As FAS’s newly minted

Head Coach for Youth

, Fandi is in charge of training the Young Lions. To put it bluntly, this means the country is depending on him to deliver results that, after what feels like a lifetime of trying, seem more a delusional dream than a realistic goal.

Under Fandi, our national team will probably be expected to land a place on the podium at the Asian Games this year and the SEA games in 2019, as well as qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics—at the very least.

Yet going by how Fandi consistently strives to one-up himself, even in regular training sessions, this might not seem so impossible.

“I am self-critical. This thing not good, that thing not good. I always want to do better. Like I’m not really an IT person but I try to research on good programmes from coaches in the 70s or 80s to incorporate into my training,” he says.

Critics might argue, quite frankly, that Fandi has his work cut out for him. They believe our national team’s lack of medals is due to the subpar standard of our players.

While Fandi knows that his players have limitations, he also knows what to do with them, such as increase their fitness level and tactical skills. At the same time, he also believes that success is “less about the skill, always about the will”.

Accordingly, he insists that consistent support from fans is crucial under any circumstances, even though Singaporeans are “tired we never win”. He cites the time that the Argentinian football team visited our country to commemorate the FAS’ 125th anniversary as a typical example of support for local football.

“When Argentina came, we thought Singaporeans would wear the Singaporean flag. But people wore blue and white stripes, the other country’s flag. Why can’t Singaporeans support their own? They can’t just support me; they must support all the athletes. I was very sad. I couldn’t help wondering if we really have passion for the sport. Maybe we just don’t care.”

Then I bring up Iceland’s qualification for the World Cup last year. Not only did our small nation show support for their even smaller nation, it also resulted in criticism for our own national team for not meeting our Goal 2010, the original plan we had to qualify for the World Cup.

If there were a medal for cracking Fandi’s cool exterior, I would have won it then.

He says, “If Iceland were in Singapore, they would never make it. It’s not just the education system that hinders us, but also the environment and culture. They are in Europe, where everybody plays football to become a professional. They have these dreams from as young as eight years old. Here, when people push and they don’t make it, they give up. People like to compare us to Iceland, but it’s an unfair comparison.”

Understandably, he is also frequently frustrated by keyboard warriors, who have a tendency to degrade his players without attempting to empathise with the challenges they face.

“If you are always criticising or judging people, you will never love them,” he says.

Throughout our conversation, Fandi frequently drops these feel-good aphorisms, and I realise perhaps he wasn’t chosen to lead the Young Lions for his legacy, nor his natural discipline and talent. Instead, it’s because he is heartbreakingly idealistic, a coach who strives to see the good in everyone and every situation.

And perhaps only someone like him can save a sport that’s struggling to regain its morale against all odds.