Fandi Ahmad’s son spearheads all-Singaporean debut at ‘youth World Cup’
<cite class="byline vcard" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-size: 11px; display: block; font-family: arial; vertical-align: middle;">By Justin Ong | Fit To Post Sports – <abbr title="2014-05-06T11:02:49Z" style="border: 0px;">16 hours ago</abbr>
</cite>
Football superstars like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andrea Pirlo and Alan Shearer cut their teeth as youngsters playing at the Gothia Cup, the largest youth tournament on the planet.
And now, following in their glittering footsteps to what’s commonly referred to as the “youth World Cup” are three sons of Singapore legends Fandi Ahmad, Aide Iskandar and Steven Tan.
The precocious trio of Ilhan Fandi, 12, Andre Shawqi Aide, 13 and Marc Ryan Tan, 12 are set to play at the Gothia Cup in Sweden in July, as part of two all-Singaporean squads sent by the F-17 Fandi Ahmad Academy of Football Excellence.
This is the first time Singapore will be represented at the Gothia Cup by an entirely local contingent. Past entries hailed from two expatriate academies – the International Soccer Academy (ISA) and the Junior Soccer School and League (JSSL) – and featured all-foreigner line-ups.
Only one Singaporean, Ong Yu En, played in Sweden last year. He has since moved to the F-17academy, who is participating in the Gothia Cup for the first time since its incarnation in September last year as a merger between the Fandi Ahmad Academy and the Academy of Football Excellence.
“We’re sending a team that’s 100 per cent all local boys; all green, excited, nervous and not sure what to expect,” said F-17 director Nabil Yusoff. “But this is the best exposure these kids can get in their age-group and we want to know where we stand.”
Marc Ryan Tan, the team's best-kept secret, takes up his father's mantle as a right-wing speedster. (Photo courtesy …
‘Not fun and games’
The 29-year-old is however quietly confident about their chances in a massive field of over 1,600 teams from more than 70 countries.
He believes his F-17 boys are the best in their local age-group, having topped two Singaporean academy leagues contested by both the ISA and JSSL. They also finished runners-up at a regional tournament in Jakarta, Indonesia in December last year.
While the Gothia Cup will represent a maiden European experience for many of the boys, Nabil is counting on Ilhan – who has trained in Argentina and Chile – and the younger Tan to lead their teammates into battle.
“These kids will pave the way… in the academy, they’re showing the boys how it’s done, raising the level of training whenever they take part,” the former banker told Yahoo Singapore. “Character-wise, their greatest strength is their maturity and commitment, which is second to none.”
Tan, a right-wing marauder in the mould of his dad, said, “Some of these teams (at Gothia) are the best in the world so it’ll be a good experience for us… But there’ll be no pressure. We just need to play our own game.”
“We want to see how good the other clubs are,” added the cheeky Ilhan, who Nabil described as the team’s “crown jewel” and “meant for the biggest of stages”, not unlike those his famous father once adorned.
And forward Aqil Dany, 11, summed up the boys’ professional approach to the Gothia Cup when he said: “We’re going there not just to play fun and games. We’re going to Sweden to finish top ten in the world.”
Eye-opener
Nabil and his fellow directors will be glad that the boys are taking their participation in the Gothia Cup seriously.
Entry to the Cup costs S$6,800 per head – including travel, accommodation, food, training and competition – and F-17 has agreed to fund over half the amount for each of the 27 boys heading off the Sweden.
While the academy is working hard to reduce each player’s expenses by raising sponsorships, at least one parent has no qualms forking out S$3,000 for his son to “experience something different”.
“He’s in the school team too so he’s virtually training five times a week, it’s a struggle but academics isn’t everything,” said David Chua, the father of Anglo-Chinese School Junior midfielder Zachary. “The Gothia Cup is a good opportunity for them to see things outside of the world of school, of Singapore.”
The 39-year-old added, “F-17 have been supportive, working out arrangements and financial subsidies, and always encouraging the kids to dream a little bigger. Hopefully this gives them a little more ambition.”
