PETALING JAYA: CIMB has made teenagers Irfan and Ikhsan – the sons of Singapore legend Fandi Ahmad – their “first signings” as the Malaysian banking giant marked its maiden venture into football sponsorship.
The 17-year-old Irfan and Ikhsan, 15, inked a one-year deal, believed to be a six-figure sum, with CIMB at a signing ceremony in Singapore on Thursday.
The sponsorship deal will enable the two brothers to complete their studies and football training in Santiago, Chile.
Irfan and Ikhsan are now with 10-time Chilean Premier League champions Universidad Catolica.
CIMB Bank Singapore chief executive officer and country head of CIMB Group Singapore Mak Lye Mun was pleased to get the two young talents under their sponsorship.
“We are very proud of what Irfan and Ikhsan have achieved at such a young age and we hope that this sponsorship will propel these two Singapore home-grown talents to excel on the local and regional stages, and to flourish in the international arena as well,” said Lye Mun.
Irfan and Ikhsan have represented Singapore in various international tournaments, including the Canon Lion City Cup and Asian Youth Games in Nanjing, China.
Irfan and Ikhsan were recently included in the Under-23 squad that went for a 16-day training stint in Salzburg, Austria, in preparation for the AFF Suzuki Cup in November as well as the next year’s Singapore SEA Games.
Fandi, who was present at Thursday’s ceremony said: “There are no short cuts to making champions and this is truly a breakthrough in Irfan and Ikhsan’s development as footballers. We look forward to a successful partnership.” — Bernama
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