Fandi Ahmad

Singapore FA (1979–1983)

Fandi joined Singapore FA in 1979 and became a regular midfield player, 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, Fandi scored eight goals, including the winning goal in the final against Selangor FA. He enlisted for National Service in September 1980 and was given light duties, such as collecting the camp garbage, so he could 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. The following year, Singapore FA did not play in the Malaysia Cup for political reasons, and Fandi underwent a shoulder operation; he could not play football for six weeks and was discharged early from the National Service. Selangor FA invited Fandi to play for them against Argentine club 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. Fandi was just 19 while serving National Service at the time and after the match, Boca's chief coach Vladislao Cap said he was keen on signing the Singaporean, whom he described as "a superb striker who can fit into any team". Fandi received offers from several Malaysia Cup teams: Indonesian side Niac Mitra, Swiss club Young Boys and Dutch side Ajax. It was Ajax he eventually chose, but…

From 1979 to 1997, Fandi made 101 appearances for the Singapore national football team, scored 55 goals and earned a place in the Asian Football Confederation Hall of Fame. He started as captain of the national youth team that won the Lion City Cup in 1976 and 1977, then joined the senior national team on a tour of 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 his record was broken by Hariss Harun in 2007. However, in his first international competition, the 1979 SEA Games, Fandi did not score in four matches. He scored against India and North Korea in the Olympic Games qualifiers, but did not score in three FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. In the 1981 Ovaltine Cup, Fandi scored all Singapore goals in the 3–2 aggregate victory over Malaysia. Fandi scored a goal 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. In 1992, Fandi scored twice against Nepal and once against Thailand in the King's Cup, then scored when Singapore beat Malaysia 3–1 in the Ovaltine Cup. The following year, Fandi helped Singapore win the first of three SEA Games silver medals, with two goals in a 3–0 group stage win over Brunei and two against Malaysia in the semi-final. Despite suffering an ankle injury in the 1–2 final defeat by Thailand, he played in the 1983 Merlion Cup, and…

After his retirement from playing, Fandi worked as a coach. He started as the assistant to Singapore's national coach, Vincent Subramaniam, for the 1999 SEA Games, where Singapore finished fourth. In 2011, he founded the Fandi Ahmad Academy, which organises training programmes and overseas opportunities for talented young Singaporean footballers. Fandi is one of seven Singaporean coaches with a professional AFC coaching diploma and is widely considered a likely future coach of the Singapore national football team.

2000–2015

In 2000, Fandi became coach of SAFFC and guided them to the 2000 S.League title, and he won the S.League Coach of the Year Award. Under Fandi, SAFFC ended the 2001 season without winning a trophy but the following year, they were the 2002 S.League champions by a 20-point margin. Fandi simultaneously served as assistant national coach, helping Singapore win the Tiger Cup in 2005. In 2005, Fandi became the coach of Young Lions, which rose from the bottom of the S.League in 2003 to two third-place finishes in 2004 and 2006, which was their highest league placing in the club's history. From November 2006 to March 2010, Fandi managed Indonesian side Pelita Raya, where he adopted a youth policy that helped them win promotion from the second division, then guided the club to two mid-table finishes in the Indonesia Super League. On 3 February 2012, the owner of Malaysian Super League side Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT), the Crown Prince of Johor, Tunku…

As a young child, Fandi was obsessed with football and spent much of his time kicking a ball. His family lived in a two-room public housing flat in Hougang. His family was working class; Fandi had to sell nasi lemak to help support the family. Fandi's father, Ahmad Wartam, was then a goalkeeper for the national team in the 1960s. Fandi started playing as a goalkeeper, but switched to a midfield position under the advice of his teacher when he studied at Yio Chu Kang Primary. When he was 12, his parents divorced, after which he lived in a kampong at Jalan Eunos with his father and paternal grandparents. At Serangoon Garden Secondary School, Fandi played for the school football team, but neglected his studies and was held back a year. He then transferred to the Singapore Vocational Institute and obtained a National Trade Certificate 3. He played for Kaki Bukit SC in the amateur National Football League, where he was spotted by Singapore FA coach Sebastian Yap. By the time he was 15, Fandi had become a regular for the Singapore national youth football team. In 1977, Fandi was a member of the Singapore under-17 national team that won the Lion City Cup youth tournament. In 1978, he was a part of the team again and they retained the Lion City Cup. In August that year, Fandi was called up for a senior national team squad for a training tour in Russia, becoming the youngest footballer to represent Singapore.