Fandi Ahmad’s two eldest sons Irfan and Ikhsan could turn out for one of Chile’s top-flight clubs in 2018, with a professional football career in South America on the cards for the duo after they complete National Service (NS).
Former Singapore striker Fandi revealed on Friday (March 17) that Chilean side Club Deportivo Universidad Catolica have been in touch regarding the possibility of a return for Irfan, 19 and Ikhsan, 17.
The pair had spent two years with title holders Catolica from 2014 to 2015, before they returned to Singapore last January to sign with S.League giants Home United. In April 2016, they enlisted for NS, with Irfan in the Singapore Police Force and Ikhsan in the army.
Speaking on the sidelines of a Milo event at Plaza Singapura, Fandi said the family had been contacted by Catolica’s technical director of youth development.
“They’ve still got about 11 months (left in NS),” said the 54-year-old. “I’m not sure (whether we will accept) … we will see what happens, because Irfan is doing not too badly with Home and also training with the national (senior) team. I hope he gets better and gets more exposure, and for Ikhsan as well. At the end of the day, we can only advise on what is best for them.”
Irfan, who had previously turned down a four-year contract offer from Catolica in favour of returning to fulfil his NS obligations, has started five of Home’s six games this season. The striker-turned-defender has also been called up to the Lions squad for their upcoming Asian Cup qualifier against Bahrain.
Ikhsan, a striker, has been registered with the Garena Young Lions for 2017, though he has yet to make an appearance.
For 50 years, more than one million National Servicemen have served Singapore with pride and distinction, helping to fulfil our vital need for defence and safety.
The contributions of these National Servicemen will be recognised throughout 2017 as part of NS50, a year-long celebration to recognise past and present National Servicemen from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
For Special Constable 2 (SC2) Irfan Fandi Ahmad, 20, NS was something which took him some time to settle into.
“Before I enlisted into the SPF to serve my NS, I had been focusing on my football career so I took a while to adjust. But after awhile I started to enjoy myself. I made a lot of new friends and learnt a lot of new things,” said SC2 Irfan, who is now serving his NS as a Public Transport Security Command (Transcom) officer.
SC2 Irfan recalls his first two weeks of training as being both mentally and physically challenging.
“After my first book-out, the first thing I did was to go home and have a good dinner with my family. Those first two weeks were really challenging because you don’t get to see your family and your Field Instructors really pushed you to your limits,” said SC2 Irfan.
Despite the initial challenges he faced, SC2 Irfan credits his mentors with building up his discipline and fortitude. Today, he enjoys solving cases and meeting new people while continuing to serving his NS as a Transcom officer.
“NS has taught me the importance of sleeping early, waking up early, training hard and just being focused in everything that I do. I know this is a platform where I can learn new life experiences so I’m going to take it positively and just never give up,” remarked SC2 Irfan.
Irfan Fandi, eldest son of former Singapore captain Fandi Ahmad, has followed in his famous father’s footsteps by representing the Lions as a senior international.
The 19-year-old was named in national caretaker coach V. Sundramoorthy’s starting line-up for the international friendly match against Hong Kong on Tuesday night (Oct 11).
Here are five things to know about the teenager.
Name: Irfan Fandi
Born: Aug 13, 1997
Height: 1.87m
Club: Home United
Position: Striker/ centre-back
1. BRIGHT TALENT
Irfan is widely considered one of Singapore football’s brightest prospects.
In 2014, he was named by British newspaper The Guardian as one of the top 40 young talents in world football.
He was also part of the SEA Games team that crashed out of the group stages in Singapore last year. But he impressed whenever he played, particularly when he set up a goal for forward Faris Ramli against Cambodia in the Under-23 competition.
He is currently serving full-time national service.
2. LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
The public first caught a glimpse of Irfan’s talent at the 2013 Lion City Cup at Jalan Besar Stadium.
Despite the pressure on him because of his famous father, Irfan did not disappoint as he scored against the Under-15s of Arsenal and German club Eintracht Frankfurt.
Apart from his finishing, the teenager impressed with his physical strength, aerial power and sound technique.
Just like his father, Irfan ha previously worn the No. 17 jersey. Fandi picked it as his lucky number as he believes that one and seven adds up to eight, which means prosperity in Chinese.
3. STRONG PHYSIQUE
While Fandi was a pure goal poacher, his son Irfan has begun learning how to terrorise opposing strikers.
Despite his tender age, the Home United player has a strapping physique and has been playing more as a centre-back in the last 12 months.
His aerial ability has come in handy on either end of the pitch and he has impressed Sundram with his defensive abilities.
4. CELEBRITY BABY
His birth made headlines because a parenting magazine paid a five-figure sum to have exclusive publicity rights to the newborn.
Hours after he was born, dad was on the pitch again, playing for S-League club Singapore Armed Forces FC (now Warriors FC). Fandi scored the winner in a 3-2 win over Balestier Central (now Balestier Khalsa) and promptly dedicated the goal to his newborn son.
5. FOOTBALLING SIBLINGS
Singapore football star Fandi Ahmad and South Africa-born model Wendy Jacobs married in 1996 and their first child, Irfan, was born a year later.
Following Irfan are four more siblings – brothers Ikhsan, Ilhan and Iryan, and sister Iman.
Ikhsan, 16, is a striker noted for his ability to dribble at defenders and beat them with individual skill. Ilhan, 13, is named after former Turkey international striker Ilhan Mansiz. In 2013, he scored all four goals for Anglo-Chinese School (Junior) in the National Primary Schools Football Championship final, helping his team beat Henry Park 4-3.
Iryan, born on National Day in 2006, is an attacking midfielder who idolises Brazil star Neymar.
Iman’s favourite sport is tennis, but she has also played football as a defender. Her former primary school (CHIJ Our Lady of the Nativity) offered neither and she took up sprinting instead. In 2012, she won the 100m final in the National Inter-Primary School Track and Field Championships in 13.68sec. The 15-year-old is now a Singapore Sports School student.
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.”
