What if Fandi Ahmad let his talented footballing
children choose to play for South Africa instead of
Singapore?
Should Singaporean forgive their "favourite
footballing son" if he allows his eldest kids — Irfan and
Ikhsan, who are 13 and 11 respectively – to turn their back on
Singapore and play for their mother’s country of birth, South
Africa, in future.
And some even say the government should exempt them from serving
NS cos it will kill their sporting career. So Fandi’s
sons don't need to serve National Service
just develop as professional footballers?
The current debate came to light after Irfan and
Ikhsan made a huge impression while playing for Arsenal
Soccer School Indonesia during the International Soccer Festival
taking place in Surrey on the outskirts of London.
Both boys, who were previously on trial with AC Milan and
Valencia, are reportedly courted by EPL giants such as Arsenal and
Chelsea but they cannot sign schoolboy forms — the first step
towards becoming a professional footballer in England — until they
turn 14.
But while it seems only a matter of time before Fandi’s boys
sign on as football apprentices (Arsenal reportedly have first
right of refusal), the larger question — if they do turn
professional – is which country they would choose to play
for?
While Singapore would be the obvious option, the boys’
mother, Wendy Jacobs, is from South Africa, making them
available to play for the recent 2010 World Cup hosts
when the time comes.
Speaking to The New Paper from London, Fandi, 48, said
as much.
“Well, I don’t know, really,” he said. “Right now, it’s a bit
too far to think about that.”
The former Lions skipper admitted that National Service —
the mandatory 24-month national call-up period that all
Singaporean males must serve — is a major issue.
“NS is a problem, although I don’t want to say too much because
it is a sensitive issue. When I was 16, Ajax offered to sign me but
I had to tell them to wait two years (for me to complete my
NS).”
The other obvious question is – would the boys even want to
play for Singapore?