Rilek1Corner

Tag: Fandi Ahmad

  • Fandi, The Singapore Boy Made Good

    Fandi, The Singapore Boy Made Good

    They wrote him off. He went away to fulfill the prophecy that a prophet has no place in his home town. He became a foreign talent away from home where he was appreciated. They did not give him much of a chance either. He is from a city without talent. And many still appreciate and think that foreign talents from Europe and the Americas are better.

    Fortunately someone was stricken by guilt or felt that Fandi is the best we have and deserved a second chance. There were lots of critics and disbelievers in Fandi. Should have another foreign coach if we are going to do well. Should have more foreign players if we are going to do well. And you can imagine the moral of this Singapore Boy and his charge..

    He soldiers on quietly in his Fandi style. He let his legs do the talking. Fandi is back in the headlines. He has brought back the Malaysian FA Cup with his charge, the LionsXII. We are champions again and Fandi has done it again. Who says we need to do a global search for another foreign talent?

    If we don’t believe in our own talents, if we keep throwing away good money to foreigners, when will our locals be given a chance to grow and make a name for themselves? We will be forever looking up to foreigners, for foreigners, even to be conned by fakes.

    It is so pathetic. First World daft that don’t believe in themselves but in trash? Would this mindset be changed and we start to grow our own timber? Well done Fandi. You have proven yourself and proven them wrong.

     

    Chua Chin Leng aka Redbean

    Source: http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.sg

  • Lions XII Not Woried About Poor Head-to-Head Record With Kelantan

    Lions XII Not Woried About Poor Head-to-Head Record With Kelantan

    The LionsXII may have won just once in seven meetings with their Malaysian FA Cup opponents Kelantan, but they are unfazed by the record going into Saturday’s final.

    Speaking at a press conference at Kuala Lumpur’s Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Friday afternoon, LionsXII coach Fandi Ahmad was all smiles and flashed the thumbs-up sign when asked about Kelantan’s dominance in their encounters.

    He said emphatically: “We will make sure our victory happens. (The head-to-head record) is not so good but we will make it happen.”

    Since the LionsXII joined Malaysian football competition in 2012, their sole victory against Kelantan came in a 1-0 home win during their triumphant 2013 Malaysian Super League (MSL) season.

    This year, Fandi’s men lost 0-2 in Kota Baru in their opening MSL match, but Fandi will be employing tighter marking to neutralise the Red Warriors.

    Said the former Singapore captain: “In these situations, we have to go man-to-man. Kelantan has good wingers and good foreigners. We will have to try to stop before the supply of balls to the forwards starts.”

    Meanwhile, Kelantan coach Azraai Khor played down suggestions that the Red Warriors are the favourites, saying: “The LionsXII are a future national team and have a few national players in their team.

    “The final is a different game (from the league match). It is a different match, different stadium and different environment. At the end of the 90 minutes, we want to be winners, that is the objective.”

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • TNP Readers: Fandi Ahmad Our Choice To Light Cauldron

    TNP Readers: Fandi Ahmad Our Choice To Light Cauldron

    I support Godfrey Robert’s call to give Fandi Ahmad and son, Irfan, the honour of lighting the SEA Games cauldron.

    I am an ordinary female Singaporean in my 50s who does not usually pay too much attention to sports news, but I felt compelled to write to support Fandi for this key SEA Games assignment.

    Fandi is a son of Singapore and his name is immediately recognisable to all Singaporeans.

    So much so that even a non-sports fan like me is aware of how much he has contributed to Singapore in football.

    Like Godfrey pointed out, Fandi earned this honour by dedicating his life to his sport and, in doing so, put Singapore on the international sporting/football arena.

    His time is now! Fandi! Fandi! Fandi!

    – Soo Kim Bee

    I totally agree that Fandi is the right man to light the cauldron. Everyone can associate with him – young and pioneer.

    – Robert Chitty

    I’m in support of giving Fandi Ahmad and his son Irfan the honour of lighting the cauldron on June 5.

    These are the reasons:

    1 Football is the No. 1 sport in Singapore.

    2 He is the most recognisable sportman in Singapore.

    3 He is an inspirational icon with humility and kindness.

    – Rasheedy Hamid

    I fully support Fandi Ahmad and his son, Irfan, to light up the SEA Games cauldron.

    Fandi is the most famous sports personality in Singapore that all Singaporeans are familiar with.

    He is humble, a gentleman and a family man. And not forgetting football can bring the whole nation together, so Fandi’s the right man for the job.

    Hopefully, the footballers can be inspired by him and win the elusive gold medal on home soil.

    – Jason Hc

    I would like to thank Godfrey Robert for standing up for Fandi Ahmad.

