Fulham maybe forced to delay handing pro terms to Singaporean whizkid Benjamin Davis.

The Daily Mail says Singapore's refusal to allow its first footballer signed to the English Premier League to defer compulsory military service has sparked a debate whether the rigidity of the country's laws on conscription was stifling its youth from pursuing their dreams.

Davis, who is 17, has signed a two-year contract with newly promoted Fulham.

In doing so he became the first player from the Southeast Asian nation, who are 169th in FIFA's world rankings, to join an English top-flight club.

Nearly 20,000 have signed an online petition, as of Friday, backing military service deferment for Davis so he can develop his talent.