They set pulses racing among football-crazy Singaporeans when they played together for the country, a dream attacking combination capable of unsettling many defences on the continent.
Now, there is a possibility Fandi Ahmad and V Sundramoorthy, two of Singapore’s all-time greats, could lead the national team as co-coaches.
Current Singapore coach Bernd Stange’s contract is understood to be up at the end of September and the two local coaches are among the front-runners to take over, should the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) choose not to extend the German’s tenure.
Sundram and Fandi both have expressed their desire to take on the national job, but the prospect of the duo handling the role together is an intriguing one.
Most football brains The New Paper spoke to, however, don’t seem convinced a co-coaching system will work.
It is with deep regret and sadness that we report the passing of one of our own, Ameer Ryyan.
Ryyan was a well- behaved boy, loved by all who knew him. The affable Ryyan was one of our promising budding talents.
To his parents, he was the perfect son who never disappointed. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family during this difficult period.
Our thoughts and prayers are also for the other deceased & missing in Kinabalu. Our condolences to families who lost their loved ones in the Kinabalu tragedy.
F-17 is in a state of mourning.
When Wendy and I first heard that there were children missing on that mountain after the earthquake, we hoped and prayed that they would return back to their parents safely. I then found out that one of my own football students, Ameer Ryyan was on that mountain. I immediately tried to contact his parents and asked my F-17 team to keep me updated.
And when news broke that he was one of those who lost their lives, I was devastated. I had really hoped to witness Ameer Ryyan’s rise in football. He had all the right ingredients, a good attitude, fitness, discipline, skills and parents who loved him dearly and really supported his dreams. It is truly a sad day for me and my F-17 team. We lost a child. We lost one of our own.
I would like to extend my deepest condolences to Ameer Ryyan’s parents, Sanjay and Anita. Great supportive parents. My team is in contact with his family and we are doing all we can to assist them in this very difficult period.
To all who lost their loved ones in this tragedy, may you be given the strength, patience, peace and love required to take you through this most difficult ordeal.
The answer to the biggest secret in town was finally revealed on Friday evening when Singapore’s football legend Fandi Ahmad and his eldest son, national Under-23 striker Irfan, lit the cauldron for the 28th SEA Games at the Sports Hub.
Since his national team debut in 1979, Fandi has never relinquished his position as the country’s most successful and celebrated footballer. His enduring popularity can be attributed to his work ethic, talent, charisma and clean living.
Wang Meng Meng takes a look at the career of the former national captain and current coach of the LionsXII.
1. A star is born
It all began in 1978 when Fandi Ahmad led Singapore A to the Lion City Cup. Fans were thrilled to see the skinny teenager skippering the country to the trophy and scoring eight goals in the process.
A year later, he made his full international debut with the Lions in a SEA Games match against Indonesia, making him the country’s youngest-ever debutant then at 17 years, three months and 23 days. That record stood until 2007, when Hariss Harun earned his first cap against North Korea aged 16 years, seven months and five days.
In 1980, the young Fandi became a national hero when he scored the winning goal in the 2-1 Malaysia Cup final victory over Selangor.
2. Making a name for himself overseas
Fandi Ahmad was offered a contract at Dutch giants Ajax, but turned it down. — PHOTO: ST FILE
Firmly established as a star striker in Singapore, Fandi ventured abroad and was offered a three-year contract by Dutch giants Ajax in 1982. However, the homesick striker turned it down.
But he was back in the Netherlands a year later, joining Groningen. There, he hit a career high point when he scored in a 2-1 Uefa Cup win (now Europa League) over Italy’s Inter Milan.
3. Returning to his roots
Fandi Ahmad lifting the trophy after winning the Malaysia Cup in 1994 at Shah Alam Stadium in Selangor. — PHOTO: ST FILE
Fandi Ahmad carrying the trophy after winning the Malaysia FA Cup final against Kelantan at the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on May 23, 2015. — PHOTO: BERITA HARIAN
After successful spells in Malaysia with Kuala Lumpur and Pahang, Fandi returned and in 1994, he captained Singapore to the M-League and Malaysia Cup double.
As a coach, Fandi won two S-League titles with Singapore Armed Forces FC (2000, 2002) and was named the league’s Coach of the Year in 2000.
In 2014, he returned home to take charge of the LionsXII after coaching overseas in Indonesia and Malaysia and last month, he guided the team to Malaysian FA Cup glory, beating Kelantan 3-1 in front of 87,000 fans at Bukit Jalil Stadium.
