Jakarta Casual

No-One Likes Them, They Don't Care

2026-03-15T16:27:00.002+07:00

GUEST COLUMN - Dez Corkhill

Congratulations to Johor Darul Ta’zim. A 1-0 loss in Hiroshima, Japan, meant that the 11-time-in-a-row Malaysian Champions qualified 3-2 on aggregate, and so became the first team to make it to the quarter-finals of the modern format of the AFC Champions League (Elite).

Selangor made it to the Final of the 1967 Asian Champions’ tournament only to lose to Israel’s Hapoel Tel Aviv (that would be an interesting match-up these days), but in the modern era, Johor’s success is unprecedented.

JDT nearly qualified last season only to lose controversially to Buriram United (who have made the last-8 again this campaign) in the last 16.

But now they’re into the last 8 in Asia for the first time, and the expensively (for ASEAN football purposes) recruited Spaniards, Brazilians, Argentines and (largely recruited) Malaysian and Heritage Malaysian (FIFA banned, or otherwise) locals will find themselves matched up against the likes of Benzema, Milinkovic-Savic, Darwin Nunez, etc etc et al. The best of the wealthy West against lil’ ol’ JDT.

However, you’ll be aware that it’s NOT a generally popular success in Malaysia.

I understand WHY it’s not popular. Even if you exclude accusations largely being thrown at Johor for some kind of culpability in the “Heritage Seven” issue (too much to go into here), there are football reasons why JDT arent popular.

For example, I don’t think they’re the “nicest” team in the world. There’s gamesmanship (when “appropriate”) in the team; in commentary, I often refer to their physicality, and that goes along with plenty of macho posturing, and no little element of play-acting and game delaying tactics. But, whilst I (who never played anywhere near this level) don’t enjoy watching it, it seems to happen only when professionally expedient.

But the MAIN accusation against them is seemingly that there aren’t enough local or heritage players regularly playing. That rather dismisses selections for Afiq Fazail, Syihan Hazmi, and pre and post injured contributions from Shahrul Saad and Arif Aiman in the AFC Champions League, plus Syamhi Safari and Nazmi Faiz in progress (to be confirmed!) to the ASEAN Club Championship semi-final.

But – and it’s a huge reason - when JDT played with local and heritage players, they weren’t good enough to qualify for the latter stages of Asian Elite competitions.

As recently as November 2023, a JDT team including the likes of (the very good) Matt Davies, Syihan, Feroz Baharuddin, Hong Wan, Afiq, Arif Aiman, plus subs Shahrul Saad, Lavere Corbin-Ong and Natxo Insa were battered 5-0 in Japan by Kawasaki Frontale.

This was same group of players were in the midst of a (still running) 100+ unbeaten League record dating back to April 2021, and whose last defeat in ANY domestic competition as they bid to secure a 12th successive title this weekend was in a Malaysia Cup Final in November 2021.

That 0-5 Frontale reverse seemed to produce a reaction “upstairs”. More investment in the players and facilities. With the dollars invested, domestic domination is simply expected. Progress to the lucrative AFC Champions League Elite Last 8 was a clear target.

Recruitment showed that.

Record scorer Bergson couldn’t conquer Asa, so let’s bring in Jairo. Jairo didn’t quite work, so let’s get Marcos Guilherme. Result? Enter 3 goals in 3 games.

Feroz is considered too lightweight; Jordi Amat past his prime and Shane Lowry is injury prone, so in come Raul Parra and Antonio Glauder and the wonderful (my adjective) Eddy Israfilov.

Arif Aiman is injured so in comes Yago. Nazmi Faiz deemed “not the answer”, Hector Hevel suspended/banned, so enter Nacho Mendez and Nene.

Syihan is Malaysa’s best ‘keeper by some distance – but he’s not big enough – enter Andoni Zubiaurre. It’s ruthless. Unpopular. But it is hard (if cruel) not to conclude that each new recruit has been an upgrade. And it’s been successful.

And the cost? I smiled when His Royal Highness TMJ put out a tweet before the Vissel Kobe AFC Elite match about JDT being “underdogs”. A little US$15 million team against the $ 60,000,000 budget of Kobe. But he wasn’t – technically - wrong. (although I suspect the JDT bonuses make that equation a little more even, but I’m not privy to what those bonuses are).

The “other” big thing I often think about as Johor prepare to take on the REALLY dollar-rich clubs of Saudi, UAE and Qatar in the Finals (where and when is still to be determined for geo-political reasons, of course) is how the State of Johor is now in general public discussion. Internationally.

I was born and brought up in England and knew a lot about Singapore. Not a lot about Malaysia. And certainly precious little about “Johor”. Sport has been, and is, a wonderful International marketing tool for Johor, which puts the dollar cost into perspective.

JDT are – and have for 10 years - just been thinking bigger than anyone in Malaysia. Buriram are similar. Sheer mathematics suggest that football alone can’t make the finances make sense, but because of the patronage of TMJ and the accompanying investment, there becomes a Financial argument to support.

Not just football, but Johor as a “destination” for industry, commerce and even tourism.

I really wish that a team of Malaysians really were good enough to get as far as the last 8 of the best competition in Asa. But they can’t. I’m from Liverpool, and bemoan, but still enjoy, the fact the the current heroes are Salah, van Dijk and Alisson and not Scouse born Callaghan, Smith, Thompson or Fowler.

JDT really did try “The Malaysian way”. It didn’t work.

“But Japan compete!”, I hear. Yes, Japan has 3 professional Leagues (60 teams) plus a semi-pro Japan league below that and Prefecture leagues feeding into that. They have a pyramid and an infrastructure so players from their NFDP equivalents have a good place to play if they don’t come good quickly.

Oh yes – Merseyside (population 500,000) has eight thriving professional or semi pro clubs than exist in Malaysia! Liverpool, Everton, Tranmere, Southport, Marine, Bootle, Prescot Cables, Lower Breck (plus at least nine others paying decent “bonuses” to players to play). And Liverpool county FA alone run FIVE men’s adult Saturday leagues (with multiple divisions), and TEN Sunday leagues (multiple divisions).

Malaysia (population 35,000,000) has 13 “professional” clubs including Government-backed department PDRM and Imigresen. Of the others, many are financially desperate and can’t pay debts.

Don’t blame TMJ or Johor for Malaysia having no real football infrastructure.

When they’re told they’re not liked, there are many reasons listed above about why they don’t care. If all goes to plan, Johor will be on the world stage in Jeddah in April. And where will the rest of the Malaysian game be?

New Coach And Striker Change PSIS Fortunes

2026-03-06T19:47:00.009+07:00

Founded in 1932, PSIS are one of Indonesia's oldest clubs. Located in Semarang, one of the 10 largest cities in the country, PSIS have everything in place to be big football club. A large fanbase on their doorstep. A reasonable history. But it hasn't worked out for them for whatever reason.

Apart from a couple of seasons inspired by the likes of M Ridwan, GH Ortiz and Emmanuel de Porras, they briefly flickered 20 years ago, challenging for the title but ultimately falling short.

