Hong Kong singer Alan Tam used to play football with Singapore’s Fandi Ahmad
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Hong Kong singer Alan Tam (left) once played football with Fandi Ahmad.
PHOTO: ALAN TAM/WEIBO, ST FILE
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SINGAPORE – Hong Kong superstar Alan Tam studied in Singapore more than 50 years ago. And he used to play football with a young Fandi Ahmad, Singapore’s football legend.
Tam, 74, revealed this in a recent interview with Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao. The vocalist of Hong Kong pop group The Wynners is set to perform solo in Singapore in June.
The singer-actor studied economics in 1972 at the then Ngee Ann Technical College, now known as Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
He told Zaobao that he decided to study in Singapore after coming here for a vacation.
Tam, who was then 22, recalled: “I played football (at the former Farrer Park Field) with a group of Malays and was invited to their homes for dinner after the match.”
Referring to Fandi, he said: “I met a 10-year-old who went on to become Singapore’s national icon.”
Tam is a member of the Hong Kong Celebrity Football Team and a fan of English Premier League club Manchester United.
He added: “Even though he was not wearing sneakers at the time, he was still very good and his footwork was very nimble. However, he probably doesn’t know that he once played football with me.”
Fandi, now 62, went on to become the top scorer for Singapore’s national team with 55 goals in 101 caps. He also played and scored in Europe’s Uefa Cup with Dutch side Groningen. He is currently the head coach of Malaysia Super League side Sri Pahang.
Tam did not complete his studies and left Singapore after less than a year.
“I returned to Hong Kong to attend my sister’s wedding, and ended up eating too much every day, including too much oily food,” he said. “Coupled with the pressure of returning to Singapore to take the exams, I had diarrhoea every day.”
Tam claimed he lost 13kg in two weeks. His mother decided not to let him return to Singapore.
Known affectionately as Principal Tam due to his stature in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, he will hold his Alan Tam Classic Live Tour concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on June 14. Limited seats are still available.
