Filipino Defender Diego Bardanca Grabs Ikhsan Fandi By The Crotch
Both hands should be kept away from the ball when on the football field. Filipino defender Diego Bardanca definitely missed that message, based on what went down in the National Stadium earlier this week.
On Tuesday evening (29 Mar), Singapore and the Philippines played in an international friendly match at the National Stadium during the Tri-Nation Series 2022.
Singapore eventually defeated the Philippines 2-0, but that was not the most exciting thing about the highly televised match.
Bardanca grabbed Singaporean striker Ikhsan Fandi by the crotch in what is now a highly viral moment.
@shahid_ayid80 Jahat eh raba raba “Bebird” Ikhsan Fandi… 🤣🤣🤣🤣 #fyp #singapura #FAS
♬ original sound – Terawis Ayid Shahid – Terawis Ayid Shahid
The move was a handy play at defence, succeeding in shocking viewers and Ikhsan himself.
Ikhsan later laughed the incident off by reposting a series of memes to his Instagram stories.
Grabbed by Filipino defender Bardanca
On Tuesday evening (29 Mar), the Singapore Lions played against the Philippines at the National Stadium. The match was part of the ongoing Football Association of Singapore (FAS) Tri-Nations Series 2022.
Right before the Lions won their first goal of the match, Bardanca was caught grabbing Ikhsan’s family jewels in an attempt at a defensive strategy.
The strategy must not have worked as only seconds later, Singaporean footballer Safuwan Baharudin scored the Lions’ first goal of the night.
Ikhsan was seen to push Bardanca away after his bold move, with both players laughing it off and rejoining the match.
This is not the first time such a hands-on strategy of defence has been used in a game of football. Back in 2015, footballer Joey Barton was sent off the field for touching up an opponent.
According to The Guardian, the incident repeated itself in 2020 with Preston’s Darnell Fisher, albeit with the more severe consequence of a three-game suspension
Ikhsan Fandi laughs off crotch grab moment with memes
Fans need not worry, though — Ikhsan seems to have taken the incident far more light-heartedly.
He later reposted memes and edits of the viral moment to his Instagram account alongside laughing emojis.
Fans react to Filipino footballer grabbing Ikhsan Fandi
As heated as the match had been, the move was a touch unexpected for football fans. A video of the moment went instantly viral on TikTok, garnering more than 245,000 views presently.
Some viewers were shocked by Ikhsan’s fairly measured response to the grab. Not everyone would have reacted to such a handball with that amount of poise.
However, other fans felt that Bardanca deserved a red card for the bold move. The move could have been potentially injurious.
One fan, in particular, offers a different view of the incident. It’s no surprise that a player would want to lay his hands on a ball, he argues, considering that the game demands 20 men chase after one.
His logic does seem sound.
Hopefully, no more handball at future games
The Lions’ win against the Philippines marks the second victory in a row for our players at the Tri-Nations Series 2022. Among other players, Ikhsan is rising fast as one of Singapore’s best strikers in history.
There is no doubt that they are at the top of their game.
We hope our beloved Singapore Lions will continue to outdo themselves, no matter the handballs hurled their way.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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