The last two decades have seen them flit between the top two divisions without really making an impression but now further ignominy beckons.

With 21 games gone, PSIS sit second bottom of Championship Group 2, 9th in the 10-team division and firmly in the relegation play-off place. Only six games, and a perfectly hapless Persipal is keeping them off the bottom of the table.

The season can not end soon enough for the players who face further humiliation were they to drop to the third tier and oblivion.

A team packed with experienced names like Esteban Vizcarra (39 years old), Beto Goncalves (45), Otavio Dutra (42) but they have only managed 11 goals all season. In fact, a look at the player profiles shows a squad rammed with players around 30 years old. Youth definitely isn't being given a chance in this part of Central Java.

If the squad has you scratching your head, look at the coaches they've had this season.

The 2025/26 season began with local legend M Ridwan as caretaker but he was replaced by Kahudi Wahyu, someone I am totally unfamiliar with.

Kahudi lasted three months before Ega Raka Ghalih took over as caretaker at the end of September. After a few weeks, Eka was given the job permanently. Well, I say permanent, he lasted 17 days before he was gone!

In came Jafri Sastra for his second spell at the club and his 17th appointment since he first made his name at Semen Padang back in 2012-2015.

If you're expecting the experienced Jafri was going to bring stability, think again. He was sacked on 31st January and PSIS waited a couple of weeks before announcing their new coach, Andri Ramawi Putra on Valentine's Day.

As far as I'm aware, Andri is still with the club. PSIS are also unbeaten under his stewardship which probably guarantees his job until the end of the month - when games start after the Ramadhan break!

PSIS v Persela 1-0 (Rafael De Sa Rodrigues 90) 5,103

Deltras v PSIS 0-1 (Rafael De Sa Rodrigues 27) 1,197

Persiba v PSIS 0-0 534

Five points from three games after 11 from their previous 18 is a marked improvement. Now on their fifth coach, but with Andri providing the tactical nous on the training ground and new signing Rafinha finding the net, who's to say PSIS won't escape the dreaded drop at the end of an eventful season?!

Jesus Feeling Early Sailors Pressure

2026-03-05T17:56:00.003+07:00

On the 6th February, Lion City Sailors announced coach Aleksandar Rankovic was out despite the team unbeaten and top of the Premier League. Perceived wisdom is that losses in the ASEAN Club Championship against Nam Dinh and Svay Rieng sealed his fate.

I remember thinking at the time there was an arrogance about such a move. Yes, LCS were imperious domestically and yes the club owners may think the club is too big for their league and they should be doing better regionally. They were also knocked out of the AFC Champions League 2 at the group stage.

Getting rid of Rankovic with the team boasting a perfect eight wins from eight games and a newly acquired Singappore Cup in the trophy cabinet does suggest the owners sensed retaining their Premier League title isn't in any danger and they felt sure a new guy could just come in and keep the machine ticking over.

Then events on the pitch turned around and bit them on the bum.

First up was a 1-1 draw against rivals Tampines Rovers - their first points dropped of the season.

Next came a superbly ding dong affair against Albirex Niigata. The Champions came from 2-0 on 14 minutes to 2-2 in the second half before Komei Lida made it 3-2 and a nervy ending ensued before Sailors keeper Ivan Susak levelled in the 8th minute of injury time.

On paper, two points against two sides isn't that much of a disaster and, unlike Johor Darul Ta'zim across the Causeway in Malaysia, LCS were always going to drop points at some stage. But to draw two games in quick succession conceding four goals along the way, they had conceded four in their previous 10 games (!), hot on the heels of changing coach may cause some butterflies on deck.

Not forgetting the Sailors have also lost the services of Maxime Lestienne, one of the finest imports to the game in many years.

It's all well and good a club acting like they're Chelsea and always looking to replace a coach for falling short but they need to be sure what they have built behind the scenes is strong enough to withstand any change in the helmsman.

This weekend they play Geylang International and while the Eagles may not be the freescoring loons they were last season, on their day they can ask anyone questions. And Tampines, with four wins in their last five games come up against bottom of the table Young Lions, waiting to pounce on another Sailors slip.

New coach Jesus Casas will be hoping his Sailors return to the form that saw them storm to the top of the table or he could be feeling the pressure a bit quicker than he might have expected.

Chrigor's Goals Galore

2026-03-05T15:39:00.003+07:00

Something very strange happened in Selangor's last Malaysian Super League game against Melaka last week. It was a 0-0 draw, which meant not only did the Red Giants draw a blank, but their prolific Brazilian striker Chrigor continued his recent barren run.

Since hitting four away to DPMM in early January, the 25-year-old striker has hit just one goal in his last four games.

Not that his teammates will be unduly concerned. In his first season in Malaysia, Chrigor has hit 17 goals in 18 league games. He also has five goals in five FA Cup ties, four goals in four Malaysia Cup ties and four in six AFC Champions League 2 ties. Oh, and a rather mediocre one in five ASEAN Club Championship ties.

With those kinds of numbers, can we expect to see him in the red and blue of Johor Darul Ta'zim in the near future?!

In only his second season in South East Asia, Chrigor has found goals much easier to come by than his earlier stats suggest, if we can trust his Wikipedia entry. He started last season with Buriram United, where he averaged a goal every two games before going on loan to PT Prachuap where he continued rippling the old onion bag with 10 in 13.

Unlike Ronnie Fernandes who had a decent season in Selangor in 24/25, Chrigor still has a good few years ahead of him, not turning 26 until November

In a league dominated by a single behemoth, will Chrigor's goals be the difference that will help the Red Giants lift a trophy this season?

They sit second in the Super League, 18 points behind the southern Leviathan. They were knocked out of the FA Cup at the semi-final stage by Sabah. They do however, have a semi-final against Kuching City in the Malaysia Cup to look forward to and are also in the semi-final of the ASEAN Club Championship, where they face Nam Dinh over two legs in May.

If we exclude the MFL Challenge Cup last season, Selangor haven't tasted glory since they lifted the Malaysia Cup in 2015, a positive drought for one of the big names in the country.

With Chrigor in such fine form, this season will be their best chance to lift some silverware and give their long suffering fans a chance to celebrate, no matter how briefly!

Munster Inspires Bhayangkara Turn Around

2026-02-25T21:58:00.003+07:00

With most of the focus on the title race and Persib's bid for a third successive trophy, it's been easy to overlook the recent form of teams way behind them in the standings.

Newly promoted Bhayangkara didn't start the season to well but their form in recent weeks has been nothing short of impressive as the 2017 Liga 1 Champions appear to have turned a corner.

A 1-4 reverse against PSBS on 12th January seems to have been the touchstone for a change in fortunes. Since that loss, the Guardians have won four and drawn one of their last six games, most recently hitting eight goals in two games.

Like all runs, Bahayangkara's started off the radar with a 1-1 draw against Persita but a week later they sent out a message when they travelled to Ternate and beat star-studded Malut United 2-1 with goals from Moussa Sidibie and Moises Wolschick.