    I’ve travelled to Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Australia and some parts of Europe and, 
when some people I meet in those countries find out that I’m from Singapore, they smile and ask me if my name is Fandi Ahmad!

    A lot of people who know football, especially those from Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, have very high regard for Fandi.

    Fandi is not only popular and famous in Singapore, but he also put Singapore on the world map (when he signed for FC Groningen in Holland) long before Marina Bay Sands got famous.

    – Azariamin

    Fandi Ahmad is Singapore’s favourite footballing son.

    He is humble and a popular figure in the local football community.

    But since it’s SG50, the honour to light the SEA Games cauldron should go to someone who has won an Olympic medal before.

    My choice to light the cauldron is pioneer citizen Tan Howe Liang (who won a silver medal in weightlifting at the 1960 Rome Games).

    – Chiang Ging Seng

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • FAS Set Football Final Target, Coach Aide Out With Dengue

    FAS Set Football Final Target, Coach Aide Out With Dengue

    The goal was to end all confusion over player movement between the Singapore Under-23 team and the LionsXII, as the country enters the final straight of its preparations for the 28th South-east Asia (SEA) Games, which it will host from June 5 to 16.

    In a shock development, however, it was announced at a media briefing by the technical team of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) yesterday that Under-23 head coach Aide Iskandar had been warded for dengue fever.

    It is not known how long Aide (below), 39, will be out, but the FAS stated that assistant coaches Kadir Yahaya and S Subramani will lead the team while he recovers.

    Despite the setback, national teams head coach Bernd Stange said in no uncertain terms that the SEA Games target was a place in the final, which will be played at the National Stadium on June 15.

    Speaking to The New Paper, the German said all parties – the players, coaches and the FAS – are convinced it is an achievable target.

    “We cannot say we don’t have a high objective; we want to deliver at the SEA Games, and that is to play in the final,” he said.

    “That target is important for the fans, the players, the whole country.

    “This Under-23 team are the base of our future, and so we need a top performance from them.”

    Stange, along with Aide and LionsXII coach Fandi Ahmad, have agreed on a strategy involving four players that are wanted by both teams.

    A 30-man Singapore Under-23 squad will enter centralised training on Friday and the SEA Games team will then head to Japan on May 10 for a week-long tour which includes two friendly matches.

    LionsXII players Faris Ramli, Sahil Suhaimi, Christopher van Huizen and Zakir Samsudin will be made available, though, for the Malaysian Super League’s side FA Cup semi-final first leg against Terengganu on May 9 at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

    They will leave the Under-23s camp on May 7 and return to the fold before flying off for Japan three days later.

    The quartet will not be available for the second leg of the Malaysian FA Cup semi-final on May 16 in Kuala Terengganu, but will be released again should Fandi’s side qualify for the final on May 23.

    Subramani said it was important to have all 30 players together for Japan – the squad will be reduced to 20 upon the team’s return – but the coaches recognised the psychological boost the four players would gain playing in the first leg of the semi-final, and possibly the final.

    Fleet-footed attacker Faris, 22, had been prepared to miss the cup-ties, and is over the moon over the decision.

    “As players, we always give our best to whichever team we are playing for, so I was prepared to miss out on the FA Cup.

    “But now, I hope to do all I can to ensure the team carry a good result into the second leg.”

    Similar to the 2013 campaign, Stange will play an active role in the make-up of the final 20-man squad.

    The football tournament will begin almost a week before the opening ceremony on June 5, with the hosts kicking off Group A action against the Philippines on June 1 at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

    The Young Lions will also play Indonesia, Myanmar and Cambodia in the group stage, and Stange warned that they could not afford to underestimate any opponent.

    “Other than playing on home ground, it is a small advantage to be in a group which has one less team (from Group B),” he added.

    Group B features reigning champions Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei and Timor Leste.

    Sea games team will be ready

    Results in the S.League have been poor, with Aide Iskandar’s Courts Young Lions showing just one point – a 1-1 draw with Hougang United – from six games.

    The majority of the team are in the Singapore Under-23 squad that Aide will lead into battle in June’s South-east Asia (SEA) Games on home soil, and the performances in the domestic competition raised concerns over the side’s chances of doing well.

    After an 8-1 trouncing by the Japan Olympic team in February, the Singapore Under-23s also crashed 3-1 to unsung Cambodia at home last month.

    At present, most fans do not believe Aide’s team will achieve the target of reaching the SEA Games final on June 15.

    But Young Lions assistant coach S Subramani is confident the team will be ready, as they enter the final stages of preparations ahead of their opening Group A game against the Philippines on June 1 at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

    “The results have definitely not been good, but we are quietly confident we will do well at the SEA Games,” the former international defender told The New Paper, on the sidelines of a training session at the Singapore Sports School yesterday.

