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Fandi’s sons to train in Chile for two years

SINGAPORE — Two of Fandi Ahmad’s sons — Irfan and Ikhsan — are off to Chile to join the youth academy of AC Banerchea, a club playing in the second division of the Chilean League.

Ikhsan (left) and Irfan Fandi will be studying in an international school in Santiago during their stints with AC Banerchea. Photo: Singapore Sports School

Ikhsan (left) and Irfan Fandi will be studying in an international school in Santiago during their stints with AC Banerchea. Photo: Singapore Sports School

SINGAPORE — Two of Fandi Ahmad’s sons — Irfan and Ikhsan — are off to Chile to join the youth academy of AC Banerchea, a club playing in the second division of the Chilean League.

The Singapore Sports School (SSP) students have secured two-year contracts with the club and have obtained permission from the SSP to go on extended leave. They will leave on Sunday for the Chilean capital, Santiago, where Banerchea are based.

“Everything has been finalised,” said Fandi yesterday. “We were there (AC Banerchea) in July to see AC Banerchea’s facilities and their set-up and the two boys like it there. I have also managed to enrol them in an international school in Santiago. Hopefully they will enjoy and benefit from their stint there.”

Irfan, 16, and Ikhsan, 14, are both strikers, just like their famous father.

Irfan scored two goals for the national U-16 team in the Canon Lion City Cup, which was held here in June. Ikhsan was in the Singapore team for the Asian Youth Games in Nanjing, China, in August but broke his wrist during the team’s 0-2 defeat to Kuwait.

According to the Football Association of Singapore website, the National Football Academy (NFA) U-14 player has also been identified as one of several youth footballers that it plans to send overseas for training stints and attachments.

The others are Royston Tan (NFA U-15), Mahathir Azeman (NFA U-17) and R Aravin (NFA U-18).

Irfan and Ikhsan were initially supposed to have joined the youth academy of Spanish second division side Hercules FC, in Alicante, in July. But a last-minute hitch disrupted their plans.

Fandi, who is now running the F-17 Fandi Ahmad’s Academy of Excellence here after resigning as team manager of Malaysian Super League side Johor Darul Takzim lin August, added: “Santiago is a beautiful place and the Chilean league is just as competitive as the Brazilian and Argentinian domestic leagues.

“My two boys are eager to improve themselves and hopefully what they learn at the AC Banerchea Academy will serve them well.”

However, it looks like Irfan has to return regularly to Singapore because of his pending National Service duties.

“Irfan is due to serve National Service soon and has to regularly inform the authorities of his whereabouts,” said Fandi. “As such, he has to return to Singapore every three months to report to them before flying out to Chile again.”

And there is a possibility of Fandi’s third son, Ilhan, eventually joining his two elder brothers in Chile.

The 10-year-old Anglo-Chinese School (Junior) student is a striker too and scored all the goals in the school’s 4-0 win over Henry Park Primary in the National Primary School Football Championship final last month.

“Ilhan told me he wants to follow in his brothers’ footsteps and go to Chile too,” said Fandi.

“I took him for a short stint with Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires, Argentina in July and he knows the benefit of attending a good soccer academy. We will make arrangements to send him to Chile when the time is right.”

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