Their next game was perhaps a return to kind as they lost 2-1 at home to Borneo, another side with title aspirations but there was a sea change going on behind the scenes in Lampang as coach Paul Munster was working hard behind the scenes to turn their fortunes around. On the road again, Bhayangkara next travelled to Persebaya and came away with another 2-1 win.

Staying in East Java, next up was an impressive 4-3 win against Persik with the goals being shared by Slavko Damjanovic, Nehar Sediki, Privat Mbarga and a late winner from Bernard Doumbia.

Earlier this week, they welcomed relegation-threatened Semen Padang and sent them on their way with a 4-0 victory with Sidibe netting a couple and loanee Ryo Matsumura and Doumbia also on the score sheet.

While no one is expecting a late charge for AFC places, wins in their next two games against Dewa United and Arema will make their home game against Persija on the 5th April very interesting indeed

Persib Shut Parts Of Stadium

2026-02-22T23:13:00.003+07:00

Persib have responded to the events at the end of the AFC Champions League tie when fans climbed security fences and ran on the pitch.

The club have decided to shut those parts of the ground from which the invaders came. Typical sticking plaster reaction. What's needed is improved security and stewarding in tandem with harsh punishments from those who do run on the pitch.

Indonesian football seems unable to deal with issues of security at games. The response to the Kanjuruhan tragedy when more than 130 fans died trying to escape being tear-gassed by security? Ban away fans. Even though that particular game had no away fans!

Decades of sanctions like playing behind closed doors or shutting down parts of the stadium only work - until the next time.

Last time I checked, it wasn't inanimate parts of the stadium that ran on the pitch, it was people, but as usual, it's the guilty who get away unpunished

Pitch Invasion Mars Persib's Champions League Win

2026-02-20T20:38:00.003+07:00

Sadly, Indonesia is used to fan misbehaviour at football. Often, it doesn't involve rival supporters but sees fans invading the pitch and attacking players and/or match officials. The authorities do nothing beyond mealy-mouth platitudes like 'I hope it doesn't happen again' - Indonesia's version of Americans sending prayers after another school shooting. Soundbites replace any meaningful action.

There always seems to be an excuse for kicking off as those involved or those who approve of their actions seek to deflect blame elsewhere. They climbed the fence. They jumped onto the running track. They ran onto the pitch. But it's the ref's fault!

When it happens domestically, no one really cares. No one beyond the borders takes any notice unless there are casualties so it's easily brushed under the carpet.

But when it happens in a high-profile competition featuring a team from overseas, then that does attract attention and that is what happened recently when Persib fans invaded the pitch at the end of their AFC Champions League tie with Ratchaburi.

Persib won the game 1-0 but lost 3-1 on aggregate to the Thai side. Some fans however, felt the ref was unfairly biased to the visiting side, so they wanted to get at him. Dunno why - in preparing this piece, I looked into how many times a ref had changed the result because of angry supporters. It's zero. Nada. It doesn't happen.

Watching the scenes unfold, you can't help but wonder. How are the invaders able to get on the pitch so easily? Where's the police? Where's the security? And why the hell are Persib coach Bojan Hodak and some of the players trying to calm the situation?

This is where things start to get complicated. Indonesians tend not to trust security officials at the best of times, and the events at Kanjuruhan a few years back, where cops fired teargas at supporters and more than 100 died, are still fresh in people's memory. Anti-government demonstrations frequently attract large crowds, even though people do die. The photo above comes from a game in Jakarta where fans attacked the police.

More recently, a local punk band got into hot water with officials after releasing a song that suggested a lack of trust in security - they later issued an apology.

These domestic concerns won't interest the AFC or the Ratchaburi players who are left with pretty traumatic memories of their short time in Bandung. Persib can expect some punishment to be handed down by the AFC over the incident and a reprimand which is likely to hit them in the pocket. Hard.

Against that backdrop, what can Indonesian football do to ensure player and official safety at games and on the pitch? Looking for solutions from other countries isn't helpful. In England, for example, the football atmosphere has been regulated, legislated and priced out of existence. I can't see membership schemes, increased ticket prices and banning orders being introduced in Indonesia and even if they were - sanctions are only as good as enforcement and let's face it, even the most bellicose, flag-waving nationalist will admit most stewards aren't any good!

While the scenes of fans leaping around like extras from The Football Factory embarrassed many, it's worth bearing in mind that there were only a few of them. I've been at games where hundreds, nay thousands, have been quick to run on the pitch.

Were those in Bandung from isolated fan groups? Are they known to the greater Bobotoh community? If they are, then perhaps the club could work with them to impress on the miscreants that their actions damage not just their football club but their country.

You could try banning them, but given what I've written earlier, do you reckon security would refuse to let them in the ground? Reporting to a local police station on match day?

It seems obvious the government and the PSSI aren't really interested so any action, any change needs to come from the clubs.

One possible solution would be a uniquely Indonesian way. If they are identified, the club, fan groups and local religious leaders and these youths could be brought together and have the error of their ways explained to them legally and spiritually. There is a precedent for religious scholars getting involved - a fatwa was needed to stop the violence that regularly occurred at or near Benteng Stadium in Tangerang between rival Persikota and Persita fans.

Once upon a time I would have made some pithy comment about how nice it would have been for the Thai team to play in a stadium with a proper atmosphere. But seeing the Persib coach leading efforts to defuse the situation, if I was Indonesian, and half my family is, I would have felt embarrassed. Embarrassed there was no-one prepared to stop those kids from even climbing the fence, letting alone getting on the pitch.

The Kim Pan Gon Effect

2026-02-18T16:53:00.002+07:00

Don’t get your hopes up, and whisper it quietly, but there might – just might – be a challenge emerging to Johor Darul Ta’zim for supremacy in Malaysian domestic football.

The January appointment of Kim Pan-Gon as coach of Selangor FC has had such an impact on the team that they have secured an unbeaten run of 8 matches, and reached the semi-finals of the Malaysia Cup where they will take on Kuching City.

(Johor – the 4-time defending Champions of the Malaysia Cup, and the 11-in a row Champions boasting a 100 (yes one hundred) game unbeaten League run and a perfect 100% record this campaign – are in the other semi against Kuala Lumpur City).

A club of Selangor’s stature really should be challenging JDT a lot closer than they do. It’s 10-seasons since their last major trophy and this season had been another of underachievement played against a backdrop of supporter protest due to dissatisfaction with the Management, and performance of the team.

There have been high points such as qualification for the semi-final of the ASEAN Club Championship (Shopee Cup) where their results included a gritty point in Thailand against Buriram, but 3 defeats in their first 5 League matches, followed by a penalty-shoot-out semi-final loss to Sabah in the Malaysia FA Cup, and a bizarre home loss to Persib Bandung that saw them eliminated from the AFC II in the Group stages resulted in Selangor changing Coach for a third time.

The affable Katsuhito Kanushi was dismissed after a League defeat in Kuching, whilst interim Coach Christophe Gamel steadied things but was in charge for the Bandung debacle, and the controversial Sabah FA Cup loss.