<cite class="byline vcard" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-size: 11px; display: block; font-family: arial; vertical-align: middle;">By Justin Ong | Fit To Post Sports – <abbr title="2014-05-06T11:02:49Z" style="border: 0px;">16 hours ago</abbr>
</cite>
Football superstars like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andrea Pirlo and Alan Shearer cut their teeth as youngsters playing at the Gothia Cup, the largest youth tournament on the planet.
And now, following in their glittering footsteps to what’s commonly referred to as the “youth World Cup” are three sons of Singapore legends Fandi Ahmad, Aide Iskandar and Steven Tan.
The precocious trio of Ilhan Fandi, 12, Andre Shawqi Aide, 13 and Marc Ryan Tan, 12 are set to play at the Gothia Cup in Sweden in July, as part of two all-Singaporean squads sent by the F-17 Fandi Ahmad Academy of Football Excellence.
This is the first time Singapore will be represented at the Gothia Cup by an entirely local contingent. Past entries hailed from two expatriate academies – the International Soccer Academy (ISA) and the Junior Soccer School and League (JSSL) – and featured all-foreigner line-ups.
Only one Singaporean, Ong Yu En, played in Sweden last year. He has since moved to the F-17academy, who is participating in the Gothia Cup for the first time since its incarnation in September last year as a merger between the Fandi Ahmad Academy and the Academy of Football Excellence.
“We’re sending a team that’s 100 per cent all local boys; all green, excited, nervous and not sure what to expect,” said F-17 director Nabil Yusoff. “But this is the best exposure these kids can get in their age-group and we want to know where we stand.”
Marc Ryan Tan, the team's best-kept secret, takes up his father's mantle as a right-wing speedster. (Photo courtesy …
‘Not fun and games’
The 29-year-old is however quietly confident about their chances in a massive field of over 1,600 teams from more than 70 countries.
He believes his F-17 boys are the best in their local age-group, having topped two Singaporean academy leagues contested by both the ISA and JSSL. They also finished runners-up at a regional tournament in Jakarta, Indonesia in December last year.
While the Gothia Cup will represent a maiden European experience for many of the boys, Nabil is counting on Ilhan – who has trained in Argentina and Chile – and the younger Tan to lead their teammates into battle.
“These kids will pave the way… in the academy, they’re showing the boys how it’s done, raising the level of training whenever they take part,” the former banker told Yahoo Singapore. “Character-wise, their greatest strength is their maturity and commitment, which is second to none.”
Tan, a right-wing marauder in the mould of his dad, said, “Some of these teams (at Gothia) are the best in the world so it’ll be a good experience for us… But there’ll be no pressure. We just need to play our own game.”
“We want to see how good the other clubs are,” added the cheeky Ilhan, who Nabil described as the team’s “crown jewel” and “meant for the biggest of stages”, not unlike those his famous father once adorned.
And forward Aqil Dany, 11, summed up the boys’ professional approach to the Gothia Cup when he said: “We’re going there not just to play fun and games. We’re going to Sweden to finish top ten in the world.”
Eye-opener
Nabil and his fellow directors will be glad that the boys are taking their participation in the Gothia Cup seriously.
Entry to the Cup costs S$6,800 per head – including travel, accommodation, food, training and competition – and F-17 has agreed to fund over half the amount for each of the 27 boys heading off the Sweden.
While the academy is working hard to reduce each player’s expenses by raising sponsorships, at least one parent has no qualms forking out S$3,000 for his son to “experience something different”.
“He’s in the school team too so he’s virtually training five times a week, it’s a struggle but academics isn’t everything,” said David Chua, the father of Anglo-Chinese School Junior midfielder Zachary. “The Gothia Cup is a good opportunity for them to see things outside of the world of school, of Singapore.”
The 39-year-old added, “F-17 have been supportive, working out arrangements and financial subsidies, and always encouraging the kids to dream a little bigger. Hopefully this gives them a little more ambition.”
