COVID-19 SPECIAL
Football: Restless Irfan Fandi stays upbeat about coronavirus crisis
The sporting world is at a standstill, reeling from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. For athletes, this year will see Olympic dreams halted, professional careers reassessed and new obstacles to overcome. In this four-part series starting today, The Straits Times looks at how Singaporean athletes cope with these unusual times on different fronts.
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Above: Singapore's Irfan Fandi has helped to bolster BG Pathum United's defensive record. The Thai League 1 side have conceded just one goal in four games before the season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/ IRFANFANDI17
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Irfan Fandi has more than 72,000 followers on Instagram, plays for Thai top-flight club BG Pathum United, and thrives on the rush of making a well-timed interception or scoring a goal in front of more than 10,000 fans in their Leo Stadium.
But in the past month, the defender has been mostly cooped up in his Bangkok apartment due to the Covid-19 crisis. And he admits it has taken a physical and mental toll.
The 22-year-old returned to Thailand on March 8 after a two-day family visit in Singapore and trained with the team for a week. But with the pandemic escalating, they decided to err on the side of caution and sent him for a Covid-19 test.
Even though the results were negative, Irfan was told to stay home and serve a 14-day quarantine while the club went for a training camp in Khon Kaen from March 16-25.
"It was very frustrating in many ways because the team are like my second family," said the Singapore international, whose team are fourth after four games in the Thai League 1, and have the best defensive record of just one goal conceded.
"I felt like I missed out on the opportunity to further bond with my teammates and work on team tactics with the ball.
"At home, I was using the condo gym to lift weights and run on the treadmill. Then, they closed the gym, so I was left with very little things to do, other than Netflix, PlayStation 4, work out, eat and sleep."
Even when he returned to training, things were different owing to the stricter social distancing measures. Players were split into four groups of six and training times were staggered.
At 4.30pm, one batch would practise passing for an hour under the supervision of four coaches, while another group went to the gym with two coaches. The other two groups would do the same at 5.30pm.
Football matches in Thailand were suspended early last month until at least May 2. In the meantime, Irfan is grateful that his club continue to pay players in full as they do their best to keep to their fitness regimen.
However, there are few other feel-good factors in the Land of a Thousand Smiles because of the partial lockdown.
Malls are closed, and only medical facilities and supermarkets are open. Taking advantage of the well-stocked grocery stores, Irfan has started to cook simple dishes like pasta with grilled chicken or rice with salmon more often because he feels it is more hygienic than home delivery.
The sense of isolation in a city of over eight million people is enhanced by the sight of deserted streets when he peers out of his Rama IX apartment along the popular shopping belt in Bangkok.
Though he could still see and talk to family and friends on WhatsApp and Instagram, the lack of face-to-face interaction had left him feeling restless and helpless as it was "something I never experienced before".
And with the club commitments and travel restrictions, it could be some time before he can give the tight-knit Fandi family - his parents and four younger siblings - a warm hug.
"It is not easy to not know when this situation will end and when I can see them again," said Irfan, who usually returns home to catch up with his loved ones once a month.
"It is a different world now. People here used to be cheery and chatty, but they are cautious and subdued now. Almost every day, there is a new rule or policy to follow because of the virus situation.
"This is the new normal, in Bangkok and in most parts of the world. We just have to do our best to adapt, stay positive, and believe we will get through this together."
