Fandi Ahmad

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This is a Malay name; the name Ahmad is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Fandi.

Fandi Ahmad (born 29 May 1962) is a Singaporean association football coach and former professional player. He was mainly a striker, but could also play as a midfielder. He played for Malaysia Cup state sides Singapore FA, Kuala Lumpur FA and Pahang FA, winning titles with all three, including two Doubles in 1992 and 1994, as well as the Golden Boot in 1988. Other clubs he played for include Niac Mitra (Indonesia), FC Groningen (Netherlands), Geylang United (Singapore) and Singapore Armed Forces FC (SAFFC). With the Singapore national football team, Fandi won 101 caps, scored 52 goals, won three Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) silver medals and was captain from 1993 to 1997. Besides managing SAFFC and Pelita Jaya (Indonesia), he has served as assistant national coach and runs the Fandi Ahmad Academy. As a 1994 winner of the Pingat Bakti Masyarakat (state medal), the first Singaporean footballer to play in Europe, first Singaporean millionaire sportsperson and first Singaporean sportsperson to have a published biography, Fandi is widely considered a national legend.[foot 1] His father is former national goalkeeper Ahmad Wartam and he has five children with his wife, South African model Wendy Jacobs.

Contents

[edit] Early years

As a young child, Fandi was obsessed with football and spent much of his time kicking a ball around his house and outside with his friends. His family lived in two rooms in Woodbridge Hospital, and he had to sell nasi lemak to help support them.[5][9] Since his father Ahmad Wartam was then the national goalkeeper,[10] Fandi started playing as a goalkeeper, but switched to playing in midfield by advice from a school teacher.[11] When he was 12, his parents divorced, after which he lived with his father and paternal grandparents. At Serangoon Gardens Secondary School, he played for the school football team, but neglected his studies and was retained. He then transferred to the Singapore Vocational Institute and obtained a National Trade Certificate 3. He played for Kaki Bukit Football Club in the amateur National Football League, where he was spotted by Singapore FA coach Sebastian Yap.[12]

[edit] Club career

Fandi joined Singapore FA in 1979 and quickly became a regular in the Singapore FA midfield, scoring four goals in his first Malaysia Cup season. The retirement of Arshad Khamis and Dollah Kassim prompted Jita Singh, the new Singapore FA coach, to play Fandi as a striker. During the 1980 Malaysia Cup season, he netted eight goals, including the winning goal in the final against Selangor FA.[13] He enlisted for National Service in September 1980 and was given light duties, such as collecting the camp garbage, to concentrate on football and continue playing for Singapore FA. In 1981, Fandi won the FAS Footballer of the Year award for helping Singapore FA reach the Malaysia Cup final.[10] The following year, Singapore FA did not play in the Malaysia Cup for political reasons, and Fandi had to undergo a shoulder operation that sidelined him for six weeks, leading to an early discharge from National Service.[14]

Selangor FA invited Fandi to play for them against Argentine club Boca Juniors in a friendly game, in which he scored the only goal for Selangor FA as they lost 1–2. He then received offers from several Malaysia Cup teams, Indonesian Galatama League champions Niac Mitra, Swiss club Young Boys and Ajax from the Netherlands. After a three-week trial with Ajax, the Dutch club offered Fandi a three-year contract,[15] but he chose to sign a one-year contract with Niac Mitra instead. During his sole season with Niac Mitra, Fandi helped them successfully defend their title and was the third-highest scorer in the Galatama League with 13 goals. A friendly match between Niac Mitra and Arsenal of England saw him grab a goal in a 2–0 victory; however, he had to leave the club due to a sudden Galatama League ban on foreign players.[16]

In 1983, Fandi did move to the Netherlands, signing a two-year contract with FC Groningen. A thigh injury in a friendly match kept him out for ten weeks, but in his Eredivisie debut, he bagged a brace in a 2–0 victory over Go Ahead Eagles. Three days later, he played in the first leg of an UEFA Cup second-round match against Internazionale of Italy, scoring the second goal in a 2–0 upset win, though he could not prevent a 1–5 defeat in the second leg.[17] The Groningen fans voted Fandi the Most Popular Player and Most Skillful Player that season, as he scored 10 goals in 29 games to help the Dutch club rise from ninth to fifth place in the Eredivisie. As an April Fools' Day joke, The Straits Times published a front-page story claiming that Manchester United had signed Fandi.[18] However, his second season was marred by a recurrence of the thigh injury and a falling out with the coach. He played only two full games that season and Groningen decided not to offer him a new contract.[19] During his time in the Netherlands, Fandi scored 11 league goals in 36 league games for Groningen.[20]

