Football: Singapore starlet Ilhan Fandi set for Belgium’s second division
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Ilhan Fandi, who had a stellar 2022 season with Albirex Niigata, is hoping to further his development overseas.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
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Local football’s Young Player of the Year Ilhan Fandi is ready to fly the coop to further his development as a player. His destination: Belgium’s second division.
After scoring 20 goals in 27 Singapore Premier League and Singapore Cup matches for Albirex Niigata in 2022, the 20-year-old forward will join KMSK Deinze in January and has signed a contract until June 2024.
Deinze announced the news on their website on Monday and said the Lions striker will train with their A team, but can also be used for their Under-21 matches. The club also said they have entered a partnership with Albirex, mainly for their youth academy.
Ilhan said: “I’m very blessed and thankful for the interest Deinze showed in me and the ambitions they had for me and I’m grateful for the opportunity they have given me and I’ll give my best for the team.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity and I can’t wait to get started in Belgium.”
He also had the option of joining Austin FC’s second team in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Next Pro League in the United States.
The American side will launch their Next Pro team in 2023 to play in the second season of what is effectively the third tier of the US league system, below the MLS and United Soccer League Championship.
Albirex confirmed the move in an Instagram post on Monday and said: “We hope his (Ilhan’s) success in Europe inspires the hopes and dreams of football kids in Singapore.”
Deinze are eighth in the 12-team Challenger Pro League, with five matches left in the regular season. After a rough start, they went on a six-match unbeaten run that ended with two recent league losses. However, they remain the only non top-flight club in the last 16 of the Belgian Cup.
This is their third season in the second tier, after they gained promotion in 2020 by winning the Belgian First Amateur Division.
Interestingly, Deinze were taken over in January by Singapore-based investment fund ACA Football Partners, which is hoping to make the club the centre of its multi-club ownership model.
They are aiming to play in the top tier when they celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2026.
Ilhan will become the first Singaporean footballer to ply his trade in Belgium. He will also be following in the footsteps of his family members who had ventured overseas.
His father Fandi Ahmad played for Dutch side Groningen (1983-85), among other foreign teams, while older brothers Irfan and Ikhsan Fandi
Ikhsan had also featured for Norway’s second-tier teams Raufoss (2019-20) and FK Jerv (2020-21).
