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Tag: soccer

  • Kadir Yahya: Next FAS Chief Must Be A Game Changer

    Kadir Yahya: Next FAS Chief Must Be A Game Changer

    Kadir Yahaya has had enough of the exchange of words between the two camps tussling for votes at the upcoming Football Association of Singapore (FAS) election.

    Within hours of the official call for election coming from the FAS’ Jalan Besar headquarters on Saturday morning, there were questions over the intentions of some running for office, with character and ability also called into question, and apologies soon demanded.

    Enough.

    “Like it or not, there is a tsunami coming to Singapore football. It’s best to stop bickering and remain focused,” the former Singapore international told The New Paper.

    Kadir, one of the most respected voices in local football, has spent ages thinking about the future of the sport here.

    Long before Hougang United chairman Bill Ng announced his candidacy alongside his Tampines Rovers counterpart Krishna Ramachandra, and even before the FAS finalised its new constitution to allow for a democratic election of its leadership, he had already drawn up a list.

    It was not a list of who can be president to lead football, but what a president has to do to drag the sport out of the doldrums.

    Action plans and policy ideas have to be the focus of anyone aspiring to sit in the sport’s highest office, Kadir told TNP in November, and his stance has not changed, even as more names are being associated with either camp.

    Sources reveal that Dr Dinesh Nair, chairperson of FAS’ medical committee, is in Lim Kia Tong’s camp along with officials from National Football League (NFL) clubs – Darwin Jalil (Eunos Crescent) and Albert Ng (Kembangan United).

    Ng’s camp also includes NFL officials – Harman Ali (GFA) and Md Zaki (Kaki Bukit Sports Club) – along with Tampines vice chairman Chris Wong.

    “I don’t have a preference yet, but whoever wins the election shouldn’t be slapping themselves on the back, because there is a huge task ahead.

    “I hope the president is a hands-on man, maybe even one who takes football as a full time job and is able to make important decisions immediately,” said Kadir, 47.

    He lists foresight, ambition, and straightforwardness as key attributes for the man who will helm the sport.

    “We are at a critical juncture in our football, and if we don’t improve in the next five years, our realistic opponents will be the so-called minnows, countries like Bhutan, Mongolia and Timor Leste. We need a really solid plan,” said the man who led Singapore’s Under-15s to a bronze medal at the 2010 inaugural Youth Olympic Games.

    “I hope he asks the hard questions – of where our football really is compared to our neighbours – and that football is his only agenda.

    “If there are failures in the execution of his plans, he goes public with the facts and not sugar-coat things and hide,” he added.

    “It is important that we analyse what went wrong, be transparent about it, identify what can be changed, then go again. I think the public will accept that approach, and appreciate it.”

    Kadir wants an FAS leadership that understands the average Singapore fan, aims beyond the AFF Suzuki Cup and pulls out all the stops for young footballers to realise their dream.

    “We are at a critical juncture in Singapore football. We are still just focused on the Suzuki Cup and South-east Asia Games. We need to aim higher, but our standards are dropping. There is a lot of work to be done,” said Kadir.

    “This president can be a game changer, he’ll be the first one to be elected… and I hope we get the right man.”

    KADIR’S 10-POINT WISHLIST

    1. President must know the ground intimately.

    2. Aim higher, look beyond the Suzuki Cup and SEA Games.

    3. Inspire young footballers to dream.

    4. Give recognition to icons.

    5. Set up the National Training Centre.

    6. Engage ex-internationals to train youngsters.

    7. Engage amateur footballers through tournaments and even those who play five-a-side football.

    8. Find able successors quickly

    9. Find foreigner talent who can help Singapore.

    10. Name a recognised football figure as a spokesperson.

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • Irfan, Ikhsan Fandi Wanted By Chile Team

    Irfan, Ikhsan Fandi Wanted By Chile Team

    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.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • Special Constable Irfan Fandi – Keeping Singapore Transportation Services Safe

    Special Constable Irfan Fandi – Keeping Singapore Transportation Services Safe

    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.

     

    Source: www.hometeam.sg

  • Rise Of The Laptop Coaches

    Rise Of The Laptop Coaches

    What do a 30-year-old Scot and a pair of 29-year-olds – one German, the other Singaporean – have in common?

