Sheik Ferdous, Sheik Farhan aim for world championship glory without dad’s guidance

SINGAPORE – Since picking up the sport as kids, Singapore silat exponents Sheik Ferdous and Sheik Farhan Sheik Alau’ddin have had one constant at every competition – the towering, watchful presence of their father Sheik Alau’ddin Yacoob Marican.

But as Ferdous, 28, and Farhan, 26, head into the World Pencak Silat Championships in Abu Dhabi from Dec 18 to 22, they will do so without their dad, a two-time world champion and four-time Coach of the Year who is synonymous with the sport here.

Last November, Sheik Alau’ddin was arrested for suspected criminal breach of trust and he is assisting the Commercial Affairs Department with investigations into “financial irregularities” in the Singapore Silat Federation (SSF).

He was the national sports association’s chief executive at the time of his arrest and has served as national coach, technical director and assistant secretary at various times since retiring from the sport in 1999.

Ferdous, who was crowned world champion in 2018 on home soil, said: “I still remember that in 2018, shortly after I won, I went up on stage where my dad was busy playing the role of organiser, and we hugged. He told me: ‘Congratulations son, you finally did it’.”

In Abu Dhabi, he will be attempting to reclaim his world crown in the Class I (85-90kg) division without his father ringside.

He added: “I will miss his presence and it feels weird, but it’s not like it will devastate me either... I still have my responsibility and my desire to win, with or without him by my side.”

Farhan, who will compete in Class J (90-95kg), is chasing his fifth world title after triumphs in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2022. He said he has not allowed what has gone on to be a distraction.

The 26-year-old, who declined to speak about his father, stressed that he is not distracted by the investigation.

He said: “When I am training and competing, only the sport is on my mind. When I fight, I am not looking out to see where my father is, so it does not affect me.

“I am very focused on myself and I go into every competition that I compete in 100 per cent confident.”

While Farhan goes into the competition as the favourite, the path to a world title will not be as straightforward for Ferdous. But a second triumph will feel sweeter this time, as the latter hit “the lowest point” in his life in the past two years.

In May 2023, he was fined $8,000 and disqualified from driving for 48 months for drink driving. That came after national coach Mochammad Ichsan Nur Romadhon died in a car accident in Bali in May 2022. The public scrutiny around his father has also not helped, with Ferdous admitting it is hard not to be affected by it.

He said: “It has been a tough few years for me. The first hit was my coach’s passing. And at that time, I was also in the midst of changing to a lower weight class to Class G (75-80kg), which meant having to cut about 10kg. That really takes a toll on you as an athlete.

“People don’t understand the difficulty in dieting and how the gameplay is different. I was facing guys that were quicker, suffered losses and I didn’t feel too good.”

Now back in his preferred weight class, Ferdous is fully focused on the gold, adding: “What has not changed is my will to succeed in this sport and in my career.”

The biennial World Pencak Silat Championships was last held in 2022 in Melaka, with Singapore’s exponents picking up four gold, five silver and eight bronze medals in Malaysia.

Singapore was set to host the 20th edition in December 2023, only for it to be cancelled shortly after Sheik Alau’ddin’s arrest.

Singapore’s best performance at the world meet was in 2018, when the athletes claimed seven gold, six silver and seven bronze medals on home ground.

Singapore coach Mohamed Noor Rafili Mohamed Ramli, 44, is targeting two gold medals from the 53-strong contingent competing at the World Pencak Silat Championships and the Junior World Championships at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

He said: “The athletes have been training very hard since the start of the year and they are very focused. The morale of Team Singapore has generally been positive, with the team demonstrating strong determination and resilience in recent competitions.

“There is a mix of veteran fighters and debutants and with this mix, there is always potential for standout performances that could surprise opponents and fans alike.”