Fulham FC signee Ben Davis could be forced to give up citizenship if MINDEF refuses NS deferment again

Photo: Fulham FC
Photo: Fulham FC

Between serving two years of national service and playing in the English Premier League (EPL), young Fulham FC signee Ben Davis is obviously leaning towards the latter. Even if that means he’ll have to ditch his Singaporean passport.

The 17-year-old holds British, Singapore and Thai passports, and according to his dad Harvey Davis, the teen is likely to pursue what could be a fruitful professional career in football, reported Reuters.

The young Davis earned a pro contract with Fulham FC, and is the first Singaporean to ever sign a pro contract with an EPL club. His talent was first spotted during a scouting mission at an international tournament in Singapore and was promptly recruited as a midfielder for the Fulham Under-18 side after he signed a two-year scholarship deal in July last year.

Impressed by his 10 appearances for the Young Whites, a new deal was offered just a year into the scholarship. Last Friday, Davis signed a two-year professional contract with the football club.

The Ministry of Defense (MINDEF), however, had other plans for him.

 

Deferment denied

It was on Sunday that the MINDEF rejected the teen’s application for a long-term deferment from mandatory military service in order to play in the EPL. In response to a Straits Times query, MINDEF noted that the deferment was rejected as Davis was pursuing his own career instead of representing Singapore.

“As all male Singaporeans liable for Full-time NS put aside personal pursuits to dutifully enlist and serve their NS, it would not be fair to approve applications for deferment for individuals to pursue their own careers and development,” wrote MINDEF, adding that very few applications have been approved over the years.

“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. In the last 15 years, only three have met this criteria.”

The three individuals referred to are none other than Singapore’s first Olympic gold medallist Joseph Schooling, his fellow swimmer Quah Zheng Wen, and national sailor Maximilian Soh. The swimmers were allowed to defer their national service twice to compete in the 2016 and the 2020 Olympics. The sailor was granted a year-long deferment to compete in the 2008 Olympics.

Responding to MINDEF’s decision, Harvey Davis noted to ST on Sunday that he would be submitting an appeal, and assured that he understands the importance of serving the country.

“My older son has already served and so will Ben, as will my younger boy,” the father said to ST.

“With Ben, the question is when (he will serve), and we hope he is given the opportunity to pursue his dream, make Singapore and Singapore football proud.”

But as Reuters reported yesterday, Harvey noted that his son may be forced to consider giving up the Singapore citizenship for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“It’s not something we would want to consider, but at the end of the day, if it’s something that is put on the table and forced to consider if he’s not deferred, we have to make the decision to the best interest of our child,” he told Reuters.

But doing so might bring trouble for Ben. Thanks to the conscription laws, Singaporean citizens who refuse to enlist could face up to three years in jail and a fine of S$10,000.

The petition

Photo: change.org screengrab

The public has been outspoken about their support for Davis — a petition made to MINDEF to let Ben defer his national service has gathered over 12,000 signatures as of writing.

“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; 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,” wrote a J Chan on Change.org.



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Comments

  1. The 17-year-old holds British, Singapore and Thai passports, and according to his dad Harvey Davis.
    If his deferments are granted, no grantee he will play for Singapore because he can choose to play for British or the Thai

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