As an observer, watching Selangor under Gamel was intensely frustrating as there was always the impression that they were being too conservative. Enter Pan-Gon – a Coach who is anything but conservative.

When he was Coach of Malaysia, he introduced a high-energy, pressing style of game and got his wingers involved at every opportunity. Such was his success that when Harimau Malaya qualified for the Asian Cup in 2023, many of us thought there was a genuine chance of progression to the knock-out stages.

A 0-4 thumping by Jordan and a heart-breaking last-gasp defeat to Bahrain saw the dream end prematurely, and though there was the consolation of a thrilling 3-3 draw with Korea Republic, Pan-Gon’s days as National coach had reached their zenith.

He disappeared off to Ulsan where he won the title in his first season, but had a shocking start to his second campaign and was dismissed. Meanwhile, Selangor were continuing to under-achieve despite hiring respected coaches. Tan Cheng Hoe was replaced by Nidzam Jamil who resigned after a 1-6 FA Cup Final humbling by JDT. Mediocre results meant that the consolation of winning the Malaysia Challenge Cup (for those teams eliminated at the Round of 16 of the Malaysia Cup) was of little consolation to a group of supporters unused to going a decade without major success.

Enter Pan-Gon. What the former Hong Kong National team Coach has done has been invigorating. Take the 5-1 mauling of Negeri Sembilan in the 2nd leg of the Malaysia Cup Quarter Final. 5-1 could easily have been 10 as the woodwork was hit twice, two goals were disallowed (one very contentiously), and chances galore were created. The Pan-Gone effect?

First, he picks his best defender. I don’t know what Singaporean Safuwan Baharuddin did to get himself ostracised and loaned to Lion City Sailors, but he is undoubtedly Selangor’s best defender. Now he’s back in the team, they look steady with a good partnership emerging alongside Mamadou Diarra
In midfield, a replacement for the promising but largely defensive-minded Syahir Bashah by the attack-minded loan signing no 10 Hugo Boumous allows Noah Laine and Noor Al Rawabdeh to rotate No 6 duties and get forward more often.
Out wide, Faisal Halim looks like the player of 2023 and seems fully recovered from his horrific acid-attack, whilst Cape Verdean Alvin Fortes is also revelling in being involved more. Both scored against The Deer and looked in great form.
And the Pan-Gon trademark of changing his front 3 around the hour mark with two new signings (Kim Ji-ho and Jose Pernambuco) keeping up the pressure on the now well-beaten Negeri Sembilan.
High intensity, high pressure and positive football.

It’s early days in the Pan-Gon era, but the early signs are encouraging. The team looked so much more positive with the 56-year-olds personnel and tactical changes, and the tempo was too much for their opponents.

And off the field, the Ultras will soon be back after their 3-match stadium ban for setting off dangerous flares in Kuala Terengganu ahead of a recent match, and that will pump up the atmosphere for the Kuching ties.

It’s too late to affect the outcome in the League where Selangor trail JDT and are in a 3-way battle for 2nd place with Kuching and Kuala Lumpur. But the Pan-Gon appointment has set up the possibility for a Selangor vs JDT showdown in two major trophies.

Maybe, just maybe, Selangor have made an appointment that might make Malaysian domestic football a tad more competitive.

GUEST COLUMN - Dez Corkhill

Ranko Out Of Lions

2026-02-06T19:19:00.001+07:00

He's out. It's not clear why, the official club release only says

'Lion City Sailors have parted ways with Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković with immediate effect.

The Club would like to place on record our sincere appreciation to Ranko for leading us in a highly successful chapter of our history, and we wish him every success in his future endeavours.'

We never get to know the real reason with these at the best of times but this appears to be a real head scratcher.

Apart from the trophies he's already won detailed in the infograph, this season LCS have won all eight of their Premier League games as well as picking up the Singapore Cup.

However, on the Asian stage the team have fallen short. In the AFC Champions League they finished third in the Group Stage, missing out on qualification on a head to head. Likewise, they proved less than dominant in the ASEAN Club Championship. Their 0-2 reverse against Cambodian side Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng last night means they have just one win from their five games in that competition.

From the outside looking in, one can only assume it is the failure to make an impact beyond Singapore's narrow borders that has seen him leave but again, that is only a blind assumption. Who knows what happens within the club.

It's gonna be interesting to see who takes over at Singapore's dominant team.

ASEAN Semi-Final Pits Rich Thai Guy v Rich Malaysian Guy

2026-02-06T03:42:00.000+07:00

Oh joy, oh happiness. For me, Buriram United v Johor Darul Ta'zim holds all the appeal of Manchester City v Paris St Germain. Two clubs with little history who came up with a row of cherries in the fruit machine of football owners. A provincial Thai potentate against the royal family of a Malay state. I guess the only good news is that they won't be meeting in the final.

The winner of those two heavyweights will meet either Selangor or Vietnamese side Thep Xanh Nam Dinh in the final with the semi-finals taking place over two legs in the merry month of May

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to watch any of the games. They used to be screened on YouTube but now a different platform is showing them and each individual game costs £3.99.

I get the idea of monetising but we're talking about the ASEAN Club Championship, it's as niche as it gets. With football fans already forking out for the familiar Premier League, Champions League, Bundesliga, Serie A, that Spanish stuff +++ why would they spaff more money on something massively unknown outside of the region?

I must admit I never thought the competition would ever get off the ground after years of talk, and it could be argued it has yet to be fully accepted with no Indonesian teams taking part this season, but it's good to see it up and running.

The only tweak I would make is that any sides competing in AFC club competitions shouldn't be in this as well. Spread the trophies round a bit. At the same time, I do realise not all clubs in the region are best equipped for one domestic competition, let along numerous international ones!

Sriwijaya Humbled By Championship New Boys

2026-02-04T19:42:00.006+07:00

Indonesian Super League

Persik v Bali United 3-2 (Jose Rodrigues 2, Adrian Retamar; Boris Kopitovic, Joao Silva) 2,772

Persita v Persija 0-2 (Gustavo, Maxwell) 8,735

Malut United v Bhayangkara 1-2 (David da Silva; Moussa Sidibe, Moises Wolschick) 924

Persis v Persib 0-1 (Andrew Jung) 11,769

Madura United v PSBS 0-0 667

Borneo v PSIM 2-1 (Kaio Ferriera, Koldo Alberdi; Jose Valente) 5,544

Persebaya v Dewa United 1-1 Francisco Davalos; M Rizky) 23,431

Arema v Persijap 1-0 () 1,068

PSM v Semen Padang 0-0 1,035

Championship Group 1

Persekat v Persikad 0-0 508

Adhyaksa v Sriwijaya 15-0 (Makan Konate 3, Ramiro Fergonzi 3, Adilson Da Silva 6, Miftahul Hamdi 3) 1982

PSMS v Bekasi City 2-1 (Felipe Cadenza 2; Saldi Amiruddin) 1,348

Sumsel United v Garudayaksa 0-0 2,026

Persiraja v PSPS 4-2 (Connor Gillespie 2, Omid Popalzay, Jechson Tiwu; Asir 2) 3,792

