SINGAPORE — Football Association of Singapore (FAS) president Forrest Li has revealed that he personally paid the S$2 million (RM6.4 million) bonus to the men’s national team for their historic Asian Cup qualification, while calling on corporate Singapore to step up and invest in the future of local football.

The tech billionaire and Sea Limited founder said his financial contribution should only be the “first step” in a broader community effort to usher in a “golden era” for the sport, The Straits Times reported.

At a press conference to announce Gavin Lee as the new Lions coach, Li was asked if the S$2 million bonus had come from his own pocket.

“The S$2 million you mentioned — that is from my own pocket. That’s my personal money,” Li confirmed, before quipping with a laugh, “I hope this will not always be the case, because if Gavin keeps winning, you need to buy me McDonald’s.”

His tone then turned serious as he made a direct appeal to the nation’s businesses.

“When the national team does well, everybody is happy... it’s really full of pride and joy,” he said.

“If you have resources, if you are a big corporation, I hope you can come forward to contribute, and I will make sure, as president of the FAS, that every single dollar is well spent.”