Coaching ● Nov 25, 2019
Fandi Ahmad appointed Head of Elite Youth as part of contract extension
SINGAPORE, 23 NOVEMBER 2019 – The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is pleased to announce that agreement has been reached with Fandi Ahmad to continue his work in the development of young players for Singapore. He will be appointed as Head of Elite Youth upon the expiry of his current contract on 31 December 2019.
In line with the FAS’ key objective of youth development, Fandi will work closely with Technical Director Joseph Palatsides to enhance the pathways and structure for the development of youth players for the National Teams and National Age Group Teams. This includes player scouting and tracking, mentorship programmes as well as specialised training sessions for players in the various National Teams. In addition, Fandi will also be part of National Team Coach Tatsuma Yoshida’s backroom staff, in order to create greater synergy between the elite youth developmental pipeline and the National Team.
Taking on this new position, Fandi commented: “I have confidence in the development of young elite players in Singapore. I am happy to continue to do this for Singapore, and am honoured to take on this position. I look forward to working with Joseph and the national youth coaches to develop the next generation of players.
“I have seen potential in many youth players over the years but not many had the opportunity to be groomed for the future. We need to establish a strong foundation for our youth development system so that we can identify and nurture the talent of tomorrow. I believe that with the right structure and training, we will be able to develop more players at youth level for the National Teams.”
Fandi will lead the Under-22 National Team for the final time next week as they embark on the quest for a medal in the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games held in Philippines.
National Assistant Team Coach Nazri Nasir will take over the reins of the Young Lions in the 2020 Singapore Premier League season, as well as the Under-22 National Team.
FAS General Secretary Yazeen Buhari welcomed the appointment saying, “Fandi has accumulated a wealth of coaching experience in the last 20 years and we see the value he brings to the area of elite youth development. His work rate and professionalism are exceptional and he has embraced the FAS’ desire to further develop our youth footballers. He has developed a good working relationship with National Team Coach Tatsuma and we see this partnership further growing for the benefit of Singapore Football.”