The next club that Fandi played for was Malaysia Cup side Kuala Lumpur FA. In 1987, he and Malek Awab led the capital club to their first Malaysia Cup title. The following season, they were Malaysia Cup champions again; Fandi won the Golden Boot with 21 goals.[21] After helping Kuala Lumpur FA win a third consecutive Malaysia Cup, he signed a two-year contract with Greek club OFI Crete in 1990, but problems with his International Transfer Certificate prevented him from playing for them, so he left Greece after two months.[22] Fandi then joined Pahang FA, where he reverted to playing mainly in midfield due to his advancing age.[23] Despite missing several months because of heel and thigh injuries, he scored three goals to help Pahang FA win the Malaysia Cup and Malaysian League Double in 1992.[24] That year, he also became the first Singaporean millionaire sportsperson.[5]

Relegation to the second tier of the Malaysian League prompted Singapore FA to successfully persuade Fandi to rejoin them. After achieving promotion and reaching the Malaysia Cup final in 1993, Singapore FA finished the 1994 season as Malaysia Cup and Malaysian League champions. Captain Fandi played in 39 of Singapore FA's 41 games in the Double-winning season, emerged as the top scorer with 26 goals and was voted Player of the Season;[25][26] he was also awarded a state medal, the Pingat Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Medal).[10] The following season, Singapore FA withdrew from the Malaysia Cup and a fully professional Singaporean league, the S.League, was formed. Its inaugural season, in 1996, saw Fandi captain Geylang United and emerge as joint top scorer with 11 goals, including the equaliser that confirmed the Eagles as league champions. The Asian Football Confederation thus declared him the Player of the Month of June 1996.[27][28] In addition, his club were given special dispensation to pay him thrice the S.League salary cap.[9] His playing career concluded with three seasons at SAFFC, during which they won two S.League titles and two Singapore Cups. Injuries limited him to mainly short substitute appearances, but he continued to net crucial goals, notably a brace against Cambodian side Royal Dolphins in the Asian Club Championship, until his retirement in 1999.[29][30]

[edit] International career

From 1979 to 1997, Fandi made 101 appearances for the Singapore national football team,[foot 2] scoring 52 goals and earning a place in the Asian Football Confederation Hall of Fame.[6] He started as captain of the national youth team that won the Lion City Cup in 1976 and 1977,[5] then joined the senior national team on a tour of Russia, playing in two friendly games there and bagging a brace in the second.[13] His first senior cap came at 17 years, 3 months and 23 days, making him Singapore's youngest-ever full international, until his record was broken by Hariss Harun in 2007.[31] However, in his first international competition, the 1979 SEA Games, he could not score in four matches. After scoring against India and North Korea in the Olympic Games qualifiers, Fandi failed to find the net in three FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. He bounced back in the 1981 Ovaltine Cup, scoring all Singapore goals in the 3–2 aggregate victory over Malaysia.[15] A goal in a 1–2 loss to Thailand in the 1981 King's Cup was followed by a hat-trick against the Philippines at the 1981 SEA Games. In 1992, Fandi scored twice against Nepal and once against Thailand in the King's Cup, then grabbed a goal when Singapore beat Malaysia 3–1 in the Ovaltine Cup.[32]

The following year, Fandi helped Singapore clinch their first of three SEA Games silver medals, with two goals in a 3–0 group stage win over Brunei and another brace against Malaysia in the semi-final. Despite suffering an ankle injury in the 1–2 final defeat by Thailand,[33] he played through the pain barrier in the 1983 Merlion Cup, netting in a historic 1–0 semi-final upset of China.[18] The second SEA Games silver medal came in 1985, with Fandi scoring against Malaysia and the Philippines in the group stage, then grabbing two goals against Brunei in the semi-final. At the 1989 SEA Games, Fandi scored in the 4–0 victory over Myanmar that took Singapore past the group stages, the last-minute winner in the semi-final against defending champions Indonesia and Singapore's consolation goal in the 1–3 final defeat by Malaysia. This completed the hat-trick of silver medals, though in 2007, he said that "not winning the SEA Games gold medal" was among "his biggest regrets".[5] Fandi also played at the 1990 Asian Games and scored in the 6–1 thrashing of Pakistan.[32]