    They are all young football coaches who recently made headlines trying to cut it at elite level.

    The German in question is Julian Nagelsmann, who became the youngest-ever Bundesliga manager when he was appointed Hoffenheim’s manager in February.

    Still 28 when he officially began his job, Nagelsmann helped steer the club clear of relegation last season, and has been an even bigger success this season.

    At present, Hoffenheim are one of only two clubs – Real Madrid are the other – from Europe’s top four domestic leagues who are unbeaten in their respective campaigns this season.

    While Nagelsmann has been rightly praised for his work, some of his contemporaries are copping plenty of flak.

    In Scotland, a debate has been raging after Ian Cathro was appointed Heart of Midlothian manager this month.

    The Dundee native has earned a reputation as one of the brightest young coaches in Europe, having spent the last four years as assistant coach at Rio Ave in Portugal, Valencia in Spain, and then at Newcastle United in England.

    But his unveiling as manager of four-time Scottish champions Hearts was vocally met with derision by some, including grizzled ex-pros Stephen Craigan and Kris Boyd.

    Former Scotland striker Boyd even used his newspaper column to predict that the young coach will be “way, way out of his depth”, and even questioned his “character to handle” seasoned pros.

    His scepticism stemmed from an encounter with a “shy” Cathro at a Uefa Pro Licence course.

    “He’s probably not been this excited since Fifa 17 came out on PlayStation,” sniped Boyd.

    Almost 11,000km away from Edinburgh, another up-and-coming young coach also ran into an obstacle.

    The New Paper reported last week that local trainer Firdaus Kassim failed to secure an endorsement from the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) to take his AFC Pro Diploma course in Thailand, where he works as an assistant coach at second division club Chainat FC.

    Firdaus was also part of V Sundramoorthy’s coaching team for the AFF Suzuki Cup, where his primary role was to analyse matches and opponents.

    On why it turned down Firdaus’ request, he FAS explained that there must be a mandatory two-year gap between a coach earning his A License and Pro Diploma.

    Firdaus earned his A License in 2015.

    Singapore’s national football body added that it adopts “a systematic and time-based approach in the development of our young coaches who require a certain amount of practical coaching experience and/or hours before they are ready to undergo the next level of coaching courses accredited by AFC.”

    The circumstances surrounding Firdaus, Nagelsmann and Cathro vary, but they are held together by a common theme.

    All are footballs coaches with little or no playing experience, and this does bring up a talking point.

    Should football administrators be more open towards “academic coaches”, or laptop coaches, as they are sometimes derisively called?

    There is a predominant school of thought which insists that coaches without professional playing careers cannot make it as coaches.

    John Burridge, who was FAS’ goalkeeper coach from 2014 to 2015, shares this view.

    “Them coaches that have never played the game should never ever be teaching players,” said the 65-year-old former goalkeeper, who played for 29 different clubs that included Newcastle and Aston Villa.

    “You must gain experience through playing, it’s the only way. You can’t learn by computer.

    “You don’t know what the hell you are talking about if you have not been out there on the grass.

    “If you haven’t (had a professional career), you are only telling the players what you have read.”

    The famous argument against this, as the great former AC Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi once said, is that you don’t have to previously be a race horse to be a good jockey.

    Sacchi was a former shoe salesman who only played at an amateur level, but led Milan to their first Serie A title for nine years in his first season, and then two European Cups. He also took Italy to the World Cup final in 1994.

    Jose Mourinho is another fine example of a laptop coach who made it all the way to the top, winning league titles in Portugal, England, Spain and Italy.

    Khairul Asyraf, another young Singaporean coach, believes there needs to be a change in attitude towards academic coaches.

    If nurtured properly, Khairul can’t see why they cannot become successful.

    The 32-year-old Khairul, who runs the 2Touch Soccer School with younger brother Khidhir Khamis, told TNP: “In local and maybe regional context, we have not seen a young academic coach take a top division league team so far.

    “The perception change has to happen on many different levels – media, administrators, chairmen and even fellow coaches.

    “But of course you must have talent to help change this perception, and in Singapore right now, the three brightest young talents are Firdaus, Khidhir and (former Warriors FC assistant coach) Gavin Lee.

    “Just like how you would take care of a 17-year-old Hariss Harun or a 16-year-old Fandi Ahmad, these coaching talents must also be taken care of.”

