NS defaulter Ben Davis injured, will not travel to S'pore for Asean Championship Cup match

Amid speculation about whether he would be arrested upon stepping foot on Singapore soil, it was announced that Thailand footballer Ben Davis would in fact not be returning to the country for the Asean Championship Cup match.

The 24-year-old had been part of Thailand's 26-man squad set to play against the Lions at the Singapore National Stadium on Dec. 17.

That was before he suffered an ankle injury during Thailand's 10-0 victory over Timor-Leste on Dec. 8, according to Bangkok Post.

This effectively ruled out Davis from the rest of Thailand's Group A matches.

Ankle injury

Davis scored two goals against Timor-Leste before he twisted his ankle, said Bangkok Post.

He ended up being substituted in the 42nd minute.

Thai media further reported that the player underwent an MRI scan and was advised to take a break from playing for two weeks.

Became a Singaporean at nine years old

Davis was born to an English father and a Thai mother in Phuket, Thailand.

He moved to Singapore when he was five years old, eventually going on to become a naturalised Singaporean at the age of nine.

He studied at the Singapore Sports School, but left the country in 2015 to join Fulham's academy in London.

In 2018, an 18-year-old Davis signed with English Premier League club Fulham, making him the first Singaporean footballer to sign with a top-tier English club.

After Davis was unsuccessful in deferring his NS to play for the Premier League, he failed to report for NS in February 2019.

He has since been labelled an NS defaulter by the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF).

A 2019 MINDEF statement read:

"[Davis] failed to report for NS as required. He is also staying overseas without a valid Exit Permit.

Mr Davis has committed offences under the Enlistment Act, and is liable upon conviction to a fine of up to S$10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to three years."

What if he comes back?

Defaulting on his NS obligations means Davis has committed an offence under the Enlistment Act.

Although he will not be returning to Singapore this time, Davis would still be held accountable for the offence should he ever cross the country's borders.

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