Championship Group 2

Persiku v Persipura 1-2 (Caique Da Silva; Artur Vieira, Gunansar Mandowen) 3,020

PSIS v Kendal Tornado 0-3 (Gufroni, Akbar Firmansyah, Alhaitami) 3,122

Persipal v Persela 1-3 (Riku Ichimura; Herwin Saputa, Titan Agung 2)

PSS v Barito Putera 0-0 12,967

Persiba v Deltras 1-2 9Takumu Nishihara; Neville Tengeg, Hamzah Rivaldi) 1,107

Singapore Premier League

Lion City Sailors v Balestier Khalsa 5-1

BG Tampines Rovers v Tanjong Pagar 2-1

Hougang United v Young Lions 2-0

Malaysia Super League

PDRM v KL City 1-1

DPMM v Melaka 1-1

Kuching City v Negeri Sembilan 2-0

Kelantan TRW v Penang 1-1

Johor Darul Ta'zim v Immigration 5-0

Terengganu v Selangor 1-1

The Case Of 'The Malaysian Seven'

2026-02-04T18:59:00.000+07:00

The case of the seven footballers who obtained Malaysian citizenship with the apparent use of doctored Grandparental birth certificates – but who are constitutionally recognised as Malaysian citizens by the Malaysian Government – is rapidly reaching it’s (next) conclusion.

Later this month (February), The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) based in Switzerland are to make a final ruling on their version of eligible citizenship in sporting matters. For now, they have suspended a 12-month ban FIFA imposed on the seven players.

Immediately after the ban was suspended, many of “the Seven” – including the three who play as Johor Darul Ta’zim, suited up and started plying their trade again – listed as Malaysian on the ASEAN Club Championship line-up list.

It was either remarkable hutzpah from JDT, or an absolute belief that the players have a solid case with which to secure the eligibility of the players to play for club and country.

The court of public opinion in Malaysia is firmly against “The seven”. But the law isn’t. And that is the crux of this remarkable drama in which I believe that the long-running role of FIFA as (authoritarian) arbiters of citizen eligibility is, at last, being called to issue.

WHAT IS ELIGIBILITY, ACCORDING TO FIFA?

I have long been confused and perturbed by International football eligibility rules. Surely it should be straight-forward. You’re eligible to play for the country of which you are a citizen.

If only things were so simple.

Some Nations allow dual-Nationality; geographical borders are constantly changing and so does, consequently, player citizenship; Refugee status is sometimes made to citizen status; and many nations have (and are) keen to boost their international standing by naturalising players with no blood relationship to their nation of choice/convenience.

Understandably, FIFA have tried to “solve” the issue. But their attempts to do so have muddied the waters, and they have made, to my mind, authoritarian and illogical decisions to approve who, in their eyes, can become a citizen of a nation.

There’s a long history to this. As a young student of football, it baffled me to learn that:

The Great Alfredo di Stefano played International football for Argentina, Colombia and Spain;
It was only my interest in history and the post-World War II re-alignments that helped me comprehend how the most Magical of the magnificent Magyars, Ferenc Puskas, could later represent Spain,
And how Barcelona great Laszlo Kabala could play for (as was) Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Spain.

The imperfections of the football eligibility system remain though so that that:

Of the Senegal squad that just won AFCON, 15 were born and brought up outside of Senegal, 8 of them in France.
Of the Philippines women’s team that played in the 2023 Women’s World Cup, 18 of the 23 were born and brought up in the United States.

Five sets of brothers have played for different Nations at the World Cup

Jerome (Germany) and Kevin-Prince (Ghana) Boateng;
Inaki (Ghana) and Nico (Spain) Williams;
Thiago (Spain) and Rafinha (Brazil) Alcantara;
Christian (Italy) and Massimiliano (Australia) Vieri;
John (Scotland) and Harry (Australia) Souttar

FIFA have tried to keep up with the changes that have been going on in the world. In 1962, they first got involved with the FIFA Congress ruling that a player could only represent one national team in their lifetime. This "singular football nationality" was tied strictly to citizenship, and “Citizenship” was tied to Parents and Grandparents

Of course, British peculiarities had a part to play in the confusion – as did other Nations who had colonial empires. Get yourself born in Liverpool (like me) with some Welsh and Irish grandparental blood and, if I was good enough, I’m eligible for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland.

Hence, Jack Charlton’s Republic of Ireland team with scouser John Aldridge, Glaswegian Ray Houghton, Welsh-born Kevin Sheedy, Cornish-born Chris Morris and several London-born-and bred players took the Irish to number 6 in the FIFA rankings in 1993.

In an ever-changing political environment, other nations also took advantage of historic colonial ties to bolster their squads. Of the France “Rainbow Squad’ that won the 1998 World Cup, Patrick Vieira, Marcel Desailly, Lilian Thuram and Christian Karembeu were born and brought up outside of France, but were French citizens.

And compare the German team that won the 1990 World Cup with a squad of players born within the confines of West Germany, to the one that lost the 2002 Final in Japan 12-years later that included 10 players born outside of the “old” West Germany” with seven hailing from the former GDR.

FIFA interjected again in 2004 when, in response to nations naturalising players with no ties, they required a "clear connection" so that “the player, a parent, or a grandparent must be born in the territory, or the player must have lived there for 2 years.”

I note that this is FIFA, not the Governments of the affected nations, deciding who is, or isn’t, eligible for citizenship.

Locally, Singapore took advantage of the 2-year ruling (and their own Foreign-Talent Scheme) and naturalised the likes of Agu Casmir, Itimi Dickson and Daniel Bennett to help them win the 2004 Tiger Cup; Mustafic Fahrudin, Shi Jiayi and Precious Emujuraie, John Wilkinson, Qiu Li and record-breaker Aleksandar Duric were later ‘naturalised’ and helped Singapore win 3 more ASEAN Cups up until 2012.

FIFA increased the residency “rule” in 2008 from 2 years to 5 years. But also allowed for young players to switch national allegiance before they had played a senior competitive match.

And then this received another “upgrade’ in 2021 when the 70th FIFA Congress allows players to switch if they earned no more than three senior caps before age 21, provided those appearances were not in a World Cup or continental final.

FIFA’s current ruling as per Article 7: is that:

“Any player who (wants to) assume a new nationality and who has not played international football [in a match (either in full or in part) in an official competition of any category or any type of football] shall be eligible to play for the new representative team only if he fulfils one of the following conditions:

a) He was born on the territory of the relevant association;

b) His biological mother or biological father was born on the territory of the relevant association;

c) His grandmother or grandfather was born on the territory of the relevant association;

d) He has lived continuously for at least five years after reaching the age of 18 on the territory of the relevant association.

HAVE FIFA OVERSTEPPED THEIR JURISDICTION?

FIFA have, with the best of motives, restricted or interfered in a State Government's ability to grant citizenship. That, I would argue, is not their role.

