sport.wikisort.org - Athlete

Fandi bin Ahmad PBM (born 29 May 1962) is a Singaporean professional football manager and former player.[2] During his professional career, he mainly played as a striker, but also played as a midfielder. Along with the Singapore FA, he had also played for Malaysia Cup state sides Kuala Lumpur FA and Pahang FA, and won titles with all three, including two doubles in 1992 and 1994, as well as the Golden Boot in 1988. Fandi also played for Indonesia's Niac Mitra, Netherlands' Groningen as well as local Singaporean clubs Geylang United and SAFFC.[foot 1]

Fandi Ahmad

Fandi playing in a charity friendly match with the Singapore Masters in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Fandi bin Ahmad
Date of birth	(1962-05-29) 29 May 1962 (age 60)
Place of birth	State of Singapore
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position(s)	Striker Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Sri Pahang (technical adviser)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1978–1982	Singapore FA	113	(65)
1982–1983	Niac Mitra	16	(4)
1983–1985	Groningen	36	(11)
1986–1989	Kuala Lumpur FA	46	(30)
1990	OFI Crete	0	(0)
1991–1992	Pahang FA	12	(7)
1993–1994	Singapore FA	34	(17)
1996	Geylang United	17	(5)
1997–1999	Singapore Armed Forces	60	(32)
Total		332	(170)
National team
1979–1997	Singapore	101	(55)
Teams managed
2000–2003	Singapore Armed Forces
2005–2006	Young Lions
2006–2010	Pelita Jaya
2012–2013	Johor DT
2014–2015	LionsXII
2017–2018	Young Lions
2018	Singapore
2019	Young Lions
2022–	Sri Pahang (technical adviser)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Internationally with the Singapore national team, Fandi earned 101 caps and scored 55 goals, a record he holds today, as well as winning three Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) silver medals while being captain from 1993 to 1997.[3] After his retirement, he began his managerial career in 2000 by helming his former playing club SAFFC, before moving on to Indonesia's Pelita Raya and Malaysia's Johor Darul Takzim, while also serving as the assistant national coach on numerous occasions while and running his own Fandi Ahmad Academy.

Fandi has been described as a national legend for Singapore.[foot 2] In 1994, he was awarded the Pingat Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Medal) for his achivements, which included being the first Singaporean footballer to play in Europe, the first Singaporean millionaire sportsperson and the first Singaporean sportsperson to have a published biography. He has five children with his wife, South African model Wendy Jacobs, and his father is Ahmad Wartam, a former national goalkeeper. Fandi was ranked sixth in a list of Singapore's 50 Greatest Athletes of the Century by The Straits Times in 1999.[12] His children, most notably Ikhsan, Ilhan and Irfan, are also professional footballers.

He is currently the technical adviser of Malaysia Super League club Sri Pahang.

Early life

As a young child, Fandi was obsessed with football and spent much of his time kicking a ball. His family lived in a two-room public housing flat in Hougang.[8] His family was working class; Fandi had to sell nasi lemak to help support the family.[8][13] Fandi's father, Ahmad Wartam was then a goalkeeper for the national team.[14] Fandi started playing as a goalkeeper, but was advised by a teacher to switch to midfield.[15]

When he was 12, his parents divorced, after which he lived with his father and paternal grandparents. At Serangoon Gardens Secondary School,[16] Fandi played for the school football team, but neglected his studies and was held back a year. He then transferred to the Singapore Vocational Institute and obtained a National Trade Certificate 3. He played for Kaki Bukit Football Club in the amateur National Football League, where he was spotted by Singapore FA coach Sebastian Yap.[17]

Club career

Fandi joined Singapore FA in 1979 and became a regular midfield player, scoring four goals in his first Malaysia Cup season. The retirement of Arshad Khamis and Dollah Kassim prompted Jita Singh, the new Singapore FA coach, to play Fandi as a striker. During the 1980 Malaysia Cup season, Fandi scored eight goals, including the winning goal in the final against Selangor FA.[18] He enlisted for National Service in September 1980 and was given light duties, such as collecting the camp garbage, so he could continue playing for Singapore FA. In 1981, Fandi won the FAS Footballer of the Year award for helping Singapore FA reach the Malaysia Cup final.[14] The following year, Singapore FA did not play in the Malaysia Cup for political reasons, and Fandi underwent a shoulder operation; he could not play football for six weeks and was discharged early from National Service.[19]

