Deinze Football Club NV (KMSK Deinze), the group company of ACA Football Partners Pte Ltd (ACAFP), announced today that it has entered into a comprehensive partnership with Albirex Niigata Singapore to expand its football business connecting Europe and Asia, and also welcomes Ilhan Fandi (20) to the club.
KMSK Deinze and its owner, ACA Football Partners (ACAFP), are committed to release the value of sports on a global scale. Another milestone for connecting Europe and Asia will be our comprehensive partnership with Albirex Niigata Singapore to deliver activities between 2 clubs, and the acquirement of Ilhan Fandi, a young promising player who has been selected for the Singapore national team. He will be joining KMSK Deinze initially from January 2023, and the contents following his story will be distributed on ACAFP’s unique video streaming service “PlaysiaTV”.
KMSK Deinze is also expanding its academy, and a few examples are our partnership with PVF Academy in Vietnam to host 15 years old players for approximately 2 months internship, and our collaboration with Futurosport which is one of the largest youth training facilities in Belgium. Through this comprehensive partnership, KMSK Deinze can offer the opportunities to grow and experience new culture for academy players from Albirex Niigata Singapore. Moreover we may collaborate with top teams as well by developing the scouting network for instance.
Comment from Ilhan Fandi
“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.”
Comment from Mr. Daisuke Korenaga, Albirex Niigata Singapore Chairman
“We are delighted to announce Ilhan Fandi’s transfer which may be the big turning point for the Football in Singapore. 19 out of 26 players from the Japan national football team play in European top leagues, and the fact is that the team won against top teams in the world such as Spain and Germany. By seeing this fact gaining experience in Europe means a lot for players, and I wish the same happens to the football in Singapore. We could enhance the exchange of human resource and provide the paths to the young promising players from Singapore by making this partnership happen. I wish to see Singaporean football becomes more competitive in the near future. ”
Comment from Hiroyuki Ono, CEO of ACAFP and Vice Chairman, Board of Director, KMSK Deinze
“We are very pleased to welcome Ilhan Fandi, a promising star of Singaporean football, to KMSK Deinze and to be collaborating with Albirex Niigata Singapore on this project. The academy players from PVF Vietnam, who have been with us since this October, show their progress day by day by experiencing good and bad in Belgium which is far away from their home. The passion towards football in Singapore is also high and providing those opportunities for young players means a lot for our future. I am looking forward to seeing Ilhan’s success as well as the development of our activities including academy projects to connect Asia and Europe.”
Ilhan Fandi (20) FW
Birthday: November 8th, 2002
Clubs: i2i Football Academy – Young Lions
National team career: Singapore U16 – Singapore U23 – Singapore (4 matches / 0 goal)
So called “The future of Singaporean Football”. A striker who is also selected for the Singapore national team. Having great physical ability and being tall, expectations are high for scoring goals.
About Albirex Niigata Singapore
Based on Albirex Niigata from J.LEAGUE in Japan, it is a professional football club which has been playing in the Singapore League since 2004, and is mainly composed of Japanese players. It is one of the strongest teams in Singapore, winning its fifth league championship this season, and puts effort into raising young and talented Japanese and Singaporean players. A women’s team was established in 2022, and in its first year the team achieved second place in the league. The club aims to be an organization that is needed and loved by the local people in Singapore by contributing to the society through activities which may positively influence the community.
Official web site: https://www.albirex.com.sg/en/