Fandi Ahmad
Fandi Ahmad was born in Singapore on May 29th, 1962 and is the Soccer Player. At the age of 61, Fandi Ahmad biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 61 years old, Fandi Ahmad has this physical status:
Fandi bin Ahmad (born 29 May 1962) is a Singaporean former footballer who is now the head coach of Singapore's Young Lions.
He primarily played as a striker, but he also played as a midfielder.
He competed for Malaysian FA, Kuala Lumpur FA, and Pahang FA, and gained trophies with all three teams, including two Doubles in 1992 and 1994 and the Golden Boot in 1988.
Fandi has also played for Niac Mitra (Indonesia), Groningen (Netherlands), Geylang United (Singapore) and SAFFC (Singapore).
Fandi won 101 caps, scored 55 goals, and was captain of three Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) from 1993 to 1997.
He worked with SAFFC, Pelita Raya (Indonesia), and Johor Darul Takzim (Malaysia). He was assistant national coach and worked at the Fandi Ahmad Academy.
Fandi was voted the first Singaporean footballer to play in Europe, the first Singaporean millionaire sportsman, and the first Singaporean sportsperson to have a published biography.
He and his partner, South African model Wendy Jacobs, have five children, and his father, Ahmad Wartam, a former national goalkeeper, have five children.
According to The Straits Times in 1999, Fandi was ranked sixth in a list of Singapore's Top Athletes of the Century.
Early life
Fandi, a young boy, was obsessed with football and spent a lot of his time playing football. His family lived in a two-bedroom public housing project in Hougang. His family was in school; Fandi was forced to sell nasi lemak to help support the family. Ahmad Wartam, Fandi's father, was then a goalkeeper for the national team. Fandi started playing as a goalkeeper, but a teacher told him to shift to midfield.
His parents divorced when he was 12, during which he spent with his father and paternal grandparents. Fandi, a student at Serangoon Gardens Secondary School, competed for the school football team but didn't finish his studies and was suspended a year. He then moved to the Singapore Vocational Institute and obtained a National Trade Certificate 3. In the amateur National Football League, he played for Kaki Bukit Football Club, where Singapore FA coach Sebastian Yap found him.
Club career
Fandi made his debut in 1979 with Singapore FA, scoring four goals in his first Malaysia Cup debut. Jita Singh, the current Singapore FA coach, wanted to play Fandi as a striker following Arshad Khamis and Dollah Kassim's departure. Fandi scored eight goals, including the winning goal in the final against Selangor FA, during the 1980 Malaysia Cup season. In September 1980, he enlisted for National Service and was given light duties, including collecting the camp garbage, so he could continue playing for Singapore FA. In 1981, Fandi was named FAS Footballer of the Year for his contribution to Singapore's FA's promotion of the Malaysia Cup Final. The following year, Singapore FA did not participate in the Malaysia Cup for political reasons, and Fandi underwent a shoulder surgery; he could not play football for six weeks and was released early from National Service.
Fandi was invited by Selangor FA to play against Boca Juniors, which featured Diego Maradona, in a friendly game in which Fandi scored the only goal for Selangor FA; the score was 2–1. Multiple Malaysia Cup teams, Indonesian side Niac Mitra, Swiss club Young Boys, and Dutch side Ajax all extended offers, including Fandi. After a three-week trial, Ajax gave Fandi a three-year deal, but Fandi decided against Niac Mitra, where he spent one season with them and was the third-highest scorer with 13 goals. Fandi scored a goal in a 2–0 win over Niac Mitra, but he left Niac Mitra due to a sudden Galatama League ban on foreign players.
In 1983, Fandi migrated to the Netherlands and signed a two-year deal with FC Groningen. In his first E-Vivi game over Go Ahead Eagles, he was out on the field for ten weeks due to a thigh injury sustained in a friendly match, but he scored twice. He was involved in the first leg of a UEFA Cup second-round match against Italian side Internazionale on Wednesday and scored his second goal in a 2–0 victory, but Groningen was defeated 1–5. Fandi was voted the most popular player and the most skilful player of the season by Groningen fans; he scored ten goals in 29 games to help the Dutch club climb from ninth to fifth position in the Economy. The Straits Times revealed a front-page article that said Manchester United had signed on Fandi, as a joke on April Fools' Day. His second season was marred by the recurrence of his thigh injury and a rivalry with his coach. He appeared in only two full games this season, and Groningen did not provide him with a new contract. Fandi scored 11 league goals in 36 league games for Groningen during his time in the Netherlands.
Fandi's next team was Malaysia Cup side Kuala Lumpur FA, who won its first Malaysia Cup title in 1987. The Malaysia Cup champions returned to Malaysia for the second season; Fandi took the Golden Boot after scoring 21 goals. Fandi signed a two-year deal with Greek club OFI Crete in 1990, after a third season with Kuala Lumpur FA, in which it won its third consecutive Malaysia Cup. However, he was unable to play for Crete because of his International Transfer Certificate, so he left Greece after two months. After signing Pahang FA, Fandi revert to playing mainly in midfield due to his age. Fandi missed several months of games due to heel and thigh injuries, and he scored three goals to help Pahang FA beat the Malaysia Cup and Malaysian League Double in 1992. He became the first Singapore sportsman to have career earnings over a million Singapore dollars (not adjusted for inflation).
