K Kannan’s lifetime ban lifted after 26 years

1. Introduction

We are pleased to announce that the FAS Council has decided to lift K Kannan’s lifetime ban. K Kannan, a Singaporean footballing legend and winner of the Golden Boot in the 1987 Malaysian League, was represented by our Mr Eugene Thuraisingam, Mr Chooi Jing Yen and our practice trainee Mr Ariffin Sha. We would also like to put on record our appreciation to Jose Raymond for his assistance in the matter.

2. Background

Kannan was handed a mandatory lifetime ban due to a criminal conviction in 1995. On 13 August 2021, we appealed to the FAS Council to ask that they exercise their powers pursuant to Article 75 of the FAS Constitution to lift the permanent suspension. Prior to this appeal, Kannan had appealed against his life ban no less than 4 times. The appeal was preceded by a public outcry over a letter from FAS that stated that Kannan was “not to partake in any football-related activities either directly or indirectly”.

Earlier today, we received a letter dated 15 March 2022 from FAS to confirm that the FAS Council had “thoroughly deliberated” our client’s appeal and decided that the permanent suspension imposed on Kannan will be lifted with effect from 15 March 2022. The Council has also requested Kannan’s collaboration and participation in FAS’ “anti-corruption drives and engagement”.

We welcome the FAS Council’s decision, and we are happy that the dark cloud looming over Kannan has been dissipated. We are heartened that he now has an opportunity to give back to the beautiful game – a game through which he has provided so much joy to Singaporeans.

3. Statement from Kannan

We append a statement from Kannan below:-

My family and I would like to express our gratitude to my lawyers at Eugene Thuraisingam LLP and Jose Raymond for helping me in my appeal. They were sympathetic and went out of their way to help me. I will always be grateful to everyone for their support, even in my darkest hours. Football has always been my life, and I will do whatever I can to contribute back to society in a meaningful way.

We wish Kannan all the very best in his future endeavours, and we look forward to playing football with Kannan soon.

[Also read: Ex-national footballer K Kannan appeals against lifetime ban]