SINGAPORE – Growing up, former Singaporean diplomat Sean Bai was a die-hard Manchester United fan. One of the low points he remembers in the club’s illustrious history was on April 30, 2012, when Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany headed in the winning goal against their local rivals.

It proved to be a pivotal moment as City went on to win their maiden English Premier League title – at United’s expense. Now, 12 years later, Bai and Kompany are set to work in tandem at Premier League side Burnley, where the latter has been manager since 2022.

Bai, 39, officially started as Burnley’s chief of staff on April 24, replacing Marc Boixasa, who left the club to take up a key role with Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal.

Speaking to The Straits Times, Bai, who had been Singapore Premier League club Geylang International’s general manager since Oct 2023, called his decision a “no-brainer”.

He said: “I told them yes almost immediately when I was approached (in February) and they told me about their plans and in the following weeks, I had virtual meetings with the chairman and eventually with Kompany, whom I spoke to for almost two hours.”

“The club wanted someone whom Kompany would be comfortable with... we discussed the football philosophy at Burnley and how I could help him in his role as manager. It was very positive.”

The club’s spokesman said in a statement: “We’re pleased to have someone with Sean’s experience on a global level coming in to help us further improve our player-development model and continue to expand our reach as a club.

“Sean brings with him great experience from one of the top leagues in the world (La Liga), which will be greatly valuable to our continued learnings and evolution.”

Bai will serve as an important bridge between the club’s management, parent company and the football structure and he will also look into areas like the recruitment of players and staff and institutionalising the “Burnley way of doing things” – from the first team down to the youth academy.

Bai, who has a master’s in public policy from Peking University and is currently completing his Master of Business Administration with UBI Business School, was obsessed with football from a young age, though he played the sport only at a recreational level. He began his career in 2011 as a diplomat with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and was posted to Taipei from 2015 to 2018.

Looking for a fresh challenge after that, he got in touch with his former boss at the MFA, Anil Murthy – who was La Liga club Valencia’s president at that time – and joined the side as director of the president’s office.

A year later, he took over as academy director. In May 2022, he stepped in as acting general director when Murthy parted ways with the club after leaked audio recordings emerged of him criticising their Singaporean owner Peter Lim.

Bai steadied the ship before leaving club in September 2022 to return to Singapore.

“I learnt a lot at Valencia. From the outside, people look at football clubs as this big machinery but when you are in that set-up, you have to be sensitive in how you treat your players, staff, your fans, and that really determines how successful you’ll be as an organisation,” said Bai.

While there were plenty of doubters when he took over at Valencia’s academy, he noted that results now speak for themselves, especially with the number of players who have progressed to the senior team from the youth sides in recent seasons. They include Jesus Vazquez, Fran Perez, Diego Lopez, Cristhian Mosquera and Javi Guerra.

Bai said: “When I first went, there were a lot of doubts. The common line would be: you’re not a football guy, you’re not an ex-professional player or that you didn’t come from a place where there is a strong football pedigree. What can you bring to the table?

“But I believe football can really look outside of what it has, and bring in different strengths, different capabilities. Based on my experience, I was able to bring those.”

His unlikely rise from football fan to Premier League club executive is not lost on Bai, who hopes his example will show others not to put a limit on their own dreams.

He is excited to return to Europe’s thriving football culture and believes that his move can help bring more visibility to Singapore football and open more doors for the fraternity.

He said: “When I mentioned this move to my friends, the kind of excitement that was generated is also a reminder that actually all of us really want to see Singapore being represented out there at the highest level.”

Even as Burnley are deep in a battle to avoid relegation to the second-tier Championship, Bai’s never-say-never attitude kicks in.

He said: “We are in the tail end of the season, the team will still go out and try their best. We must give ourselves a chance. But beyond that, even at the risk of relegation, their commitment to the manager and the team in this difficult moment shows a lot about the club and their long-term vision.

“I am looking forward to playing a role in ensuring the club will be successful in the years to come.”