Fandi Ahmad (1962– ) Sportsman. Fandi joined Singapore’s national football squad at the age of 16— the youngest player to have done so at the time of writing. He scored the winning goal in Singapore’s 2– 1 Malaysia Cup victory over Selangor in 1980. In 1981, he became a professional footballer, his career thereafter including periods with the Dutch teams Ajax Amsterdam and FC Groningen, as well as with Indonesia’s Niac Mitra and the Kuala Lumpur Football Club.

Fandi represented Singapore at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in 1983, 1985 and 1989; the team won a silver medal on each occasion. In 1994, he played for Singapore in the Malaysia Cup final against Pahang, with Singapore winning 4– 0. Fandi was captain of the national team (1993– 97), and received a Public Service Medal (PBM) in 1994.

As coach of the Singapore Armed Forces Football Club, he took the team to an S- League and cup double in 1997. In 2001, at the age of 38, he became the youngest former international football player to be appointed a council member of the Football Association of Singapore. Fandi is married to South African- born model, Wendy Jacobs.

See also soccer.

Photo credit: Singapore Press Holdings/The New Paper