After being relegated to the second class of the Malaysian League, Fandi regained control of Singapore FA. In 1993, Singapore FA was promoted to and qualified the Malaysia Cup final, and the 1994 Malaysia Cup and Malaysian League champions were named champions. Captain Fandi played in 39 of Singapore FA's 41 games during the season; he was also named Player of the Season after scoring 26 goals and was named Player of the Year; Pingat Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Medal). The S.League, Singapore's first purely professional Singaporean league, was formed following the removal of Singapore FA from the Malaysia Cup and the S.League's completely separate Singaporean league. Fandi captained Geylang United and was the joint top scorer with 11 goals, including the equalizer that declared Geylang as league champions in 1996. He was named Player of the Month of June 1996 by the Asian Football Confederation. Geylang was allowed special permission to pay Fandi thrice the S.League salary cap. He played for three seasons at SAFFC, winning two S.League titles and two Singapore Cups. Due to injuries, Fandi was limited to mainly short substitute appearances, but he continued to score vital goals, most notably two against the Royal Dolphins in the Asian Club Championship, before retiring in 1999.
International career
Fandi appeared on 101 appearances for the Singapore national football team from 1979 to 1997, scoring 55 goals and winning a spot in the Asian Football Confederation Hall of Fame. He started as captain of the national youth team that defeated the Lion City Cup in 1976 and 1977, then joined the senior national team in Russia, where he played in two friendly games and scored two goals in the second. His first senior cap came at 17 years, 3 months, and 23 days, making him Singapore's youngest-ever full international until Hariss Harun's record was broken in 2007. However, Fandi did not win in four matches in his first international competition, the 1979 SEA Games. In the Olympic Games qualifiers, he scored against India and North Korea, but he did not score in three FIFA World Cup qualifiers. In a 3–2 aggregate victory over Malaysia in the 1981 Ovaltine Cup, Fandi scored all Singapore goals. In a 1–2 loss to Thailand in the 1981 King's Cup and a hat-trick against the Philippines at the 1981 SEA Games, Fandi scored a goal. In 1992, Fandi scored twice against Nepal and once against Thailand in the King's Cup, before scoring when Singapore defeated Malaysia 3–1 in the Ovaltine Cup.
With two goals in a 3–0 group stage victory over Brunei and two against Malaysia in the semi-finals this year, Fandi helped Singapore win the first of three SEA Games silver medals. Despite suffering an ankle injury in the 1–2 final loss to Thailand, he participated in the 1983 Merlion Cup and scored in a 1–0 triumph over China in the semi-finals. When Fandi scored against Malaysia and the Philippines in the group stage, Fandi then scored two goals against Brunei in the semi-finals, they became the second SEA Games silver medalist. Fandi thrashed Myanmar 4–0, the last-minute winner of the semi-final against Malaysia and Singapore's single goal in the 1–3 final defeat by Malaysia in 1989 SEA Games. This was the hat-trick of silver medals, though he said in 2007, that "not winning the SEA Games gold medal" was one of his "greatest regrets." In the 6–1 victory over Pakistan, Fandi also participated in the 1990 Asian Games and scored.
During the 1991 SEA Games, Fandi scored both Singapore goals against Myanmar in the group stage but was forced to leave early in the semi-final match after Indonesian fullback Herry Setyawan elbowed him in the eye. The Lions lost on penalties after the match ended goalless, and the Lions lost on penalties. Due to a heel injury, Fandi also missed Singapore's failed bid for the 1992 Asian Cup. Capt. Fandi scored a hat-trick in the 7–0 victory over the Philippines, followed by the second Singapore goal in the 3–3 semi-final draw with Myanmar, which earned a bronze medal for Singapore. Fandi also participated in the inaugural Tiger Cup, scoring an equalizer against Malaysia, a goal against Brunei and two against the Philippines. Fandi's 1997 was a frustrating year for the Dunhill Cup and the World Cup qualifiers. Fandi retired from international football after the 1997 SEA Games, where his goal in the semi-finals was not enough to stop a 1–2 loss to Indonesia.
Coaching career
Fandi, who resigned from playing, spent time as a mentor. For the 1999 SEA Games, where Singapore finished fourth, he started as the assistant to Singapore's national coach, Vincent Subramaniam. In 2000, Fandi became the head coach of SAFFC and led them to the SAFJ title, and he was named SAF Coach of the Year Award. SAFFC lost a trophy in 2001 under Fandi and 2002 were the 2002 S.League champions by a 20-point margin. Fandi began as assistant national coach, assisting Singapore in 2005 in winning the Tiger Cup and as assistant coach of the Young Lions, who then moved from second place in 2003 and 2006.
Fandi ruled Indonesian side Pelita Raya, where he introduced a youth program that gained promotion from the second division and guided the team to two mid-table finishes in the Indonesia Super League from November 2006 to 2010. Since then, he has been a scout for Italian club Vicenza Calcio, a regional project manager for the Genova International Soccer School and manager of Malaysian Super League side Johor Darul Takzim. In 2011, he founded the Fandi Ahmad Academy, which manages training courses and international opportunities for talented young Singaporean footballers. Fandi is one of seven Singaporean coaches with a degree in AFC coaching, and is widely considered a future coach of Singapore's national football team; in December 2013, he joined Nazri Nasir as his assistant; He led LionsXII to clinch the Malaysia FA Cup in May 2015, the country's first trophy of the season.
Fandi was named as the head coach of the Young Lions in the 2018 S.League season, succeeding Richard Tardy. He was appointed interim head coach of Singapore's national football team until the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup was over in May.
In November 2019, Fandi's deal with FAS was extended, with the new role as the head of elite youth. He wants to develop youth players for the national teams, together with technical director Joseph Palatsides. After guiding the Singapore under-22s at the 2019 SEA Games, Fandi's Young Lions and the under-22s will be ruled by Nazri Nasir in 2020. Fandi will also be a member of the national team's mentor Tatsuma Yoshida's backroom staff.