Balestier Khalsa Issues Apology Letter to ActiveSG Following Racist Remark by Youth Player's Parent

Singapore Premier League (SPL) club Balestier Khalsa has issued a letter of apology on behalf of a parent of an Under-15 player to ActiveSG Football Academy. The apology comes after reports of racist abuse during a Singapore Youth League match on Nov 2.

The parent allegedly directed abuse at an ActiveSG player during the match at Kallang Football Hub which Balestier won 4-1.

In a statement posted on their social media on Nov 3, Balestier vice-chairman Darwin Jalil said the club management has “engaged the relevant parties and spoken to representatives from our opponent to mediate the matter”.

He added: “The club has forwarded a written apology to ActiveSG Football Academy from the parent who admitted to the allegations.”

When contacted, ActiveSG Football Academy principal Aleksandar Duric said of the incident: “I have a feeling that this will not be the last time that this will happen again. Because if we don’t stop this, sooner or later, there will be more and more.

“I understand that there are parents with a lot of jealousy and anger and sooner or later, this will go out of hand.

“We have to really settle this once and for all, because anybody can apologise after doing this.”

The former national player also believes that clubs have a part to play in educating everyone on their conduct during matches.

He added: “We really need to establish some clear guidance for the players, parents and officials to promote a safe and respectful environment for our young athletes, to educate them because I believe without that, we’re going to face more problems in future.

“(Because) if we don’t protect our kids, I think the damage can be really big.”

Darwin added in their social media post: “As this was a Singapore Youth League incident where Balestier Khalsa Football Club was a participant in the match and the jurisdiction to matter is not within our control, we took the initiative to facilitate this matter in the spirit of sporting fairness.

“The parent is not representing the club in this situation. Having said that, we will not hesitate to take serious action against our players, coaches and staff should this happen amongst us. There is no room for racism in football.”

Meanwhile, in a separate case of racial abuse, two Geylang International fans were punished after admitting to “being the perpetrators of verbal abuse” towards Tanjong Pagar United forward Salif Cisse during an SPL match on July 19.

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said in a Nov 4 statement that the two fans were banned from attending games from July to Sept 30 and will have to complete 30 hours of community service through Geylang.

Geylang, whose management made an in-person apology to Cisse, were also given a suspended fine of $5,000 till the end of the 2024-25 season for failing to uphold Article D of the FAS/SPL Spectator Code of Behaviour.

FAS added that it will brief all clubs on the protocol to follow regarding abuse from the stands.

It will also implement Fifa’s three-step protocol, with the referee pausing the game so that an announcement can be made to demand that the racist chanting stops. The second step is taking players off the field and, if the chants continue for a third time, to abandon the game.

The aim is to implement this protocol in full by Jan 1, 2025.

FAS said a Respect Committee will also have oversight over the Singapore Youth League so that it can promote positive behaviour among players, parents and coaches.