Cardiff City's Perry Ng applies for Singapore citizenship
Cardiff City defender Perry Ng is in the process of applying to be a Singapore citizen under the Foreign Sports Talent (FST) scheme, Football Association of Singapore (FAS) general secretary Chew Chun-Liang said on Feb 6.
At a media briefing session held at Jalan Besar Stadium to share the FAS’ 2025 plans for national teams, Chew confirmed that it is supporting the 28-year-old in his application under the FST scheme when asked for an update on the Liverpool-born defender’s status.
Chew said: “For anyone who wants to be a citizen, first, you must be a permanent resident (PR). So that is already in motion. This is more of an immigration thing... that’s beyond our control.
“But what is important is… yes, we have applied for PR. We (FAS) have also supported it, so hopefully we can hear from the authorities (soon).
“The first step is to make sure that he gets his PR, before he gets citizenship and then he can represent Singapore.”
The Straits Times understands that the FAS is hoping for good news before the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers commences on March 25 with a home fixture against Hong Kong.
It has been more than 20 years since Brazil-born striker Egmar Goncalves became the first Lion under the FST in 2002, and more than a decade since Chinese forward Qiu Li became the last of nine players the FAS adopted under the scheme in 2010.
South Korea-born midfielder Song Ui-young and Japan-born Kyoga Nakamura attained citizenship in 2021 and 2024 respectively, but they were not under the FST scheme.
Both players had satisfied Fifa’s five-year residency rule to turn out for an adopted country at senior level and went through the necessary procedures to be granted permanent residency and then citizenship.
The 1.8m Ng, who can play as a centre-back, in central midfield or at fullback is eligible to play for Singapore via the heritage route as his late paternal grandfather James was born here but later settled in Liverpool.
He made headlines in Singapore and England last September when he took part in the Lions’ training camp for a familiarisation stint during the international break and confirmed to local media that he would be applying for Singapore citizenship.
World football governing body Fifa’s rules stipulate that individuals must have “a genuine link” with national teams they intend to play for. The basic criteria are: Place of birth, naturalisation by residence or place of one grandparent’s birth.
However, Singapore’s citizenship rules state that qualifying for a passport by descent is applicable only to individuals with at least one parent who is born in Singapore or is a citizen by registration.
But special dispensation could be made for Ng to represent the Lions through the FST, with FAS president Bernard Tan saying last September that there is a pathway for Ng to be a citizen.
Chew added that the FAS will invite Ng to join the Lions for training during the Fifa windows in March, June, September, October and November.
When asked if there was a timeline for Ng to become a Lion, Chew said: “He is not a Singapore citizen so he can’t represent us yet. Coach Ogura and I want it to be as soon as possible, but this will depend on authorities. I think we are hopeful. The first step is to get him to be a permanent resident.”
In a trend that has gained popularity in recent years, teams in the region such as Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines have boosted their ranks with overseas-born talent and players who have gained citizenship under heritage rules.
Indonesia booked a place in the third round of the World Cup qualifiers for the first time by relying on naturalised players with Indonesian heritage. They include Kevin Diks of FC Copenhagen, English Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Justin Hubner and Jay Idzes from Italian Serie A side Venezia.
Over the years, Ng had expressed his desire to play for the Lions and also made multiple trips to visit his relatives in Singapore.
Last October, BG Tampines Rovers midfielder Nakamura was granted Singapore citizenship and has gone on to score two goals in seven appearances for the Lions.
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