The 1991 SEA Games saw Fandi net both Singapore goals against Myanmar in the group stage, only to be substituted in the semi-final match, after Indonesian fullback Herry Setyawan elbowed him in the eye. Without Fandi, that match ended goalless and the Lions crashed out on penalties;[34] he also missed their failed attempt to qualify for the 1992 Asian Cup with a heel injury.[35] At the 1993 SEA Games, captain Fandi scored a hat-trick in the 7–0 rout of the Philippines, followed up with the second Singapore goal in the 3–3 semi-final draw with Myanmar and netted once in the 3–1 win over Indonesia that secured a bronze medal for Singapore. He also played in the inaugural Tiger Cup, scoring an equaliser against Malaysia, another goal against Brunei and a brace against the Philippines. 1997 was a disappointing year for Fandi, who failed to score in the Dunhill Cup and the World Cup qualifiers. After the 1997 SEA Games, where his goal in the semi-final could not prevent a 1–2 defeat to Indonesia, he retired from international football.[32]

[edit] Coaching career

With his playing career over, Fandi switched to coaching, starting as the assistant to Vincent Subramaniam, then national coach, for the 1999 SEA Games, where Singapore finished fourth.[8] In 2000, he became coach of former club SAFFC and guided them to the S.League title, a feat which won him the S.League Coach of the Year Award.[36] Under Fandi, the Warriors ended the 2001 season trophyless and were 2002 S.League champions by a 20-point margin.[37] Fandi then simultaneously served as assistant national coach,[8] helping Singapore win the Tiger Cup in 2005,[2] and coach of the Young Lions, which he led from bottom of the S.League in 2003 to two third-place finishes in 2004 and 2006.[38]

In November 2006, Fandi joined Indonesian outfit Pelita Jaya,[4] where he adopted a youth policy that helped them win promotion from the second division,[39] then guided the club to two mid-table finishes in the Indonesia Super League before leaving them in March 2010.[40] Besides being a scout for Italian club Vicenza Calcio and a regional project manager for the Genova International Soccer School,[3] he runs the Fandi Ahmad Academy, which organises training programmes and overseas opportunities for talented young Singaporean footballers.[1] One of seven Singaporean coaches with a professional AFC coaching diploma,[39] Fandi is widely considered a future national coach, despite declining an offer to manage the Singapore LIONSXII team in the Malaysian Super League.[3]

[edit] Beyond football

A devout Muslim,[9] Fandi avoids scandals, does not smoke or drink,[41] and is often described as humble,[7] filial and compassionate.[4] South African model Wendy Jacobs has been his wife since 1996 and the couple have five children;[42] the eldest two are youth footballers who impressed at trials at Arsenal, English club Chelsea and Italian side AC Milan.[43] He is also the first Singaporean sportsperson to have a published biography, released in 1993 under the title The Fandi Ahmad Story, which sold seventeen thousand copies in two months and was translated into the Malay language.[44]

