Handsome and talented team leader of Singapore football team

" MULTI-FUNCTIONAL GENTLEMEN"

Head of delegation Muhammad Syafiq Bin Juffri is a special member of the Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) team in the 2025 International Volunteer Competition - THACO Cup, as he did not come from this university. Syafiq is an excellent student of the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), but with his passionate passion for sports, he got involved with Nanyang Technological University in a way that even the 1994-born head of delegation did not expect at first: managing the school's sports teams, including the football team.

Team Leader Muhammad Syafiq Bin Juffri of Nanyang Technological University

Photo: NHAT THINH

"Nanyang Technological University has 24 sports teams, such as men's and women's football, tennis, table tennis, basketball, etc. We have a website that aggregates all the teams, called NTU Spirit. Besides professional training, Nanyang Technological University focuses on developing sports movements for students. Through sports, students can learn how to exercise physically, work in teams, and cultivate determination," said Head of Delegation Muhammad Syafiq Bin Juffri.

Team leader Syafiq is responsible for managing and taking teams from Nanyang Technological University to compete in domestic and international competitions. The day of the so-called team leader representing Singapore starts early in the morning, when he writes down the tasks that need to be done during the day. Syafiq has a separate work plan for each task, applied to each day. He is in charge of an extremely heavy workload, when managing players, representing the team to work with the Organizing Committee on training and competition grounds, providing professional support to the coaching staff, and at the same time becoming the link between the sports teams and the school leadership.

He works responsibly and enthusiastically, with a bright smile always on his lips to say thank you to the person in front of him. It is not an exaggeration to say that Syafiq is the "general manager" of Nanyang Technological University, because he is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get involved in everything.

"The workload is huge. I do feel pressured. But looking at the joy of the student players, seeing them enjoy happiness, seeing their efforts every day, I no longer feel tired. I always try my best with what I do, contributing a small responsibility to the team's success," said Head of Delegation Syafiq. That is also the motivation for him to stick with the sports management job at Nanyang Technological University for the past 7 years.

C DEDICATED TO ALL

In the match against the University of Malaysia, Head of Delegation Muhammad Syafiq Bin Juffri sat quietly in the coaching cabin. Unlike Coach Saswamadita Bin Dasuki who always gave enthusiastic instructions, Syafiq only took notes.

For Syafiq, he has to grasp every task. The leader of the Nanyang Technological University team always tries to be meticulous in every little detail. In the technical meeting before the tournament, he impressed the organizers by asking… 6 questions. The meticulousness and strictness have made Syafiq's brand, because he understands that he is working for the flag and colors of one of the leading universities in Asia.

The leader with a lovely smile

Photo: Nhat Thinh

"The Nanyang Technological University team came here to show ourselves, to concretize what we have practiced into a performance on the field. That has been the team's purpose since before the departure day," Head of the delegation Syafiq affirmed and said: "We did not come here to travel. The whole team is determined to win, and in this tournament, which team does not want to go to the final match? However, besides trying to play well, we want to practice and learn from the strongest teams. The Nanyang Technological University players will perform their best, dedicating everything we have to give the audience a good match."