note, the United Kingdom conscripted twice in its history, in the years between 1916-1920 and 1939-1960. Currently, its close allies, Israel and South Korea carry out military conscription too. #justsaying
But whether they agree with MINDEF or side with Davis makes little difference since MINDEF appears to be doubling down on its decision.
SOURCE: MUST SHARE NEWS
If Ben Davis makes a smart decision he could be singing this on 9 August:
"This is NOT my country, this AIN'T my flag. This AIN'T my future, nor is this my life. "
This cannot be right for Singapore sport
Mindef's decision over deferment will end dreams of youngsters in team sports
Ben Davis signed a professional contract with Fulham last month. PHOTO: COURTESY OF FAS
Proud, joyous, dreamy, French citizens of various ethnicities and religions celebrated as one, once again toasting a team of various ethnicities and religions who played as one to conquer all in Russia.
Only the sport of football has such magical powers and, when a country is crowned world champion, this is how it salutes the achievement.
Hours before France beat Croatia in Moscow, The Straits Times reported that young Singapore football hopeful Benjamin Davis' request for deferment from national service had been rejected.
It felt like a hammer blow to Singapore's No. 1 sport, and to all male aspirants of team sports in the country.
The 17-year-old signed a professional contract last month, halfway into his two-year football scholarship with English side Fulham FC, newly promoted to the English Premier League. He must now cut short his stint in London and return here in December, unless his appeal is successful.
As part of its statement, Mindef says deferments in sports are given to "those who represent Singapore in international competitions like the Olympic Games and are potential medal winners for Singapore".
Mindef recognises how important deferment is for the continued development of a sportsman pursuing success on the international stage.
But its latest statement suggests it will help a male swimmer realise his talent, or a sailor, but not an individual in a team sport like a footballer, rugby or basketball player, and this is difficult to understand.
Lest anyone be mistaken, NS is most important for every Singaporean male and anyone capable of performing the duty must.
But, surely, restricting someone from working on his gifts at a crucial period to see how far he can realise his talent and then return for NS cannot be right.
One gifted young Singapore cager will not be able to help the Singapore men's basketball team win gold on the international stage, but surely he must be given all the assistance possible, perhaps even to land a contract in the NBA.
It is what he's best at, after all.
One top Singapore footballer will not steer the Lions to the World Cup Finals, Olympic Games or win gold for the nation at the Asian Games, but he will have more power than Joseph Schooling to move us.
More at https://www.tnp.sg/sports/singapore-football/cannot-be-right-singapore-sport
Just give up your citizenship boy, you deserve much better. The world is yours if you do the right thing for your future.
Not enough sinkie blood coursing through his veins, hence the rejection by MINDEF?
Even Lim Tean also super buay song!
***A Very Ordinary Govt Unable to Deal with the Extraordinary.***
#DontBenchOurBenDavis
Please listen to what I have to say on the Ben Davis case (via Telegram link at the bottom). It is one of the most outrageous and idiotic decisions I have ever come across from the Ministries and the bureaucrats we have in Singapore today.
Ben Davis was a graduate of the Singapore Sports School. He is an outstanding footballer. If we do not allow him to develop his skills and eventually encourage him to represent Singapore, then what was the point of setting up the sports school in the first place? That was set up to promote sporting excellence!
The very ordinary people that make up our government today have no idea how to handle the Extraordinary.
Ben Davis is one of our Extraordinary citizens and we should be facilitating his journey to be the best he can be in every way.
How many more of our Extraordinary talents lay on the wayside undeveloped and unsupported by our government today?
Why is this government only interested in having foreign mercenary sportsmen make up our First team while our own Singaporeans are benched!?
https://t.me/joinchat/AAAAAErw6yTJa6p813L4ew
PS : I just read about Tharman congratulating the French Football team on their World Cup Victory. The irony of his message will not be lost on Singaporeans . He said the French footballing system was an example of how “ Every young person is encouraged and supported in developing his or her strengths “. He really should be telling that to his colleague the Minister of Defence! No use commenting on other’s success if you can’t get your own house in Order !
https://www.facebook.com/tean.lim.75
PETITION: NS Deferment for Ben Davis to Develop Singapore Football Talent
“I will enjoy the achievement and success so far, but now it gives me the motivation, drive and desire to push on to achieve the ultimate goal of playing in the Fulham first team in the Premier League,” — Ben Davis
“Ben has been trained here in Singapore and shows to all Singaporeans that you can be coached in Singapore and achieve the highest level for a 17-year-old on the international stage." — Harvey Davis, Ben’s father
Benjamin Davis is the first Singaporean footballer to sign a professional contract with a top-tier English Club, Fulham. He was first awarded a two-year scholarship in July 2017 and due to his outstanding performance on the field, he was among the first 5 scholars to be awarded a pro contract.
As a Singaporean, however, Ben has to enrol for compulsory 2-year National Service. He has applied for long term deferment so that he can continue developing his talent in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in one of the best leagues in the world.
This was rejected by the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) on 15 July on the grounds that he "does not meet the criteria for long-term deferment from Full-time NS". In sports, “deferments are granted only to those who represent Singapore in international competitions like the Olympic Games and are potential medal winners for Singapore”. Thus, “it would not be fair to approve applications for deferment for individuals to pursue their own careers and development”.
In the last 15 years, only three have met this criteria, they are Singapore's first Olympic gold medallist Joseph Schooling, fellow swimmer Quah Zheng Wen and sailor Maximillian Soh.
This petition is to appeal against that decision. We believe that Ben Davis should be given the opportunity to develop his talent. Soccer is a sport that is very close to Singaporeans - just look at the current 2018 FIFA World Cup fever in Singapore. In addition, soccer is fundamentally a team sport where a single talent cannot just bring the entire nation to an international stage (unlike Swimming and Sailing, sports which the previous three individuals are from). Being able to play on an international stage would help Ben Davis to not only bring recognition to Singapore as he gets identified as a Pro player hailing from our tiny red dot, he could also help to up the game in Singapore by bringing his learnings from the international arena to his fellow players in Singapore and elevate the sport here.
It can be argued that Fandi Ahmad, a talented Singaporean soccer player who played for Niac Mitra (Indonesian FC) and FC Groningen (Netherlands FC), was able to help Singapore achieve three silver medals in the SEA games because of his international experiences.
“There are no shortcuts to building a team each season. You build the foundation brick by brick.” — Bill Belichick, NFL head coach
Let’s not be unrealistic and expect one player to lift Singapore sports to reach international standards. Instead, let’s invest in our young talents and take our first step towards this goal.
https://www.change.org/p/mindef-ns-deferment-for-ben-davis-to-develop-singapore-football-talent