The revelation (as unearthed by FIFA) of the falsified documents may yet mean that “The Seven” players’ citizenship is ultimately revoked, and may also result in a change in the process of granting citizenship in Malaysia. But as it stands, “the seven” are all legitimate Malaysian citizens.

And the emergence of the falsified documents itself is a strange one. How did FIFA access the “real” documents? Aren’t there privacy laws that should restrict “strangers” from accessing personal documentation?

THE FALL-OUT

The fall-out has been spectacular. Suspicions raised when “the seven” were unearthed (at different times, but all available for a 4-0 mauling of Vietnam in an Asia Cup Qualification match); many journalists request for “transparency” seemingly ignored; a mysterious complaint followed by a FIFA ban for “the seven” and fine for the Football of Association of Malysia (FAM), followed by their detailed revelations for the ban; the suspension of the FAM General Secretary and now the resignation of the whole FAM Executive Board.

And now the “stay of execution” from CAS regarding the ban; the instant selection of the players by JDT and now we await the final CAS verdict.

If only the laws on player eligibility were simple.

FIFA have seemingly complicated something that "should" be relatively straightforward. If the rule was eligibility only for citizens, as approved by a Government approval process, and not some spurious and changing FIFA “5-year” rule can play for a country.

I understand why the CAS issued a “stay of execution”. It’s a test of the strength of FIFA versus the law of Malaysia. I suspect this may have a verdict not too many are expecting.

This has been a confrontation waiting to happen (and not only in football, but in other sports as well).

GUEST ARTICLE - Dez Corkhill

Persebaya Target Premium Market

2026-01-27T18:15:00.002+07:00

Persebaya are one of the biggest football clubs in Indonesia and by extension South East Asia. They are the full package with history, tradition and a large fan base in Indonesia's second-largest city. They are also run relatively well.

The owners aren't one for needlessly spunking cash on big name players. Instead, they try to keep within their budgets, which may frustrate their passionate supporters but does mean after years of instability, they are now in a comfortable position.

Funding for football clubs has been an issue ever since the tap for local government and tobacco cash was turned off. Ticket prices are low and a poor run is soon felt at the gate.

This helps explain why we are seeing a number of newer clubs like Dewa United and Garaudayaksa on the scene, clubs with wealthy owners

Savvy clubs therefore, have had to look elsewhere for money and in a way look to what their peers do in other countries. It's a fine balance though, because the 'typical' Indonesian football fan isn't the wealthiest, often preferring knock-off shirts or cheap merchandise, rather than the official gear.

Fair play then to Persebaya for thinking out-of-the box. The Green Force have introduced VVIP Suites offering the minted supporter a free car parking space, exclusive access, access to the players' warm-up, special food and merchandise.

I'm not sure how much fans are being expected to pay for all this luxury. If you wanna ticket, you're gonna have to call a number.

That it's Persebaya trialling this does tickle me, though. Traditionally, there is an element of their fan base which doesn't take well to buying even the cheapest tickets to a game. Pictured above are Persebaya fans climbing over the wall at Sultan Agung Stadium to see their heroes.

There is also the legendary trip to Bandung when their train trip across Java was covered by TV news crews to an audience of millions

The Rise & Fall Of Muang Thong United

2026-01-26T19:06:00.002+07:00

Once upon a time, there was Nong Jork United. No one knew much about them, and no one really cared. Then, a private company bought their professional licence and rebranded their club Muang Thong United. This was unknown territory in Thailand, where clubs traditionally were extensions of government-owned industries, ministries, or banks.

A typical fixture list would see SET v KTB, TFB v PEA and PAT v RTAF, all in Bangkok. Funnily enough, people weren't interested.

Then along came private clubs, and leading the push were Muang Thong United. They looked and smelled like a professional football club. They had branding, albeit with a strong Manchester United influence, and they developed a tidy stadium to the north of Bangkok.

They even bought in Robbie Fowler as player-coach at one stage!

All the while, the owners kept putting money in things were good. They were Thai champions in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2016. Even as recently as 2017, they won the Kor Cup, League Cup and the Mekong Cup. But in the major competitions, they finished runners-up in the League and semi-finalists in the FA Cup.

They've won nothing since, not finishing higher than 4th. This season, they are firmly in the relegation places, and Thai League 2 beckons

What happened? From afar, the answer looks simple enough. The moment a powerful, provincial politician, Newin Chidchob, bought an electric company, which happened to be Thai champions, and relocated them to the north east of the country. Buriram United was born.

Newin worked from the Muang Thong playbook. Branding was important, the club crest featured an important temple complex, and a stadium was developed. Newin had one advantage that the Muang Thing owners didn't. As a scion of a provincial political dynasty, he wasn't distracted by annoying things like shareholders, dividends or profits.

From initially copying Muang Thong, he then looked further afield to build his football club. Much like the US under Ronald Reagan in the Cold War, Newin was able to outspend everyone to the extent that anyone trying to keep up risked bankruptcy.

Much like Johor Darul Ta'zim in Malaysia, one man's money has dramatically changed the domestic football landscape to the extent his riches have built a massively successful behemoth, but at what cost to the rest of the league?

There is, of course, an irony of one rich entity outspending another rich entity. Chelsea did it to Manchester United. Manchester City did it to Chelsea. In the case of Muang Thong United, should we mourn the loss of a once mighty football club or should we take delight in the karma that has befallen them?

The Malaysia Challenge Cup

2026-01-26T03:00:00.001+07:00

With the eight quarter finalists now known, what happens to the eight losers? Well, the FAM knocked up a new competition for them a few years back just so they can have a few more games, and, truth be told, I actually quite like the idea even though recent editions have done little but highlight how weak the league is. But at least it offers teams other than JDT the opportunity to win something.

Immigration Penang

Kelantan Red Warrior Kelantan The Real Warriors

PDRM Perak

Sabah UM Damansara United

This is the fifth time the MFL Challenge Cup has been held and each season has seen a different team win the trophy

2018 - Terengganu II v UKM 2-2, 2-0 (Terengganu II won 4-2 on aggregate)

2019 - Johor Darul Ta'zim II v UKM 1-0, 0-1 (UKM won 6-5 on penalties)

2023 - PDRM v Kuching City 3-0, 1-1(PDRM won 4-1 on aggregate)

2024/25* - Selangor v PDRM 3-0, 4-0 (Selangor won 7-0 on aggregate)

The format has changed since the early editions, hence we no longer see reserve sides involved and where UKM are is anyone's guess. At least now, without the second teams involved it looks and smells like a proper football competition.

With the Super League, FA Cup, Malaysia Cup, and now this, Malaysian football has a pretty busy calendar for all its clubs.

If the above graphic represents the draw for the quarter finals, we are potentially looking at a blockbuster semi-final between Kelantan Red Warrior and Kelantan The Real Warriors. I understand all police leave will be cancelled in Kota Bahru should that game go ahead!

