Fandi Ahmad resigned from his position as the head of elite youth for the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) on Thursday, a month after celebrating his 60th birthday (30 June).
In a press release, the legendary Singaporean footballer stated that his retirement from FAS was mutually agreed upon, since he had expressed his desire to spend more time with his family.
In a media statement, he stated, "Having recently reached 60, I feel it is an appropriate moment for me to spend more time with my family and pursue new challenges."
"I appreciate FAS's respect for my decision. I will be departing the organization with a sad heart, since I have created innumerable fond memories and friendships with several coworkers."
Coaching tenure with Young Lions, LionsXII, and senior club Fandi's departure concludes a lengthy, two-semester coaching stay at FAS. In 2005 and 2006, he coached the Young Lions in the then-S-League, leading the Under-23 team to its best-ever result of third place in 2006.
He returned to the FAS in 2014 when he was named head coach of the LionsXII club that participated from 2012 to 2015 in the Malaysian Super League. Fandi led the squad to the Malaysia FA Cup title in 2015, defeating Kelantan 3-1 in the championship match.
After the LionsXII split, Fandi continued with FAS, where in 2016 he was named head coach (young).
He was named temporary men's senior national team head coach in May, following the resignation of former head coach V. Sundram Moorthy. He was in command of the Young Lions for the start of the 2018 Singapore Premier League season. At the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup, the Lions were eliminated in the group stage under his leadership.
In his final coaching duty, Fandi led the U-22s to elimination in the group stage at the 2019 SEA Games in Manila.
FAS FAS stated in a press statement that Fandi has been essential in discovering and nurturing emerging talent by providing opportunities to individuals such as Jacob Mahler, Naqiuddin Eunos, Nur Adam Abdullah, Saifullah Akbar, and Zulqarnaen Suzliman throughout his tenure.
Comments