CIMB inks a sponsorship deal with two of Singapore's top youth football talents Irfan Fandi Ahmad, 17 and Ikhsan Fandi Ahmad, 15. This also marked CIMB's first foray into cultivating sports talents in the worlds most popular sport.

Following in the footsteps of their father, Fandi Ahmad undeniably Singapore's most recognisable football legend, Irfan and Ikhsan are no strangers to the spotlight as they have rightfully sealed their position amongst the top young footballers in Singapore.

Both boys have represented the country in various international football tournaments including the Canon Lion City Cup and the Asian Youth Games in Nanjing, China. Irfan and Ikhsan were also the youngest of the 20-man Under-23 squad that went for a 16-day training trip to Salzburg, Austria in preparation for the Suzuki Cup defense and next year's Southeast Asian Games.

They are currently studying in Chile and training with Universidad Catolica, a First Division club in Santiago.

At the signing ceremony, Mak Lye Mun, Country Head of CIMB Group Singapore and CEO of CIMB Bank Singapore said, "We believe the nurturing of the regions talents is one of the best ways in giving back to the communities we live and operate in. We are very proud of what Irfan and Ikhsan have achieved at such a young age and we hope that this sponsorship will propel these two Singapore homegrown talents to excel on the local and regional stages, and to flourish in the international arena as well."

With this sponsorship, Irfan and Ikhsan will be expected complete their studies and training during their stay in Chile.

"There are no short-cuts to making champions and this is truly a breakthrough in Irfan and Ikhsan's development as footballers. Our family is extremely thrilled to have the support of an ASEAN player like CIMB and we look forward to a successful partnership," said Fandi Ahmad, Irfan and Ikhsans father.

"CIMB is no stranger to such sponsorships. Sports and education are key pillars we support as we recognise the huge role both play in our society. We are sure that this sponsorship not only cements our commitment to growing in Singapore, it also provides us the opportunity to connect with Singaporeans, especially the ardent sports fans," Mak added.

CIMB is best known for its sponsorship of six-time World Squash Champion, Datuk Nicol David. Through its philanthropic arm, CIMB Foundation, it has also invested in sports development programmes for budding young squash players and golfers.

In partnership with the National Sports Council (NSC) and the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM), CIMB supports the development of squash in Malaysia through a junior development programme covering six age groups from under-9 to under-19 through the CIMB National Junior Circuit and the CIMB Rising Stars National Junior Circuit.

Its junior golf development programme now involves more than 80 top juniors from four countries namely Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia and the programme has seen some of these juniors claiming international titles - Danthai Boonma clinched the Men's individual gold medal at the 2013 SEA Games and Puwit Anupansuebsai and Paphangkorn Tavatanakit excelled at the World Masters of Junior
Golf tournament by winning the Boys 13-14 and Girls 13-14 categories respectively.