Selangor FA invited Fandi to play for them against Argentine club Boca Juniors, which featured Diego Maradona, in a friendly game, in which Fandi scored the only goal for Selangor FA; the score was 2–1. Fandi received offers from several Malaysia Cup teams, Indonesian side Niac Mitra, Swiss club Young Boys and Dutch side Ajax. After a three-week trial, Ajax offered Fandi a three-year contract,[20] but Fandi instead signed a one-year contract with Niac Mitra, where he spent one season, helped them successfully defend their Galatama League title and was the third-highest scorer with 13 goals. In a friendly match between Niac Mitra and Arsenal, Fandi scored a goal in a 2–0 victory; however, he left Niac Mitra due to a sudden Galatama League ban on foreign players.[21]

In 1983, Fandi moved to the Netherlands and signed a two-year contract with FC Groningen.[22] A thigh injury acquired in a friendly match kept him off the field for ten weeks, but in his first Eredivisie game he scored twice in a 2–0 victory over Go Ahead Eagles. Three days later, he played in the first leg of a UEFA Cup second-round match against Italian side Internazionale, and scored the second goal in a 2–0 win, though in the second leg Groningen were defeated 1–5.[23] The Groningen fans voted Fandi the most popular player and the most skilful player that season; he scored 10 goals in 29 games to help the Dutch club rise from ninth to fifth place in the Eredivisie. As an April Fools' Day joke, The Straits Times published a front-page story claiming that Manchester United had signed on Fandi.[24] His second season was marred by a recurrence of his thigh injury and a dispute with his coach. He played only two full games that season and Groningen did not offer him a new contract.[25] During his time in the Netherlands, Fandi scored 11 league goals in 36 league games for Groningen.[26]

The next club that Fandi played for was Malaysia Cup side Kuala Lumpur FA, which in 1987 won its first Malaysia Cup title. It was Malaysia Cup champions again the following season; Fandi won the Golden Boot, having scored 21 goals.[27] After a third season at Kuala Lumpur FA, in which it won a third consecutive Malaysia Cup, Fandi signed a two-year contract with Greek club OFI Crete in 1990. However, problems with his International Transfer Certificate prevented him from playing for Crete, so he left Greece after two months.[28] Fandi then joined Pahang FA, where he reverted to playing mainly in midfield due to his advancing age.[29] Fandi missed several months of games because of heel and thigh injuries, and scored three goals to help Pahang FA win the Malaysia Cup and Malaysian League Double in 1992.[30] That year, he became the first Singaporean sportsperson to have career earnings exceeding a million Singapore dollars (not adjusted for inflation).[8]

Fandi rejoined Singapore FA after it was relegated to the second tier of the Malaysian League. Singapore FA was promoted and reached the Malaysia Cup final in 1993, and finished the 1994 season as Malaysia Cup and Malaysian League champions. Captain Fandi played in 39 of Singapore FA's 41 games in the double-winning season, was the top scorer with 26 goals and was voted Player of the Season;[31][32] he was also awarded a state medal, the Pingat Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Medal).[14] The following season, Singapore FA withdrew from the Malaysia Cup and a fully professional Singaporean league, the S.League, was formed. In its inaugural season in 1996, Fandi captained Geylang United and was the joint top scorer with 11 goals, including the equaliser that confirmed Geylang as league champions. The Asian Football Confederation declared him the Player of the Month of June 1996.[33][34] Geylang was given special dispensation to pay Fandi thrice the S.League salary cap.[13] His playing career concluded with three seasons at SAFFC, during which they won two S.League titles and two Singapore Cups. Because of injuries, Fandi was limited to mainly short substitute appearances, but he continued to score crucial goals, notably two against Cambodian side Royal Dolphins in the Asian Club Championship, until his retirement in 1999.[35][36]

International career

From 1979 to 1997, Fandi made 101 appearances for the Singapore national football team,[foot 3] scored 55 goals and earned a place in the Asian Football Confederation Hall of Fame.[9] He started as captain of the national youth team that won the Lion City Cup in 1976 and 1977,[8] then joined the senior national team on a tour of Russia, where he played in two friendly games and scored two goals in the second.[18] His first senior cap came at 17 years, 3 months and 23 days, making him Singapore's youngest-ever full international, until his record was broken by Hariss Harun in 2007.[37] However, in his first international competition, the 1979 SEA Games, Fandi did not score in four matches. He scored against India and North Korea in the Olympic Games qualifiers, but did not score in three FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. In the 1981 Ovaltine Cup, Fandi scored all Singapore goals in the 3–2 aggregate victory over Malaysia.[20] Fandi scored a goal in a 1–2 loss to Thailand in the 1981 King's Cup and a hat-trick against the Philippines at the 1981 SEA Games. In 1992, Fandi scored twice against Nepal and once against Thailand in the King's Cup, then scored when Singapore beat Malaysia 3–1 in the Ovaltine Cup.[38]