* The change in dates reflects the change in the football season calendar

Selangor Sign Peaceful Hooligan Clobber Deal

2026-01-25T21:39:00.004+07:00

In an ideal world, Selangor would be attracting massive crowds and challenging for titles in Malaysia on a regular basis. They are a giant but in the era of Johor Darul Ta'zim and their financial muscle they are dwarfed by the team from the south.

And while JDT are just counting the days to being crowned again, it's easy to forget or ignore other clubs and their efforts to keep going and remain relevant.

I'm not one really to focus on a club's commercial arrangements but the recent announcement Selangor have teamed up with English terrace clobber company Peaceful Hooligan did attract my attention.

No idea how the deal came about or what it entails beyond a few t shirts but it is the kind of out of the box thinking I like.

It may not change the football landscape in Malaysia but it does show there are other clubs out there chugging along in the JDT slipstream and as long as they are, I will continue to try and highlight their efforts both on and off the field

What next? Immigration and CP Company or PDRM and Stone Island?!

Persib Reclaim Top Spot

2026-01-25T21:28:00.007+07:00

SUPER LEAGUE

PSIM v Persebaya 0-3 (Gali Freitas, Bruno Pereira, Rachmat Irianto) 7,405

Persib v PSBS 1-0 (Berguinho) 28,682

No away fans were allowed, supposedly, but Persebaya didn't seem to miss them as they brushed aside PSIM in Bantul. They left it late, though with all the goals coming in the final quarter but Rachmat's was worth the wait!

Meanwhile, Persib returned to the top of the table but they were made to work hard for the points against a dogged PSBS. After a second half spent peppering the visitors' goal with long-range efforts, Berguinho finally scored the goal that secured the win, bundling home from a couple of yards out. As for Teja in the Persib goal, rumour has it he spent the second half at home doing the gardening!

To cap a busy day, Persib announced two new defensive signings after the game, Layvin Kurzawa (once of PSG) and Dion Markx from NEC Nijmegen.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Garudayaksa v PSMS 2-1 (Everton Mendonca, Taufik Hidayat; Cadenazzi) 500

Deltras v Persipal 3-1 (Neville Tengeg, M Imran 2; Darmawan) 2,062

Tornado Kendal v Persiku 0-0 100

Garudayaksa may have rich, powerful backers but only 500 turned up at the Patriot Stadium in Bekasi to see them go top of the Championship Group A ahead of Adhyaksa and Sumsel United.

MALAYSIA CUP

KL City v Perak 3-0 (Safawi, Josue, Dumitru) (KL 3-2 on aggregate)

Negeri Sembilan v Immigration 1-0 (Luqman Hakim) (N9 1-0 on aggregate)

SINGAPORE PREMIER LEAGUE

Balestier Khalsa v Albirex Niigata 0-4 (Shingo 2, Kim, Yoshioka)

Nothing on the SPL website or X account about this game. Maybe they don't work Sundays?! The win boosts Albirex's goal difference but they are still eight points behind leaders Lion City Sailors with a game in hand

Persipura Fans Flock To Stadium, Malut Stay Close

2026-01-25T02:31:00.017+07:00

SUPER LEAGUE

Malut United v Persik 4-0 (Ciro Alves, Yakob Sayuri, David da Silva, Tyronne Piro) 1,081

Bali United v Semen Padang 3-3 (Jens Raven, Mirza Mustafic, Thijmen Goppel; Jaime Ocapo, Angelo Meneses, Ripal Wahyudi) 4,195

Persita v Bhayangkara 1-1 (Matheus Alves; Privat Mbarga) 3,099

Persijap v PSM 2-0 (Carlos Freires, Iker Vallejo) 4,156

Ex-Arsenal midfielder Jon Toral came on as a late substitute but was unable to change anything. Persik had been playing with 10 men since the 20th minute and Malut ambled to a comfortable win keeping them in touch with the top three check out some of the goals!

At the other end of the table, both Semen Padang and Persijap picked up useful points. The Cement Men were involved in a six-goal thriller on the Isle of Gods, initially taking a 2 goal lead before being pegged back

CHAMPIONSHIP

Persipura v PSS 1-1 (Matheus; Dion) 19,162

Sriwijaya v Sumsel United 0-5 (Rachmat Hhidayat 2, Jacinto3) 4,317

Persekat v Persiraja 0-0 1,030

PSIS v Persela 1-0 (Otavio Dutra) 9,571

Persiba v Barito Putera 1-0 (Abdul Rahman)

Impressive crowd in Jayapura witnessing 3rd v 2nd while a Borneo Derby (500 kilometres apart!) saw leaders Baarito Puter surprisingly go down 0-1 v Persiba, A more realistic Derby in Palembang saw Sumsel grab bragging rights as sorry Sriwijaya slipped to another heavy defeat

SINGAPORE PREMIER LEAGUE

Hougang United v Lion City Sailors 1-5 (Settawt Wongsai; Shawal Anuar, OG, Lennart Thy, Bart Ramselaar 2)

Reigning champions Lion City Sailors won. Not really news, is it? They're still top. Not really news, is it?

MALAYSIA CUP

DPMM v Kelantan Red Warrior 1-1 (Hakame; Latiff) (DPMM 3-1 on aggregate)

Kuching City v Penang 2-0 (Nistelrooy, Ngah) (Kuching 2-1 agg)

Johor Darul Ta'zim v PDRM 1-0 (Teto) (JDT 11-1 agg)

After scoring six in the first leg, Teto continued his battle against the Cops by scoring the only goal in an irrelevant second leg. Rumours he has 1312 or ACAB tattooed on his inner lip are unfounded!

Borneo Return To The Top, Big Wins For Selangor And Terengganu

2026-01-23T22:41:00.001+07:00

Super League

Persis v Borneo 0-1 (Mariano Bauer) 3,510

Persija v Madura United 2-0 (Maxwell 2) 9,237

Championship

Persikad v Bekasi City 0-4 (Ezekial Ndouasel 2, Ramadhan, Saldi Amiruddin) 352

PSPS Pekanbaru v Adhyaksa 1-1

Singapore Premier League

Geylang International v BG Tampines Rovers 1-3

Malaysia Cup

Selangor v Kelantan The Real Warriors 3-0 (Chrigor Moraes 2, Faisal Halim) (5-1 aggregate)

Terengganu v UM Damansara 5-0 (Engku Shakir 3, Careca 2) (7-0 aggreage)

Persija Rocking To The Samba Beat

2026-01-22T19:06:00.003+07:00

Paulo Ricardo found himself sitting on the bench watching his Finnish side KuPS take on Crystal Palace in the UEFA Conference League. The 31-year-old Brazilian defender came on as a second-half substitute with his team leading 2-1 and heading for an unlikely victory. Sadly, it wasn't to be as Palace equalised and the game ended 2-2*.

You wonder, don't you, as he sat there in a chilly South London night, whether Ricardo had half an eye on his future. Would he stay in Finland, or would he move on when the transfer window opened a few days later?

With KuPS in with a chance of reaching the play-off stages of the UEFA competition and looking forward to a tie against Polish side Lech Poznan, Ricardo has already packed his toothbrush and signed for Persija.

