Fulham youngster facing prison time over missed military service

The youngster faces prison time or a fine for missing military service in Singapore.

Fulham player Ben Davis has missed mandatory military service in Singapore and has been threatened with time in prison by the country's Ministry of Defence. National service either in the military, police or civil defence force is mandatory for all men over the age of 18 in the country, with those who miss it facing the threat or either jail time, a fine, or both.

"Mr Benjamin Davis is a national service defaulter," a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said.

"He failed to report for national service as required. He is also staying overseas without a valid Exit Permit." The Singaporean signed for Fulham in the summer, becoming the first Singapore international to sign for a Premier League club in the process, but was denied deferment of his service by the Singaporean government. He currently faces a fine of £5,700, instead of or as well as a prison term of four months if he misses the service for two years. Should he avoid military service for a period of time between 17 and 23 years, the potential prison sentence would rise to three years. The matter of military service was a concern recently for Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min, who would have missed 21 months of his career had South Korea not beaten Japan in the final of the Asian Games last year. Unfortunately for Davis, such exemptions are not common in Singapore, where exemptions are only given to "those who represent Singapore in international competitions like the Olympic Games and are potential medal winners for Singapore".