Kiat Lim's message at Valencia CF General Ordinary Meeting of Shareholders

Kiat Lim spoke at the General Ordinary Meeting of Shareholders held this Monday at the VIP box of Mestalla, where he has been voted as a new member of the Valencia CF board of directors.

Hereunder, his full message at the General Ordinary Meeting of Shareholders:

Good afternoon everyone. I want to start by thanking everyone for coming and taking the time to come here. It's my first General Assembly in an official capacity and I want to say that I'm deeply honoured and happy to be here to represent a club with such a deep and rich history. Thank you for having me.

I've been listening very carefully to get a view of diverse perspectives from everybody. After listening, I do have thoughts similar to some of the feedback you have given us. I agree with some views and disagree with others. But most importantly, I believe we can settle these disagreements in a respectful and constructive manner that benefits the club.

We have talked about the different things like the Peñas, which do not exist in Singapore. There are certain cultural differences, which I do not want to be an excuse but rather facts. Most importantly, I am willing to learn and try my best to communicate. I hope that the shareholders can be patient as I try to learn more. Also, please allow me to thank you and digest what has been said today. I hope to be able to deliver some of my thoughts very soon.

Besides management, the fans and all shareholders are equally as important to the team. I always feel that, whether we like it or not, we are in this together and have a similar goal.  We shouldn't be fighting amongst each other. There should be constructive criticism in order to benefit the club, instead of these personal biases.

As the president mentioned, we shouldn't resort to personal attacks. Communication is a two-way street, and if you want to demand a certain level of attention, thought and action, it is something that we would like as well.

Balancing sporting and economic needs is like a 'chicken and egg' scenario. I welcome all these comments, constructive criticism and brainstorming sessions that are tangible actions. However, if it is a case of debating past disagreements, pointing fingers, lying and so on, it will lead to very spiteful conversations and won't be constructive. Change has been asked for and we will try to deliver it in an honest and open format.

I understand that there are disagreements, which is normal, but the first thing that has come to us is lies. There are also our feelings on this end to consider. We are trying and we hope that this can be seen. I've constantly been asked what the plan is and what we want. We want what all the shareholders and fans want: To be successful as a club, to win trophies and to play in Europe. However, it is a delicate balance between the economic and sporting needs, and we all currently understand the financial position that we are in.

We want to aim for consistent results, year after year. We don't want just a good year. We  want to do it season after season, and for that you need a certain level of financial stability first, and we hope to achieve it as soon as possible, working with the Board and with all of you. I want to start to look to the future instead of dwelling on the past.

What we want are results and changes for the future. Layhoon has been here for four months, I was recently appointed, and we can't promise that it will happen tomorrow, but I hope to listened to constructive points. The next steps are tangible actions we can take instead of pointing fingers. That is what I believe everybody wants -to do something, not just to say it.
I hope we can work on this together because we are in this together. I want to thank all of the fans and shareholders for the patience you have. The situation has not been easy. To say we've had a rough two years is an understatement, I acknowledge that, but I really hope that we can work together in a more amicable, open, respectful manner, as opposed to  constantly attacking each other. Otherwise, we will have a very toxic rabbit hole that will not benefit anyone. We shouldn't want to get into this position. To conclude, I thank you for your patience and understanding, and I hope to continue learning and communicate more frequently. Thank you very much.