Fulham teenager Ben Davis stuns Singapore by choosing Thailand after dispute over his attempts to defer mandatory national service
- Observer says a ‘breakdown in communication’ allowed the situation over national service to spin out of control
- The 18-year-old was last week named in Thailand’s provisional squad for the SEA Games in the Philippines
A “breakdown in communication” over mandatory national service has resulted in Singapore’s great football hope Ben Davis walking away from the country of his upbringing – where he was threatened with jail time – and opting to play for Thailand at this year’s Southeast (SEA) Games.
Singapore netizens have largely rallied around Davis, who plays for Fulham in the English Championship, even after he was called up to the Thai squad after having his application to defer military service rejected by Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (Mindef).
The ministry was quoted in local media as saying the 18-year-old Thailand-born Davis “defaulted from his National Service obligation” and was liable for a fine of up to S$10,000 (US$7,200) and a maximum of three years in prison.
Shamir Osman, a former journalist and close observer of Singapore football, said an earlier tit-for-tat between Davis’ father, Harvey, and the Mindef exacerbated the situation, with the youngster eventually choosing Thailand – his mother’s home country.
“The national service issue was the critical factor here,” said Osman. “For me it was the breakdown in communication. The authorities in Singapore have a bit of an iron fist and his dad is English, he didn’t quite grasp the way things are done.