Fahrudin Mustafić

Fahrudin Mustafić (born 17 April 1981) is a retired footballer who spent most of his playing career as a centre-back for Singapore Premier League club Tampines Rovers and retired at the end of the 2018 season. Born in Serbia, he represented the Singapore national team. He is currently working as an assistant coach at Tampines Rovers.

Fahrudin Mustafić

Personal information
Date of birth	(1981-04-17) 17 April 1981 (age 44)
Place of birth	Novi Pazar, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back/Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team	Tampines Rovers (assistant coach)
Youth career
1991–2000	Novi Pazar
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2000–2001	Novi Pazar
2002–2009	Tampines Rovers	146	(28)
2003	→ Sengkang Marine (loan)	31	(2)
2009–2010	Persija Jakarta	25	(0)
2010–2011	Persela Lamongan	24	(3)
2011–2018	Tampines Rovers	155	(15)
International career
2006–2018	Singapore	87	(8)
Managerial career
2019–	Tampines Rovers (assistant)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Football career

Club career

Born in Novi Pazar, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia, Fahrudin started playing in the youth team of FK Novi Pazar when he was 10.^[1] He played in the youth teams until 2000, when he joined the senior squad and spent two seasons in the Second League of FR Yugoslavia.^[2]

In January 2002, Fahrudin was brought to Singapore with the help of fellow Serbian and Tampines Rovers player, Sead Muratović.^[1] Impressive displays in his first two seasons earned him citizenship.

Fahrudin, or Farra as he is affectionately known by fans of the Tampines Rovers and the national team, is known as a tenacious player.

Fahrudin became a pivotal member of the national set-up with his crisp passing and tight marking ability. He was also proficient in taking penalties and was the first-choice penalty taker for both club and country.

In September 2009, Fahrudin went to Indonesia to play for Persija Jakarta.^[3] Following his release by Persija, he joined Persela Lamongan.^[3] He returned to the Tampines Rovers in June 2011.

At the end of the 2018 Singapore Premier League, Fahrudin announced his retirement from professional football, having played more than 300 official games for Tampines Rovers.^[4]

Coaching career

After retirement, Fahrudin stayed on with the club to be the assistant coach of the team.^[5]

International career

Fahrudin made his debut for the national team in a friendly against Denmark in January 2006.

Fahrudin was also part of the national side that took part at the 2007 AFF Championship, where he played a key role in helping Singapore retain their title. He scored his first goal for Singapore in the final through a controversial penalty against Thailand at the National Stadium.

Personal life

Fahrudin has Serbian, Bosnian and Singaporean citizenship, receiving the latter in 2005 under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme.^[6]

National team career statistics

Goals for senior national team

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	31 January 2007	Singapore	Thailand	2–1	Won	2007 AFF Championship
2.	24 January 2008	Muscat, Oman	Kuwait	2–0	Won	Friendly
3.	31 January 2008	Zarqa, Jordan	Jordan	1–2	Lost	Friendly
4.	2 June 2008	Singapore	Uzbekistan	3–7	Lost	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
5.	5 December 2008	Jakarta, Indonesia	Cambodia	5–0	Won	2008 AFF Championship
6.	14 November 2009	Singapore	Thailand	1–3	Lost	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification
7.	23 July 2011	Singapore	Malaysia	5–3	Won	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
8.	19 December 2012	Singapore	Thailand	3–1	Won	2012 AFF Championship

Honours

Tampines Rovers

• S.League: 2004, 2005
• Singapore Cup: 2004, 2006

Singapore

• AFF Championship: 2007, 2012

Individual

• ASEAN Football Federation Best XI: 2013