Four men who were earlier charged for allegedly conspiring to fix a SEA Games football match faced additional charges on Friday (Jun 5).
Rajendran R Kurusamy, 55, was charged with agreeing with the other three accused to offer money to at least seven other players in Timor Leste’s SEA Games football team so that they would lose the match against Malaysia on May 30.
He was also charged with giving S$1,000 to Orlando Marques Henriques Mandes, the Technical Director of the Football Federation of Timor Leste, to arrange for his football team to lose the Malaysia match. He was previously accused of agreeing to give S$15,000 to Orlando as a reward.
Orlando was given two additional charges, for accepting the S$1,000 and offering money to the said players in his football team.
Former Timor Leste football player Moises Natalino De Jesus and Indonesian Nasiruudin were given an additional charge each for conspiring to bribe the football players.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Navin Naidu said that the prosecution had asked for bail not to be extended to the four accused as there was a high risk of them absconding Singapore, given previous incidents of match-fixers doing so.
DPP Navin was also worried that letting the accused parties out on bail meant that they could tamper with other witnesses. It was previously reported that not all persons-of-interest have been apprehended.
No plea from the accused parties was taken by the court. However, Orlando objected to the prosecution’s no-bail request, saying that he needed to look for a lawyer.
He also said that he did not consent to the offences he was alleged to have committed and that it was “just an offer made to the players”. Orlando claimed there was no black-and-white agreement signed pertaining to the alleged offences.
Rajendran, who is represented by defence counsel Edmond Pereira, will have his case heard on Jun 10, where his lawyer will make a submission for bail to be offered. The prosecution maintained their stance for bail not to be offered.
No bail was offered to the other three accused, who are unrepresented. Their case is fixed for a pre-trial conference on Jun 15 at 3pm.
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.”
A top Sabah Parks official has confirmed that one of the two bodies brought down from Mount Kinabalu on Friday (June 5) belonged to a 12-year-old Singaporean girl.
Dr Jamili Nais, Director of Sabah Parks, told The New Paper over the phone that the deceased person’s family was being notified.
The student was among a group of 29 students and eight teachers from Tanjong Katong Primary School who went on the trip.
A parent of a girl student on the trip, who declined to be named, said that the group were on a student leaders’ trip called the Omega Challenge.
Meanwhile, all students and teachers of Greenridge and FuchunSecondary Schools have returned to Singapore at 12.20am on Saturday (June 6), the Ministry of Education said in a statement.
These include 32 students and four teachers from GreenridgeSecondary School, and 26 students and four teachers from FuchunSecondary School.
Parents have been kept updated on this and the situation throughout the day.
For the families of the eight students and two teachers of Tanjong Katong Primary School who are missing, arrangements are being made to fly them to Kota Kinabalu on Saturday (June 6) morning.
Eight students and two teachers from Tanjong Katong Primary School (TKPS) who were on a school trip to Mount Kinabalu were uncontactable after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Sabah yesterday (June 5).
They were among a total of 29 students and eight teachers from TKPS on the excursion. In a statement issued at about 9pm, a Ministry of Education (MOE) spokesperson said others had been accounted for.
“We are continuing efforts to contact the remaining (students and teachers). Parents have been informed and kept updated on the situation,” the spokesperson said.
Fifty-eight students and eight teachers from two other schools — Fuchun Secondary and Greenridge Secondary — were also on Mount Kinabalu when the quake occurred. They were safe, and arrangements had been made for them to return to Singapore, said the spokesperson. They arrived at Changi Airport after midnight yesterday. MOE officials were at the airport to receive the students and teachers. In a statement issued at about 12.30am, MOE said arrangements were being made to fly the families of students and teachers who were unaccounted for to Kota Kinabalu this morning.
Education Minister Heng Swee Keat told TODAY: “A team of MOE officials and our teachers and counsellors will be together with the team , and will be together with the parents to give our utmost support. We are also working with the Malaysian authorities to give every assistance possible to continue with this operation.”
“It is a very difficult time for the parents and … a very difficult time for everyone.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has despatched a Crisis Response Team (CRT) to Sabah to help Singaporeans there. Singapore’s High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur has also contacted Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to offer support.
The quake struck near the mountain around 7.15 am yesterday, jolting a wide area of Sabah. Tremors were felt as far as the northern Kudat and Kota Marudu districts, and Beaufort in the south.
Since news of the quake broke yesterday morning, parents and relatives continued to stream in to TKPS throughout the day. The Malaysian media reported that two bodies, believed to be of a local guide and a 12-year-old female Singaporean student, had been recovered from Mount Kinabalu. When TODAY visited TKPS, parents and relatives were seen going in and out of the school premises deep into the night. Some had been there since morning, waiting for updates.
A parent, Mr James Ho, said: “For 12 hours, all we saw were teachers, the principal comforting us (and) giving us food. But beyond the school, we are not seeing any help.”
Another parent, Mr Sadri Farick, said he had been informed that his son Emyr Uzayr, who is in Primary 6, had been found with leg injuries, but there were no details. “We got news from one of the boys that there were boulders dropping in front (of them) and (their path) was cut off. I’m very upset by the information and resources we’re getting.”
Primary 6 student Emyr Uzayr was rescued with leg injuries, according to his father Sadri Farick. The extent of his injuries is not known. Photo: Sadri Farick
Posting on Facebook at about 10.40pm, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said: “We are doing all we can to reach them and I really hope they are alright.” Mr Lee said that the authorities had contacted their Malaysian counterparts yesterday afternoon to offer support and help. “My thoughts are with those affected by the earthquake, and their families,” he added.
About half an hour later, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat also posted on Facebook: “Our hearts and thoughts are with the families of the students and staff of Tanjong Katong Primary School… We will do all we can to find the missing students and teachers in Mount Kinabalu.”
Mr Heng, who visited TKPS at close to 1am, added that MOE staff are in touch with the families of these students and teachers.
Foreign Minister K Shanmugam also took to the social networking site, saying that he had been monitoring the incident. He also outlined the efforts by his ministry to provide assistance to Singaporeans in Sabah. “My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected in the disaster,” he said.
MFA said that there are more than 100 registered Singaporeans in Sabah during the earthquake. As of 7.30pm yesterday, the ministry has contacted the majority of them and they were safe.
