Soccer: Birthday boy Ilhan Fandi celebrates with three trophies at FAS Awards Night time

SINGAPORE – Singapore ahead Ilhan Fandi capped off his twentieth birthday in some type after he clinched the Singapore Premier League (SPL) Younger Participant of the Yr, Aim of the Yr award and was named within the SPL Workforce of the Yr on the Soccer Affiliation of Singapore (FAS) Awards Night time on Tuesday, when his staff swept the foremost awards.

Ilhan pipped fellow nominees – teammate Kodai Tanaka and Balestier Khalsa’s Japanese ahead Ryoya Taniguchi – for the Younger Participant of the Yr gong after he completed the season as the best native goalscorer with 17 objectives in 21 appearances. He began the season with Younger Lions for whom he scored twice in three matches earlier than netting 15 objectives to assist Albirex Niigata win the SPL title this 12 months. He had joined the Japanese facet in April on a contract until the tip of the season.

Ilhan is the primary of Fandi’s sons to win a person honour. In 2018, Ikhsan – who now performs with Thailand’s BG Pathum – had additionally been nominated for the Younger Participant of the Yr and Aim of the Yr awards, however didn’t win in both class.

Ilhan can nonetheless add the Singapore Cup winner’s medal to his silverware haul this 12 months. Albirex will contest the primary leg of the Singapore Cup semi remaining on Friday in opposition to Hougang.

Within the night time’s foremost award, Albirex ahead Kodai Tanaka, who scored 33 objectives and offered 11 assists in 28 appearances in his facet’s title-winning season, gained the SPL Participant of the Yr. The opposite nominees have been Lion Metropolis Sailors’ Maxime Lestienne and Tampines’ SPL Golden Boot winner Boris Kopitovic. Albirex coach Kazuaki Yoshinaga gained the Coach of the Yr award for a 3rd time.

Though nominees had been introduced solely a day earlier than the awards, the thrill was within the air among the many 500 company who had arrived at Orchard Resort on Tuesday. This was in any case the primary time the annual occasion had been held in-person since 2019. Most held mini debates on who would take the night time’s largest honours whereas some shared their reminiscences of the late FAS president Lim Kia Tong, who died aged 70 on Sept 14.

The night time started in honour of Lim with a minute’s applause after a video montage was proven on display screen.

Prime performers of the Girls’s Premier League (WPL) have been additionally honoured on Tuesday. The WPL kicked off in Could and marked the return of girls’s soccer competitors in Singapore, after a two-year absence because of the pandemic.

Tanjong Pagar United’s Japanese veteran Manami Fukuzawa was named the WPL Participant of the Yr. The 31-year-old attacking midfielder scored eight objectives in 12 matches to complete because the league’s second highest scorer. Her teammate Haziqah Haszman, who stored 4 clear sheets this 12 months, gained the league’s Younger Participant of the Yr award.

Fukuzawa is already waiting for the subsequent season and needs to get to double figures. She mentioned:”I didn’t count on to win at this time however I’m very blissful. I believe I had a mean season however I actually needed us to be champions. Subsequent 12 months, I need to win all of it – the title, the Golden Boot, the Participant of the Yr and even the Aim of the Season.”