SINGAPORE − Former Singaporean striker, K. Kannan, submitted an appeal on August 13 to the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) to have his life ban lifted.
If successful, Kannan will be the second footballer in Singapore to do so after Abbas Saad.
“I’m happy that there are people who still think of me and who care for me,” says Kannan, who turns 60 in January 2022, in a report by The Monitor Singapore.
“I’m already quite old and my best days in football are over.
Along with his Changi United club chairman, Ong Kheng Hock, Kannan was convicted by the Subordinate Court on two charges: a joint charge of conspiring with Rajendran R. Kurusamy to bribe former Singaporean goalkeeper, David Lee, with a sum of SD80,000 (RM248,647) and a charge of receiving SD5,000 (RM15,541) as a reward for arranging the bribe.
Following his trial and conviction, Kannan served a total of 14 months in prison and was permanently banned from taking part in all FAS football-related activities on 18 April 1995.
Although Kannan filed two appeals for the ban to be lifted in 1999 − one through former Singapore MP, Fengshan Chng Hee Kok, and the other through former Singaporean politician, S Jayakumar –both were rejected.
The former footballer appealed to the Asian Football Confederation in 2000 and in 2002 but was also rejected both times.
Kannan represented Singapore at the 1981 and 1983 Southeast Asian Games and was in the Singapore national squad for the 1984 Asian Cup.
As a result of scoring the most goals in the Malaysia League in 1987, the former Singaporean striker won the Golden Boot during his stint with Kuala Lumpur.
It remains the only piece of football memorabilia left in his possession after discarding all the other trophies and medals he earned during his career. – Agencies, August 24, 2021
