Ikhsan Fandi joins J3 League team

SINGAPORE – Ikhsan Fandi is set to become the first Singapore-born Lion to play in the Japanese league after signing a one-year deal with third-division side Thespa Gunma.

On July 7, the national striker confirmed his departure from Thai side BG Pathum United, who facilitated the move, and expressed gratitude to the club and their fans in an Instagram post.

The 27-year-old told The Straits Times: “This is a time in my career where I feel the need to challenge myself further.

“I want to climb up to play at a higher level in J1 or J2, so this is a chance for me to push and get there.

“It’s important to keep improving, and playing overseas in an environment as intense and competitive as Japan with players at a higher level will help me achieve that. This will also help prepare me well for the Asian Cup.”

Founded in 1995 as Liaison Kusatsu Football Club, the club took just 10 years to be promoted to the J2 League.

After finishing last in 2017, they were relegated to the third tier. But they bounced back for another spell in J2 from 2020 to 2023, before dropping to J3 for the 2025 season where they finished 14th out of 20 teams.

Besides their local players, which includes 35-year-old midfielder Koki Kazama, the elder brother of BG Tampines Rovers midfielder Koya Kazama, they also have a couple of South Koreans.

Ikhsan is the second local-born Singaporean to join the J.League, following in the footsteps of Anders Aplin, who went to J2 side Matsumoto Yamaga on loan from Geylang International in 2018, but ultimately did not get any minutes.

Lions midfielder Kyoga Nakamura also had stints with various Japanese clubs before moving to the Singapore Premier League in 2019 and becoming a Singapore citizen in 2024.

Ikhsan, who will be wearing jersey No. 90, has taken part in a few light training sessions since arriving on July 4 in Gunma, a landlocked prefecture known for hot springs and ski areas about an hour’s bullet-train ride from Tokyo.

“In Japan, very few things are in English, so I will depend on support from the translator and teammates who can speak English first while I find a language tutor,” he said.

“Food is okay – you can’t go wrong with salmon and rice. I’m ready. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t even think about going for this challenge.”

He is certainly well equipped for another adventure abroad, thanks to overseas stints since his youth with Spanish side Hercules and Chilean outfit Barnechea along with elder brother Irfan.

After spells in Singapore with Home United and Young Lions early in his senior career, Ikhsan has played abroad exclusively.

He was the first Singaporean to ply his trade in Norway, where he chalked up 16 goals and one assist for Raufoss IL and FK Jerv in the second tier from 2019 to 2021.

He then moved to Thailand where he clocked 100 games across five seasons with Thai League 1 team Pathum, and accumulated 50 goals and five assists despite being hampered by knee injuries.

In his last season in Thailand, he also went on loan to Ratchaburi FC, where he grabbed seven goals in 12 games.

Ikhsan said: “I’ll need to get out of my comfort zone after being in Thailand for five years, but I’ve handled Spain, Chile and Norway, so this feels something like that again.

“Gunma are a good team. I watched them play a sparring match and the quality is high. They train at a high intensity and tempo and are operating like a J2 team after their recent relegation. The team have a big mission to get promoted, and I want to be part of that with my goals.”

Lions coach Gavin Lee believes this stint for Ikhsan, who has 49 caps and 23 international goals, will be beneficial for the national team, especially with the Jan 7-Feb 5 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia coming up.

Lee said: “It’s always good when our players are in environments where they are being challenged, because when you’re overloaded, you’re forced to adapt, and that’s how you improve. A better player will definitely benefit the national team.

“This stint comes at a good time leading up to the Asian Cup, where we want all our players to be as good of a version they can be of themselves, because the better they are, the better the national team will be.

“We know how competitive the J.League is throughout their leagues. Hopefully, this is the first step for us as a country in terms of getting more players abroad into this market. We wish Ikhsan luck in J3. Hopefully he does well, and it opens doors for future generations of Singaporeans.”

Former Singapore coach Tsutomu Ogura, who is now vice-chairman of Japan Football Association’s technical committee, also hopes the striker can be successful to pave the way for his compatriots.

Asked what advice he would give Ikhsan, he said: “The priority is to get into the right physical and mental condition to play through the season without injury.

“Once that is established, the next step is getting accustomed to the language and culture. I have high hopes for a great performance.”

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