The following year, Fandi helped Singapore win the first of three SEA Games silver medals, with two goals in a 3–0 group stage win over Brunei and two against Malaysia in the semi-final. Despite suffering an ankle injury in the 1–2 final defeat by Thailand,[39] he played in the 1983 Merlion Cup, and scored in a 1–0 semi-final win against of China.[24] The second SEA Games silver medal came in 1985, when Fandi scored against Malaysia and the Philippines in the group stage, then two goals against Brunei in the semi-final. At the 1989 SEA Games, Fandi scored in the 4–0 victory over Myanmar that took Singapore past the group stages, the last-minute winner in the semi-final against defending champions Indonesia and Singapore's single goal in the 1–3 final defeat by Malaysia. This completed the hat-trick of silver medals, though in 2007, he said that "not winning the SEA Games gold medal" was among "his biggest regrets".[8] Fandi also played at the 1990 Asian Games and scored in the 6–1 win against Pakistan.[38]

During the 1991 SEA Games, Fandi scored both Singapore goals against Myanmar in the group stage, but was substituted in the semi-final match, after Indonesian fullback Herry Setyawan elbowed him in the eye. That match ended goalless and the Lions lost on penalties.[40] Fandi also missed Singapore's failed attempt to qualify for the 1992 Asian Cup, having sustained a heel injury.[41] At the 1993 SEA Games, captain Fandi scored a hat-trick in the 7–0 defeat of the Philippines, followed by the second Singapore goal in the 3–3 semi-final draw with Myanmar and scored once in the 3–1 win over Indonesia that secured a bronze medal for Singapore. Fandi also played in the inaugural Tiger Cup, and scored an equaliser against Malaysia, a goal against Brunei and two against the Philippines. 1997 was a disappointing year for Fandi, who failed to score in the Dunhill Cup and the World Cup qualifiers. After the 1997 SEA Games, where his goal in the semi-final could not prevent a 1–2 defeat to Indonesia, Fandi retired from international football.[38]

Coaching career

After his retirement from playing, Fandi worked as a coach. He started as the assistant to Singapore's national coach, Vincent Subramaniam, for the 1999 SEA Games, where Singapore finished fourth.[11] In 2000, Fandi became coach of SAFFC and guided them to the S.League title, and he won the S.League Coach of the Year Award.[42] Under Fandi, SAFFC ended the 2001 season without winning a trophy and were 2002 S.League champions by a 20-point margin.[43] Fandi then simultaneously served as assistant national coach,[11] helping Singapore win the Tiger Cup in 2005,[5] and coach of the Young Lions, which rose from the bottom of the S.League in 2003 to two third-place finishes in 2004 and 2006.[44]

From November 2006 to March 2010, Fandi managed Indonesian side Pelita Raya,[7] where he adopted a youth policy that helped them win promotion from the second division,[45] then guided the club to two mid-table finishes in the Indonesia Super League.[46] Since then, he has been a scout for Italian club Vicenza Calcio, a regional project manager for the Genova International Soccer School and manager of Malaysian Super League side Johor Darul Takzim.[6] In 2011, he founded the Fandi Ahmad Academy, which organises training programmes and overseas opportunities for talented young Singaporean footballers.[4] Fandi is one of seven Singaporean coaches with a professional AFC coaching diploma and is widely considered a future coach of the Singapore national football team;[45] in December 2013, he became head coach of the Singapore LionsXII, with Nazri Nasir as his assistant.[47] In May 2015, he led LionsXII to clinch the Malaysia FA Cup, their first trophy of the season.[48][49]

Fandi was appointed as the head coach of Young Lions for the 2018 S.League season, replacing Richard Tardy.[50] In May 2018, he was appointed as the interim head coach of the Singapore national football team until the end of the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup.[51][52]

Fandi's contract with FAS was extended in November 2019, with the new role as head of elite youth. He aims, together with technical director Joseph Palatsides, to enhance the pathways and structure for the development of youth players for the national teams. After leading the Singapore under-22 at the 2019 SEA Games, Fandi's Young Lions and the under-22s will be taken over by Nazri Nasir in 2020.[53] Fandi will also be part of national team's coach Tatsuma Yoshida's backroom staff.[54]

Beyond football

Fandi is a devout Muslim,[13] avoids scandals, does not smoke or drink,[55] and is often described as humble,[10] filial and compassionate.[7] He married South African model Wendy Jacobs in 1996 and the couple have five children, namingly sons Irfan, Ikhsan, Ilhan, Iryan and a daughter Iman;[56] the four sons are footballers (Irfan, Ikhsan, Ilhan and Iryan). Irfan and Ikhsan who impressed at trials at Arsenal, Chelsea and Milan[57] plays for Thai League 1 club BG Pathum United, Ilhan Fandi plays for Singapore Premier League club Albirex Niigata while Iryan plays for Hougang United under-17. The eldest three (Irfan, Ikhsan and Ilhan) plays for the Singapore national team.[58][59] On 26 March against Malaysia, the three brothers played together in the same match for the first time.

