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SINGAPORE : The S.League will raise the salary cap of players next season to enable teams to better compete at the Asian level, according to S.League CEO Winston Lee.

S.League has seen the salary cap of players go up over the years, from $64,000 per team monthly in 2005 to the current $78,000.

But officials know that more money will have to be spent, if they want to attain higher goals such as reaching Asian standards.

"At the end of the season, we will do a review again. We be taking into consideration the financial health of clubs, the economic condition of Singapore, and whether or not we are playing in the AFC new Champions league, but I would safely say that there'll likely be an upward revision of salary caps," said S.League's CEO

Upping salaries is fine, but some in the industry feel that play can be improved by bringing in better foreign players.

"We need players that are not only good on the ball skills, but to have some marketing value as well, because this will attract potential investors from the Asian Level," said Goh Tat Chuan, former S.League and national player.

Such footballers would fall under the "star" player scheme introduced a few years ago.

Tampines Rovers was the only club to adopt the scheme in 2001, paying some Brazilians more than $10,000 per month, almost double what other foreign players got.

Since then, no other club has taken up the offer.

But money is not the only reason for this lack of takers.

Some industry players feel the league is not challenging enough.

Others suggest paying bigger bonuses for attaining Asian targets, instead of raising fixed cost like salaries which could be a burden for smaller clubs.

"In my opinion, the clubs who can afford it, who want to participate on the Asian level, should get the budgets and should pay more for the right the players," Balbeer Singh Mangat, chairman of Balestier Khalsa FC.

After all, the right players could help lift the league domestically by attracting more fans and stars to follow their footsteps. - CNA /ls

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