July / Augustus 2009 - Association of Dutch Businessmen

SPECIAL
Fandi: Singaporean Soccer
Succes in Holland By Camiel Frijlink
Fandi in his FC
Groningen shirt
Ever heard of a Singaporean named Fandi Ahmad?
If you are Singaporean or originally from Groningen
and like football, no doubt you have.
Fandi Ahmad was born in Singapore on 29
May 1962 as the son of Ahmad Wartam, who was
goalkeeper in the 1960s for Singapore’s national
football team. The scruffy kampong boy from Kaki
Bukit got his first pair of football shoes when he
was 12. You would think he would have got his
shoes earlier or even been born wearing them,
however early in his career (he started playing for
school at 10) he wore hockey shoes with rubber
studs until his father could afford a new pair of
Adidas Inter.
Fandi was so talented that he joined Singapore’s
national football team in 1978 at the age of 16
— the youngest player to have done so (however
his record was erased in 2007 by young talent
Hariss Harun).
In 1983 the slender Singaporean, gifted with
loads of technical skills, moved to the Netherlands
where he played for FC Groningen from 1983 to
1985 and – for a short period – for Ajax in the Dutch
football league. Prior to his arrival, FC Groningen
had qualified for European football for the first
time and they had even beaten almighty Atletico
Madrid in the first round. On 19 October 1983, Fandi
scored his most glorious goal in the 89th minute of
a UEFA Cup match for FC Groningen against Inter
Milan. Inter’s goalkeeper that day was Walter
Zenga, Uomo-Ragna (Spiderman), who played for
Italy in two World Cups, and still holds the record
for number of minutes (508) without conceding a
goal. During the 1983-84 season, Fandi scored 10
times in 29 games and was consequently called
an exotical “goudvink” by Voetbal International
magazine. In his second season at FC Groningen,
Fandi made 15 appearances, scoring 2 goals.
Fandi is still the only Singaporean player that
has been pursued by European and South American
clubs (Ajax, FC Groningen, Nottingham Forest,
Boca Juniors) and played for some of them (Ajax,
FC Groningen, OFI Crete). In 1993 Fandi returned
to Singapore to play for the Singapore side in the
Malaysian League and in 1994 he and his team
‘took the double’ by winning both the Malaysian
League and Malaysia Cup. Nottingham Forest made
an informal enquiry about his availability in the
late-1990s, but Fandi decided he was too old.
Today Fandi is coach of the Indonesian club
Pelita Jaya, based in Jakarta and currently holding
a third position in the Liga Indonesia, on a threeyear
contract that expires this year. Like a truly
‘football playboy’ he is married to South African
former model Wendy Jacobs, has 5 children and
shuttles to and from the Indonesian capital.
Considering his career it is no wonder that Fandi
is believed by many to be Singapore’s best-ever
football player. Fandi also made a big impact on
the Groningen fans and hence was voted one of
the best 25 players ever to play for FC Groningen
in 1999, earning him a place in the club’s Hall of
Fame. In 2003, he was named in the club’s best
eleven of the twentieth century.
On the sidelines between Marco Van Basten
and John van ‘t Schip
Playing against Westlandia (Naaldwijk) in is
short period at Ajax
1983: Farewell: Fandi throws his No. 17
shirt to fans at the National Stadium
before leaving for FC Groningen.
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Vol.19 • No. 6 • July/August 2009