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Fandi Ahmad is looking for HDB flat AsiaOne Sun, Mar 06, 2011 In a 1991 interview, Singapore's favourite football icon, Fandi Ahmad, told The New Paper, 'I have enough money. Lots of money. In two years' time, I would have made enough to last the rest of my lifetime.' He was the country's first millionaire sportsman when he turned 30 in 1993. Now, however, life has dealt him a cruel twist after a decade of setbacks and he is looking for a Housing Board flat in the Yishun vicinity, near his mother's. The 48-year-old used to share a terrace house with his wife, Wendy Jacobs, and his five children. Fandi informed The Sunday Times that his wife is still recovering from a fall in the couple's Jakarta home two years ago. She had suffered temporary memory loss and was bedridden for almost a month. Although she still suffers the occasional mild seizure, she is improving, said Fandi. He told The Straits Times: 'She's getting a lot of rest at home and is much better than before, so we're all happy.' The ex-Lion, however, is on his guard when quizzed about other problems that he has faced recently. 'What's past is past, I can't do anything about it,' he stressed, adding that the constant query on these subjects is 'sickening'. A few failed businesses in the past had left him in so much debt that two parties sued in June 2006 to recover $230,000 in 'friendly loans', which were allegedly taken when Fandi started a used-car dealership in 1999. Fandi then pulled out of the partnership two years later but was still saddled with the debt of his business partners, who had been declared bankrupt. He was their guarantor. Developing young talent His focus has now turned towards helping develop young talent through his academy, which he will launch on Saturday. He is also watching over the growing maturity of his two sons in football - Irfan, 14, and Ikhsan, 12. Despite impressing major European clubs such as AC Milan and Chelsea in trials and making plans for a training stint with Italian Serie B side Vicenza earlier this year, visa issues had forced the family to put that idea on hold. Fandi is also aware that the public will be expecting his sons to fill in the shoes that he has vacated. 'It's not easy for them,' he noted. 'People will expect a lot and scrutinise them. That's why I don't put too much pressure on them. 'I'll just let them enjoy the game while they can and, if they can play good football, that would be good.' He does, however, harbour the hope that at least one of his sons will become a Lion. 'My father (Ahmad Wartam) and uncle (the late Abu Sujak) both played for Singapore. It would be good if they could carry on that tradition,' he said. Good friend and former national teammate Rafi Ali pointed out: 'During his time, everything he touched turned to gold. Everybody made money because of him - people paid to watch him play, for his endorsement, the association also used him for advertisements. 'Still, he's as cheerful as ever. He's not the kind of person who will talk about what is happening in his life. 'It's really very sad that a legend is going through this.'