Products that Fandi has endorsed include Royal Sporting House sportswear,[9] Uncle Tobys cereal, Carnation Milk and energy drink Isomax.[41] In 1996, he released a music album, containing English and Malay songs, and produced Meniti Pelangi, a television programme about disadvantaged Malay Singaporeans.[9] Three years later, he started a restaurant and a car dealership, but both closed down within two years.[4] He has also served as an ambassador for national anti-smoking and anti-drug campaigns,[7][18] raised funds for victims of the 2004 Indonesian tsunami and participated in a Northeast Community Development Council initiative to organise community service programmes.[45]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Reliable sources have described Fandi as a "Singapore football legend",[1] "Singapore's favourite footballing son",[2] a "national football icon",[3] "Singapore's most celebrated footballer",[4] "the country's golden boy of football",[5] "the most well known face of Singapore sport",[6] "the best of his generation",[7] "one of Singapore's greatest footballers ever" and "one of Asia's best players".[8]
  2. ^ Football Association of Singapore records from this period were not accepted by FIFA, so Fandi is not listed in the FIFA Century Club.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Fandi Ahmad Academy hopes to send youth abroad to turn professional", Channel NewsAsia, 18 May 2011.
  2. ^ a b Wang Meng Meng, "Singapore soccer through Fandi's eyes", The New Paper, 24 January 2005.
  3. ^ a b c Sanjay Nair, "Fandi unlikely to coach Singapore Lions", The Straits Times, 5 August 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d "Fandi is too nice for his own good", The Sunday Times, 12 November 2006.
  5. ^ a b c d e Jose Raymond, "A superstar's sacred ground", TODAY, 27 June 2007.
  6. ^ a b Santokh Singh, "Ball starts rolling to honour 4 players", The Straits Times, 29 April 1999.
  7. ^ a b c Nick Edwards, "Top Singapore soccer star espouses humility", Reuters, 17 May 1998.
  8. ^ a b c G Sivakkumaran, "Fandi named as Sivaji's assistant", The Straits Times, 7 January 2003.
  9. ^ a b c d e Murray Hiebert, "Singapore's soccer star takes a shine to business", Far Eastern Economic Review, 17 April 1997.
  10. ^ a b c "Fandi Ahmad's milestones", The Sunday Times, 12 November 2006.
  11. ^ Yeo, pp. 9–16
  12. ^ Yeo, pp. 17–22
  13. ^ a b Yeo, pp. 23–27
  14. ^ Yeo, pp. 31–34
  15. ^ a b Yeo, pp. 35–41
  16. ^ Yeo, pp. 46–49
  17. ^ Yeo, pp. 54–57
  18. ^ a b c Yeo, pp. 58–61
  19. ^ Yeo, pp. 64–67
  20. ^ "Player profile" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. http://www.vi.nl/Spelers/Speler.htm?dbid=38794&typeofpage=84137. Retrieved 31 December 2011. 
  21. ^ Yeo, pp. 82–86
  22. ^ Yeo, pp. 106–108
  23. ^ Peter Khoo, "Fandi hits full throttle in striker's role", The Straits Times, 16 December 1992.
  24. ^ "Fading star Fandi up against rising star Farid", The Straits Times, 12 November 1992.
  25. ^ Peter Khoo, "The perfect end to Singapore's 14-year drought", The Sunday Times, 18 December 1994.
  26. ^ Dan Guen Chin, "Fandi helps Geylang to inaugural title", The New Straits Times, 15 June 1996.
  27. ^ "Singapore's Fandi Ahmad is AFC's player of the month", Agence France-Presse, 3 July 1996.
  28. ^ "No medal, but Fandi will still keep on kicking", The Straits Times, 12 October 1999.
  29. ^ Godfrey Robert, "I want to play", The Straits Times, 3 December 1999.
  30. ^ Leonard Lim, "Lions off to winning start in Invitational opener", The Straits Times, 25 June 2007.
  31. ^ a b c Neil Morrison, "Fandi Ahmad – Century of International Appearances", Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, 3 January 2012.
  32. ^ Yeo, pp. 50–53
  33. ^ Peter Khoo, "Penalty shoot-out agony for Lions", The Straits Times, 3 December 1991.
  34. ^ Joe Dorai, "Lions let down by strikers, lack of fitness", The Straits Times, 28 April 1992.
  35. ^ "Fandi wins Coach of the Year Award", Channel NewsAsia, 7 October 2000.
  36. ^ Jeffrey Low, "You C, this is how the Warriors did it this year", The Sunday Times, 3 November 2002.
  37. ^ Sharani Khamis, "This one's for you, Fandi", TODAY, 8 November 2006.
  38. ^ a b David Lee, "Fandi's ready to help", The New Paper, 23 January 2011.
  39. ^ Wang Meng Meng, "Fandi back in Singapore to take care of wife", The Straits Times, 19 March 2010.
  40. ^ a b Yeo, pp. 146–149.
  41. ^ Jamie Ee, "Wendy Jacobs may leave hospital this week", The Sunday Times, 1 March 2009.
  42. ^ S Murali, "I am going to Europe", The New Paper, 14 October 2010.
  43. ^ Tuminah Sapawi, "Fandi's story translated into Malay", The Straits Times, 28 October 1993.
  44. ^ Li Xueying, "Well-known figures engaged by CDC to galvanise youth", The Straits Times, 29 January 2005.

[edit] Bibliography

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