As for Fandi's daughter Iman, she has decided to pursue a career in singing instead. She has signed with music label Universal Music Singapore in February 2021. Iman names Rihanna and Beyonce among her musical influences. She had initially kept her music a secret from her parents. They were pleasantly surprised when they found out and have expressed their full support for her.[60]

He is the first Singaporean sportsperson to be the subject of a biography, which was released in 1993 and called The Fandi Ahmad Story. It sold 17,000 copies in two months and was also translated into Malay.[61]

Products Fandi has endorsed include Lotto sportswear,[62] Royal Sporting House sportswear,[13] Uncle Tobys cereal, Carnation milk and energy drink Isomax.[55] In 1996, he released an album of English and Malay songs and produced Meniti Pelangi, a television programme about disadvantaged Malay Singaporeans.[13] Three years later, he opened a restaurant and a car dealership, but both closed down within two years.[7] He has also served as an ambassador for national anti-smoking and anti-drug campaigns,[10][24] raised funds for victims of the 2004 Indonesian tsunami and participated in a Northeast Community Development Council initiative to organise community service programmes.[63]

Career statistics

International goals[lower-alpha 1]

No	Date	Venue	Opponent	Result	Competition
1	26 February 1980	Singapore	India	1–0	1980 Olympic Games qualification
2	4 March 1980	Singapore	North Korea	3–1	1980 Olympic Games qualification
3	5 April 1981	Singapore	Malaysia	1–1	1981 Ovaltine Cup
4	19 April 1981	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Malaysia	2–1	1981 Ovaltine Cup replay
5	19 April 1981	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Malaysia	2–1	1981 Ovaltine Cup replay
6	9 November 1981	Bangkok, Thailand	Thailand	1–2	1981 King's Cup
7	9 December 1981	Manila, Philippines	Philippines	4–0	1981 Southeast Asian Games
8	9 December 1981	Manila, Philippines	Philippines	4–0	1981 Southeast Asian Games
9	9 December 1981	Manila, Philippines	Philippines	4–0	1981 Southeast Asian Games
10	7 January 1982	Singapore	Bahrain	2–0	Friendly
11	5 May 1982	Bangkok, Thailand	Nepal	2–0	1982 King's Cup
12	5 May 1982	Bangkok, Thailand	Nepal	2–0	1982 King's Cup
13	15 May 1982	Bangkok, Thailand	Thailand	2–2	1982 King's Cup
14	15 May 1982	Bangkok, Thailand	Thailand	2–2	1982 King's Cup
15	8 August 1982	Penang, Malaysia	India	3–0	1982 Merdeka Tournament
16	10 November 1982	Singapore	Malaysia	3–1	1982 Ovaltine Cup
17	28 May 1983	Singapore	Malaysia	2–1	1983 Southeast Asian Games
18	1 June 1983	Singapore	Philippines	5–0	1983 Southeast Asian Games
19	4 June 1983	Singapore	Brunei	4–0	1983 Southeast Asian Games
20	4 June 1983	Singapore	Brunei	4–0	1983 Southeast Asian Games
21	14 December 1983	Singapore	China	1–0	1983 Merlion Cup
22	13 December 1985	Bangkok, Thailand	Brunei	3–0	1985 Southeast Asian Games
23	13 December 1985	Bangkok, Thailand	Brunei	3–0	1985 Southeast Asian Games
24	14 December 1985	Bangkok, Thailand	Malaysia	2–2	1985 Southeast Asian Games
25	14 December 1985	Bangkok, Thailand	Malaysia	2–2	1985 Southeast Asian Games
26	4 April 1987	Singapore	Indonesia	2–0	1988 Olympic Games qualification
27	26 April 1987	Jakarta, Indonesia	Indonesia	1–2	1988 Olympic Games qualification
28	26 August 1989	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Myanmar	4–0	1989 Southeast Asian Games
29	28 August 1989	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Indonesia	1–0	1989 Southeast Asian Games
30	31 August 1989	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Myanmar	1–3	1989 Southeast Asian Games
31	27 September 1990	Beijing, China	Pakistan	6–1	1990 Asian Games
32	29 November 1991	Manila, Philippines	Myanmar	2–1	1991 Southeast Asian Games
33	29 November 1991	Manila, Philippines	Myanmar	2–1	1991 Southeast Asian Games
34	25 November 1992	Yangon, Myanmar	Myanmar	1–0	Friendly
35	8 December 1992	Singapore	Malaysia	3–0	1992 Merlion Cup
36	13 April 1993	Doha, Qatar	Vietnam	3–2	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
37	16 April 1993	Doha, Qatar	Qatar	1–4	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
38	30 April 1993	Singapore	Qatar	1–0	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
39	2 May 1993	Singapore	Indonesia	2–1	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
40	9 June 1993	Singapore	Philippines	7–0	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
41	9 June 1993	Singapore	Philippines	7–0	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
42	9 June 1993	Singapore	Philippines	7–0	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
43	17 June 1993	Singapore	Myanmar	3–3	1993 Southeast Asian Games
44	19 June 1993	Singapore	Indonesia	3–1	1993 Southeast Asian Games
45	17 July 1995	Singapore	Myanmar	3–3	1995 Tiger Beer Quadrangular
46	4 December 1995	Lamphun, Thailand	Brunei	2–2	1995 Southeast Asian Games
47	6 December 1995	Lamphun, Thailand	Myanmar	4–2	1995 Southeast Asian Games
48	6 December 1995	Lamphun, Thailand	Myanmar	4–2	1995 Southeast Asian Games
49	8 December 1995	Chiang Mai, Thailand	Philippines	4–0	1995 Southeast Asian Games
50	16 December 1995	Singapore	Myanmar	1–0	1995 Southeast Asian Games
51	1 September 1996	Singapore	Malaysia	1–1	1996 AFF Championship
52	4 September 1996	Singapore	Brunei	3–0	1996 AFF Championship
53	6 September 1996	Singapore	Philippines	3–0	1996 AFF Championship
54	6 September 1996	Singapore	Philippines	3–0	1996 AFF Championship
55	16 October 1997	Jakarta, Indonesia	Indonesia	1–2	1997 Southeast Asian Games