    Mani pointed to newly installed assistant coach Kadir Yahaya as a key move, as the appointment has injected some much-needed team spirit within the ranks.

    “The boys have been working hard as we focus on their physical and mental preparation,” the 42-year-old added.

    “By June 1 we will be ready, but, as in any competition, winning the first game is crucial.

    “A win against the Philippines will boost the team’s confidence even further.”

    Crucial right now is for Aide to get back with the squad, after it was revealed yesterday that he was in hospital being treated for dengue fever.

    The Under-23s’ 30-man training squad will come together for centralised training on May 1, with a tour of Japan scheduled from May 10 to 17.

    The final squad of 20 will be announced after the tour.

    TOP PRIORITY

    Top priority for the team is to form a solid back four – something Mani said is still a work in progress.

    Of late, the Young Lions have tinkered with five different players in central defence, including 17-year-old striker Irfan Fandi, whose aerial prowess is critical at set-pieces at both ends of the pitch.

    Right-back and team captain Al-Qaasimy Rahman believes the team have started to gel.

    “It has been said that our team do not have the same quality as the 2013 SEA Games team (which bagged the bronze), but we are determined to make up for it with great team spirit,” said the 23-year-old.

    “The centralised training sessions will help bond us even further. We will be at our peak by the time the SEA Games is here.

    “That is my team’s promise to all our fans.”

    30-MAN SINGAPORE UNDER-23 TRAINING SQUAD


    Goalkeepers:

    • Syazwan Buhari
    • Fashah Iskandar
    • Rudy Khairullah

    Defenders:

    • Shakir Hamzah
    • Al-Qaasimy Rahman
    • Sheikh Abdul Hadi
    • Fadli Kamis
    • Amirul Adli
    • Irfan Fandi
    • Taufiq Muqminin
    • Zakir Samsudin
    • Nurullah Hussein
    • Ho Wai Loon

    Midfielders:


    • Faris Ramli
    • Safirul Sulaiman
    • Stanely Ng
    • Anumanthan
    • Mohan Kumar
    • Shamil Sharif
    • Adam Swandi
    • Muhaimin Suhaimi
    • Shameer Aziq
    • Afiq Mat Noor
    • Christopher van Huizen
    • R Suria Prakash
    • Pravin Guanasagaran
    • Shahfiq Ghani

    Strikers:

    • Sahil Suhaimi
    • Iqbal Hussain
    • Amy Recha Pristifana
    • Taufik Suparno

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • Irfan Fandi Makes S League Debut At 17 Years Old

    Irfan Fandi Makes S League Debut At 17 Years Old

    Just hours after signing for the Courts Young Lions, Irfan Fandi made his S.League debut as his team took on Tampines Rovers on Thursday night.

    The eldest son of Singapore football legend Fandi Ahmad, who turns 18 later this year, will link up with what is essentially the national Under-23 side until 30 June in order to be part of their preparations for the upcoming SEA Games.

    Irfan, who stands at a strapping 1.86 metres despite his age, was deployed in a centre-back role instead of his usual position as a striker at Jurong West Stadium.

    The teenager acquitted himself well enough at the back with a few no-nonsense clearances, while weighing in with one or two solid tackles. He was also involved in some robust challenges and the number 23’s night ended when he was taken off after 62 minutes in a 1-0 loss.

    It was not Irfan’s first time playing as a defender, having been deployed in the position the Singapore U22s’ recent 3-0 loss to Cambodia’s senior side in a friendly a week ago.

    Irfan, who is on the books of Chilean top-flight side Universidad Catolica, noted that the style of play was different from what he had experienced in South America.

    “I think it was a very good experience for me because the way they play here is different,” he said. “It’s more physical, so I am going have to get used to that and just give my best every time I play.
    “I thought we played really well and I think everyone gave their best; we were just unlucky [to lose].”

    Coach Aide Iskandar explained after the game that Irfan was used as a makeshift defender as captain
    Shakir Hamzah was ruled out due to injury and he was satisfied with his display.

    “I think he did well and now he gives me good options [as] he can play [both] upfront and at the back,” the former national captain said.

    Irfan is likely to see action in his usual striker role as the season goes on, having already proven himself as a threat after scoring a goal each in his last two games for the U23s in their friendly defeats to Japan U22s and Syria U23s last month.

    Touted as one of local football’s brightest prospects and tipped to emulate his father, Irfan will be vying for a spot in the U23s team that will be gunning for a first-ever gold medal in football when the Games come around in June.

     

    Source: https://sg.sports.yahoo.com