4. The Fandi brood
Fandi Ahmad finally tied the knot with South Africa-born model Wendy Jacobs in 1996 at the age of 34. — PHOTO: ST FILE
One of Singapore’s most eligible bachelors finally tied the knot with South Africa-born model Wendy Jacobs in 1996 at the age of 34. The couple went on to have five sporty children. They are:
Fandi Ahmad (second from right) with his wife, Wendy Jacobs, and children (from left) Iman, Ikhsan (standing in red), Iryan, Ilhan and Irfan. — PHOTO: THE NEW PAPER FILE
Irfan: The 17-year-old, who lit the cauldron with Fandi, is a striker with the national Under-23 football team competing at this SEA Games. Standing at 1.87m, the teenager wears the No. 17 jersey like his famous father and has impressed with his aerial power, eye for goal and willingness to work hard for the team.
Ikhsan: Just like Irfan, 16-year-old Ikhsan is a forward but he plays differently, relying on his bag of tricks and speed to get past markers. Fandi’s second son is currently training with Chilean top division club Universidad Catolica.
Iman: A former sprinter with the Singapore Sports School and once the fastest girl over 100m in primary school competition, the 15-year-old Iman is now making a name for herself as a budding model and fashionista.
Ilhan: Another striker to roll off Fandi’s production line, Ilhan, named after Turkey’s ex-World Cup star Ilhan Mansiz, has already showed plenty of promise. Two years ago, when he was 10, the skinny forward scored four goals to help Anglo-Chinese School (Junior) beat Henry Park Primary 4-3 to win the National Primary Schools Football Championship.
Iryan: Born on National Day in 2006, the cherubic Iryan is the youngest in Team Fandi. Following in the family tradition, he has picked up football and is now a budding player at ACS (Junior).
5. His legend lives on
Fandi Ahmad (right) with wife Wendy Jacobs (centre) as they pose with the football legend’s wax figure at ITE College Central on Oct 8, 2014. — — PHOTO: BH FILE
Off the field, Singapore’s favourite footballing son continues to be adored by the public, who never forgot his contributions to the country.
In 2013, Fandi was honoured by Madame Tussauds with a waxwork in his likeness, joining other Singaporean icons like singer Stefanie Sun and sitcom character Phua Chu Kang. However, wife Wendy cheekily commented that the figure’s buttocks were not as large as her husband’s.
National sports agency Sport Singapore has also honoured Fandi ahead of this SEA Games by producing a video chronicling his childhood. The 12-minute YouTube clip, entitled Ordinary, sees the re-enactment of how the young Fandi is inspired by his late father, former Singapore goalkeeper Ahmad Wartam, to dedicate himself to football.
After months of planning and anticipation, the 28th SEA Games kicked off yesterday evening with a spectacular opening ceremony that drew more than 40,000 people to the new National Stadium, where Singapore sporting legends including C Kunalan, Glory Barnabas, K Jayamani and Ang Peng Siong were thrust into the limelight alongside the country’s current generation of athletes.
Various ASEAN leaders, including Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, were present as Singapore President Tony Tan declared the Games officially open, to raucous cheers.
The three-hour extravaganza of stunning light displays and singing was divided in five acts, showcasing the cultures and traditions of the region as well as the essence of unity, imagination, youth and the efforts of local sporting greats who had once done the nation proud.
And it was perhaps nostalgia that rippled through the crowd of young and old, with families in tow, as parents told their children of a time when the Games first starred at the old National Stadium in 1973, when sprint legend C Kunalan dashed up the steps with the torch, holding on stoically while the flames burnt his hand.
Or of the 1983 Games, and again in 1993 when the biennial event was previously held here, when swimming’s golden girl, Joscelin Yeo, completed a nine-gold feat at the Toa Payoh pool.
As the SEA Games return to Singapore after 22 years, the National Stadium, along with 30 other competition venues around the island, will bear witness as the Republic’s national athletes write their stories of triumph, tears and joy in what is also the biggest event yet as Singapore marks her Golden Jubilee.
As Singapore ushered in the region’s sporting tournament in fine fashion and welcomed over 7,000 athletes and officials here, more than 400 gold medals will be handed out before the Games close on June 16.