Honours

Notes

See also

• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps

References

Bibliography

• Yeo, Wilfred (1993) "The Fandi Ahmad Story", Brit Aspen Publishing, ISBN 978-981-00-4843-3

Sporting positions
Preceded by Terry Pathmanathan	Singapore national team captain 1993–1997	Succeeded by David Lee

На других языках

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- [en] Fandi Ahmad

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[fr] Fandi Ahmad

Fandi Ahmad, né le 29 mai 1962 à Singapour, est un footballeur international singapourien. Il évoluait au poste d'attaquant. Il se reconvertit ensuite en entraîneur.

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[it] Fandi Ahmad

Fandi Ahmad (Singapore, 29 maggio 1962) è un allenatore di calcio ed ex calciatore singaporiano, di ruolo centrocampista o attaccante.

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[ru] Фанди Ахмад

Фанди бин Ахмад (малайск. Fandi bin Ahmad; род. 29 мая 1962 года, Сингапур) — сингапурский футболист и футбольный тренер. В основном он играл на позиции нападающего, но также мог играть в полузащите. Он выигрывал Кубок Малайзии с тремя разными клубами: «Сингапур ФА»[п 1], «Куала-Лумпур ФА» и «Паханг» — в том числе сделал два «золотых дубля»: в 1992 и 1994 годах. В 1988 году Фанди получил Золотую бутсу чемпионата. Кроме того, футболист выступал за границей в таких клубах, как «Митра Кукар» (Индонезия), «Гронинген» (Нидерланды), «Гейланг Интернэшнл» и «Уорриорс» (оба — Сингапур). В сборной Сингапура Фанди сыграл 101 матч, забив 55 голов, трижды становился серебряным призёром Игр Юго-Восточной Азии и был капитаном сборной с 1993 по 1997 год[2]. Он тренировал «Уорриорс», «Пелита Райа» (Индонезия) и «Джохор» (Малайзия); работал помощником тренера национальной сборной и руководит собственной футбольной академией. В 1994 году он был награждён Медалью государственной службы. Фанди является первым сингапурским футболистом, сыгравшим в Европе, первым спортсменом-миллионером страны и первым сингапурским спортсменом с опубликованной биографией (1994 год). Фанди считается национальной легендой[п 2]. В 1999 году он занял шестое место в списке 50 величайших спортсменов столетия в Сингапуре, по версии газеты Straits Times[11].

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