FAS calls Fandi Ahmad??

You want to call the football legend, you have to offer him a good deal. He has a family and he sure wants to bring the best for his children. I am not sure the intention of FAS for calling him but do not waste his time unnecessarily.

If you want to build footballers like his calibre, he needs to be disciplined on the field and also off. We have seen a number of our own local players being in the news for the wrong reasons. Time to beef up the discipline of our footballers so they can be the best that they can be. It's not just about money, it's also about country.


Excerpt from Yahoo! News below:

FAS president Zainudin Nordin will be meeting Fandi later this week.

In a desperate measure to salvage the remaining dignity of the country’s national soccer team, the Football Association of Singapore has approached football legend Fandi Ahmad.

According to The New Paper (TNP), FAS president Zainudin Nordin confirmed that he is contact with the 48-year-old to talk about national football team matters. But he declined to comment if he has indeed offered Fandi a job.

Mr Zainudin who is also the mayor of the Central Singapore District said, “I am in touch with Fandi on a regular basis. My policy has been consistent. I will talk to whoever can contribute to Singapore football and people who are stakeholders.

“I have spoken to people like Fandi, Aide Iskandar, Lim Kian Tong (FAS vice-president), and we are looking at the future, creating strategies and looking at new way of doing things.”

It was reported that Mr Zainudin will meet with Fandi later this week to discuss the possibility of him rejoining the FAS as a coach.

The football legend is also one of seven local coaches with the Asian Football Confederation professional diplomas, the highest coaching qualification in Asia.

Well, maybe the time is right to bring Fandi back considering it has been a dark and dismal year for the Lions, who pathetically mustered only one win throughout 2010.

Players lacked of discipline and poor performances led to a poor finish in the Asian Cup qualifying and Suzuki Cup campaigns.

Matters came to a head last week when Mr Zainudin announced the decision to drop all players in the national team.

But with the FAS president rallying behind the national squad’s current coach, Raddy Avramovic, the only possible option for Fandi would be to fill in the vacant assistant coach’s position, a stint which the latter enjoyed success when the Lions won the 2005 Tiger Cup.

However, sources who spoke to TNP poured cold water on this idea. One of them said, “Fandi has already been the assistant once, and he’s proved to be successful.

“He has all the necessary qualifications to be the head coach and I don’t think the FAS can convince him by offering the role of an assistant.”

Yet another source said, “If the FAS can provide Fandi with a sound and detailed plan in which he can be involved in the national team’s development, who knows, he might consider.”

Still, those close to the former national team captain said that while enlisting his help would be a good move, their opinions are split about when would be the right time for him to rejoin the FAS.

Kadir Yahya, who was Fandi’s former international team-mate said, “People should give up on this idea for now.

“Look, Fandi is already preparing to go to Italy with his kids, so he’s definitely not going to e the national team coach, or Raddy’s assistant, any time soon.”

But R Sasikumar, who scored the winning goal in the 1998 Tiger Cup final against Vietnam, said, “As Fandi is now Genova International Soccer School’s project manager in Asia, the door is slightly open for him to be involved with the national team.

“He will be heading to Italy next week to help his sons find accommodation, schools and academies, but Fandi’s heart is still here with Singapore.”

The 35-year-old also cited Fandi’s knack of working with youths, both with the Young Lions and Indonesian club Pelita Jaya, as a quality the FAS could tap on.

Sasikumar added that Fandi should be brought in to “lead the Under-21 team, where he is given the free reign to select his players based on merit.” This, he said should be done with the view that the youths will eventually form the senior team’s backbone with Fandi in charge.

Perhaps there is a need for the FAS to revise its options and instead of rallying behind the current coaching staff, the time might be right to place Fandi at the helm of the country’s national squad.