Yesterday, from giant trees and orang utans, to flying cranes, turtles and trains, oohs and aahs echoed through the stadium as the giant props came flying through the venue during the five-act show, while Nila the Games mascot provided the “cute” factor, parachuting into the stadium to the delight of the young ones in the crowd.
Amid the celebrations, Singapore also took time to pay tribute to its founding father, former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, in a moving video tribute on his contributions to and thoughts on sports in Singapore. Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, said in his speech at the opening ceremony: “On this night, we also remember to pay tribute to Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Mr Lee played a key part in developing a sporting Singapore. He officially opened our former National Stadium in 1973, when Singapore first hosted the SEA Games. Tonight, we are gathered together once again at the same site in Kallang, but now in a different stadium — in this majestic Sports Hub.”
Touted as the curtain-raiser for the SG50 celebrations, the SEA Games’ main attraction will certainly be the 749 national athletes gunning to win over 50 gold medals to celebrate the nation’s 50th birthday. So it was no surprise that Team Singapore drew the loudest cheers as it made its way into the stadium, as the country and the show paid tribute to the country’s sporting legends, who featured alongside the star attraction of the games, swimmer Joseph Schooling.
But the whistles were reserved for football’s favourite son Fandi Ahmad, the final torchbearer in the inter-generational pairs of current and ex-athletes running the final lap in the stadium. Linking up with eldest son Irfan, the duo lit the Games cauldron at the Kallang waterfront, kicking off what was the start of the 36-sport event.
Talk ahead of the Games had some questioning the choice of Fandi — who has never won a Games gold medal — as the candidate to light the cauldron, but a return to the spiritual home of Singapore football was a special one for the 53-year-old.
“This is my greatest moment,” he said. “I’ve won lots of titles here and there, but this is the greatest one. This is even much more important than scoring a goal in the Malaysia Cup Final. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. (And) it is special doing this with my son because in handing over, I hope he will represent the country in several years to come and hopefully, he can guide other youngsters to score.”
Irfan Fandi admits he did not expected to be called upon so early in the 28th SEA Games during their Group A opener against Philippines on Monday night.
The forward had not been included in the starting line-up, but was thrown into the fray in front of a sold-out Jalan Besar crowd after 36 minutes with the match still scoreless.
“Actually, I was quite surprised to come in so early as I thought the coach would put me in the second half to create more attacking options,” Irfan told the press on Wednesday at the team’s hotel base.
The 17-year-old went on to impress throughout the game with some fine hold-up play, while also creating two good chances for Sahil Suhaimi. He came close to scoring as well, with the Young Lions eventually running out 1-0 victors.
Fandi family cheers on Irfan
Irfan also felt “very honoured” to play in front of his family, with father Fandi Ahmad in the stands while mother Wendy Jacobs watched from the VIP area with his siblings.
“My whole family was there except for my brother (Ikhsan), who’s in Chile, so I just gave everything,” he recalled. “After the game, I saw them and I felt good, and my dad said I played a very good game and should keep on working harder.”
Head coach Aide Iskandar was pleased with Irfan’s performance, adding that his 1.87m frame gives the team a different dimension in attack. The former Lions captain also believes that he is not living in the shadow cast over him by his famous father.
“For Irfan, we must make sure that when he’s given a chance to play, he is able to contribute because there are a lot of expectations on his shoulders,” he explained.
“I believe this boy is strong mentally… a lot of people are comparing him to his father, but I think he’s his own man.”
While Aide remained coy on whether Irfan would start the next game against Myanmar on Thursday, the player himself is more than ready for it.
“I just want to focus on my game,” said Irfan, who is the youngest squad member. “Hopefully, if I start or I don’t start, I will just give my best.”
Adam Swandi (jersey number 5) celebrates as Singapore scores against the Philippines. Photo: SINGSOC/Action Images
Aide: Adam is like Pirlo
However, another starlet in the side looks likely to retain his starting berth, with Aide set to continue using Adam Swandi in central midfield.
It is a new role for the 19-year-old Adam, usually more accustomed to being deployed further upfront, but Aide is confident the skillful teenager can adapt – and drew comparisons between him and Italian maestro Andrea Pirlo.
“For Adam, one thing about him is that he has sublime technique, quite similar to Pirlo,” he said.
“He can orchestrate play from the back and if given a chance to play in front in the number 10 role, I’m pretty sure he can excel now because he knows how to attack and at the same time he also knows how to defend.”