    Khairul has only played at amateur National Football League level, while Khidhir, two years his junior, played in the youth teams of Geylang United (now known as Geylang International).

    Both alumni of Victoria School, Khairul has had experience coaching youth teams of S.League sides Tanjong Pagar, Woodlands Wellington and Balestier Khalsa, while Khidhir has coached the Under-16 team at Geylang, where he also led their youth development programme for a while.

    Khairul said he has never been told directly that academic coaches are not as highly regarded as ex-professionals, but said that he and his brother “get the vibe” that it is the case.

    On the scepticism over academic coaches, Khairul said: “If they are fans, I will ignore them.

    “If they are ex-pro coaches or players, I will say that a very limiting mentality will kill you as a coach or a player.

    “We are coaches and must always have a growth mindset.

    “This is the mindset that enables us to never limit a player.

    “That same idea must apply to coaches who did not play elite football.

    “Gerrard Houllier can’t kick a ball but he has achieved so much.”

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • Zainudin Nordin Has Better Chance Of Joining FIFA Council

    Zainudin Nordin Has Better Chance Of Joining FIFA Council

    The path into the Fifa Council may have just become easier for Zainudin Nordin.

    The outgoing president of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has made known his desire to run for a spot in Fifa’s top decision making body, and was slated to challenge three other men from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) – Chinese Football Association general secretary Zhang Jian, former Iranian Football Federation president Ali Kafashian Naeni and Qatar Football Association (QFA) vice-president Saoud Al-Mohannadi – for two positions.

    With less than two weeks before the AFC Congress on Sept 27 in Goa, there has been no official word from Fifa on its next course of action over Al-Mohannadi.

    This comes after its Ethics Committee recommended that Al-Mohannadi be banned for at least two years and six months for a failure to properly cooperate and provide truthful information to the investigatory chamber in the framework of an investigation unrelated to the awarding of the 2022 Fifa World Cup to Qatar.

    A Fifa spokesman told The New Paper that the organisation “can’t comment on potential scenarios”, but sources suggest that Al-Mohannadi could drop out of the race.

    With Zhang backed by the East Asian Football Federation, he is believed to be a shoo-in for one of the two spots, leaving Zainudin (inset) to battle it out with Kafashian for the remaining slot available on the Fifa Council.

    The FAS president told TNP that there will be no jet-setting around the continent to campaign, and he is not assuming anything with regard to Al-Mohannadi’s situation.

    “That is between the Fifa Ethics Committee and him, and it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the matter. I’m just focused on my candidacy and putting forward what I believe in, and can bring to the table,” he said.

    “I don’t have the kind of resources like some (other candidates in the past) do, and I campaign on my ability and the limited resources that I have.

    “I will write to all Member Associations of AFC to tell them who I am and what I stand for, and I will use the internet and social media to communicate how I can value add to the Council,”

    Zainudin’s candidacy will leverage Singapore’s transparent and clean reputation, focusing on ethics and governance. These are factors he believes are vital, as Fifa aims to close the chapter on the reign of its former president Sepp Blatter, who is now mired in corruption investigations.

    “The FAS has been, at least for the last three years, in the top three National Sports Associations in Singapore, based on Sport Singapore’s governance audits that look at systems, processes and transparency, and that’s something I’m proud of,” said Zainudin, who will step down as president when the association conducts its first election, which is targeted to be held before the end of 2016.

    “Systems and processes are very important for any organisation because that allow its leader to function freely and look at the important bigger picture.

    “Singapore is known for its systems and processes, and that is one of the key reasons why we are clean. It may be tedious to implement, but it’s a vital step.”

    Zainudin is part of the AFC’s Governance Reform Task Force that has already implemented recommendations of a PricewaterhouseCoopers report.

    “We’ve already installed similar processes in the AFC, system that govern procurement, finance, appointments, ethics, appeals, and even whistle blowing. It is something that we should be proud of,” he said.

    “Asean is a part of Asia, and it can be a leader in new things, like the Asean Super League (ASL), something that Asean and even the world can look forward to,” said Zainudin who spearheads the Asean Football Federation committee driving the ASL project.

    Zainudin will reveal his manifesto in the week ahead.

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg