Having spent close to a week in the two-week long training stint in Germany, Fandi is eager to continue learning and soaking in the new ideas that have emerged from the recent Euro 2012 tournament.

 

“There were different footballing methods and tactics that were introduced in the recent Euro 2012 tournament. With the end of the tournament, it is expected that the top coaches and managers in Europe will be implementing these coaching techniques to their teams.”

 

As a coach himself at his own academy, Fandi Ahmad Academy and Malaysian Premier League (MPL) side Johor FA, Fandi believes that coaches are responsible to equip themselves with the ever-changing football methods and techniques.

 

“The style of football has been changing with the times and coaches have become more innovative and creative with their techniques. It is important and part of the job of the coaches to constantly improve and upgrade themselves so that they are in touch with the current methods in coaching and tactical approaches.”

 

Fandi, who was invited to watch the Schalke team train as part of their preparation for their new season in the German League, shares that this attachment has enables him to learn their approach and application of football at a close range.

 

“This attachment with Schalke allows me to witness how they prepare for games, with their new season in the Bundesliga about to begin in late August. I have had the opportunity to watch closely how the coaches train their players and it was definitely an interesting experience.”

 

“I am eager to adopt these different and modern coaching ideas and assess how these methods can be implemented into the development of local talent through my academy (FAA).”