There is little chance of KuPS winning the Conference League. Persija though do stand a chance of winning the Super League as they sit in 3rd place three points behind Persib.

Ricardo will have little problem settling into life at his new club. Apart from Brazilian coach Maurico Souza he will be sharing the changing room with a good number of fellow Brazilian players. According to Wikipedia, there are nine Brazilians in the squad. And Ricardo makes 10. Oh, even the translator is Brazilian!

With the second-best defence and the second-best attack in the league, Persija are doing everything they can to make sure they don't end up second best behind Persib in the title race!

* - Another defender facing an uncertain future that night on the bench was Marc Guehi whose transfer attracted rather more headlines than Ricardo's!

Time To Rethink Singapore Cup

2026-01-21T02:27:00.004+07:00

The 2025/26 Singapore Cup may have ended in controversy, but the whole tournament hasn't been without its question marks.

After just five initial rounds, the Premier League effectively took a three-month break to hold this year's competition for starters. Next up, Young Lions didn't enter; they prioritised the SEA Games (they lost both their group stage games and were home in time for Christmas) and, just to add to the sense of farce, Lion City Sailors and Tampines Rovers were given byes to the semi-final.

Yep, that's right. Nearly 25% of the teams sat out the early round.

So, the Cup kicked off with a league format (?!) as the remaining five sides played each other once. Albirex Niigata and Balestier Khalsa qualified for the semi-finals where of course, they were drawn against Tampines and LCS respectively.

To sum up, the scheduling was a shambles, the format was a shambles, in keeping with that theme, it was more than appropriate the final too was a shambles.

Perhaps some out of the box thinking could save the Singapore Cup from just being a rehash of the same old clubs playing each other ad infinitum.

The Singapore FA Cup ran from September through to November 2025 and featured clubs from the Singapore Football League and the Island Wide League with ties played out in the heartlands which used to host SLeague games before the current nonsense of ground sharing was introduced.

Why not invite the eight quarter finalists to enter the Singapore Cup? This season, for example,e would have seen such exotic names as Geylang Serai, Police SA, Starlight Soccerites, Singapore Khalsa Association, Jungfrau Ponggol, Singapore Cricket Club, GDT Circuit and Warwick Knights.

Have the cup kick off with a Round of 16 which could even be over two legs, before proceeding as a normal cup competition. Gelang Serai v Geylang International or Young Lions v Jungfrau (!) would be interesting ties for starters.

By opening up the Cup to teams beyond the suffocating SPL and playing ties across the island may go some way to adding some spice to what is currently little more than an extension to the SPL.

JDT - Money Doesn't Buy Quality, It Buys Brutal Efficiency

2026-01-20T18:03:00.001+07:00

On the back of Johor Darul Ta’zim’s 10-1 win over PDRM in what was supposed to be the away leg of a round of 16 match in the 2026 Malaysia Cup – but was actually played in Johor - it is very, very easy to be cynical about Malaysian domestic football, and to ask, “Why bother?”

Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) are the 11-time in-a-row Champions of Malaysia, are a perfect 15 wins from 15 in the current Malaysia Super League season; have already won the Malaysian FA Cup for a 4th straight time (with a 5-0 victory in the Final); and with a 9 goal advantage to take into the second leg, are slight favourites to progress to the Quarter finals as they bid to retain the ‘prestigious’ Malaysia Cup for a 4th straight season.

They’re Malaysia’s ‘Man United’ (of old). Plus-plus. They’re the big-spending Man City of the current day. Very few football fans outside of Johor really like them, and it wouldn’t surprise me to hear that many in Malaysia even hope they fail in their AFC Champions Elite campaign.

But, there’s a grudging respect mixed in with massive envy and frustration that no one can get close to them on the domestic stage.

The envy / dislike stems predominantly from the money poured into the club over the club’s (accurately) self-described “Decade of Domination”, and the idea their success has been “bought”. There’s also a reaction to the “in-your-face” approach of the Tunku Makhota of Johor (TMJ) – the man who has driven and financed the development of JDT - in challenging the rest of Malaysia’s football leaders to come to JDT’s levels, rather than complain about JDT’s spending.

The finance has, over the years, helped buy most of the best players Malaysia has to offer, plus a veritable bevvy of (mainly) Spanish, Argentine and Brazilian foreign signings to ensure success on the field of play. Current Coach Xisco Munoz has Watford, Sheffield Wednesday and Dynamo Tbilisi on his Coaching CV and was brought in despite Johor’s treble win last year. For TMJ, success isn’t judged on domestic success, but on progress in (especially) the Asian Champions league Elite.

On top of that, Johor boast a first-class made-for-football stadium, state-of-the-art training facilities, and top care and salaries (which are always paid promptly) for their playing and club personnel. They even hire the best Ground staff in the world to look after all of their playing pitches at all of their venues. There’s plenty to be envious about.

Domestically, there’s not much left for Johor to achieve. They’re hoping for a 4th consecutive Treble (Super League, FA Cup, Malaysia Cup); are unbeaten (domestically) at their 40,000 capacity Sultan Ibrahim Stadium since April 2021; and their last three League titles were all achieved without a single defeat.

What Johor haven’t done is:

Progress to the Quarter Finals in the AFC Champions League Elite competition
Had involvement in the ASEAN Club Championship (Shopee Cup)
Domestically, posted a PERFECT season.

Turning focus on the last of these:

While it is easy to say that JDT are bound to win because of the money invested in players, there’s no doubting that Johor Darul Ta’zim play the game in great style, are a LOT of fun to watch, and have an indefatigable spirit.

Take their last 3 League games, which, arguably, were the most difficult fixtures JDT will face in the rest of the 24-match league season. All three offered a real challenge but, spoiler alert, JDT came through all three with their perfect record intact.

4th Jan 2026: Selangor 0-2 JDT:

Selangor, after a shaky spell in mid-season changed Coach with Christophe Gamel (now succeeded by Kim Pan-Gon) steadying the ship to the extent that the team had gone seven unbeaten in the League. Selangor’s Brazilian-striker, Chrigor Moraes, was in great goal-scoring form and Mamadou Diarra’s introduction at centre back had helped tighten things defensively. The Red Giants of Selangor were quietly confident of denting JDT’s perfect record, or at least giving them a proper game.

It wasn’t to be.

Despite a healthy 8,000++ crowd in Petaling Jaya, JDT produced a professional taking apart of Selangor. An early goal from Spanish-born and soon to be Malaysia-eligible Nacho Mendez (officially an own-goal deflected in by Richard Ankrah), followed by almost complete control of the game until a late volley from Bergson da Silva secured win number 13 of the season.

The key? Professional Control.

9th Jan 2026: Negeri Sembilan 0-1 JDT:

Negeri Sembilan’s fortunes have improved immeasurably since the nadir of their twelfth-placed finish in the 2024-25 season. Finance was secured for the new campaign, and highly-rated Coach Nidzam Jamil had used his resources well in a season that included a statement home win against Selangor in front of a 40,000 crowd.

Negeri’s Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi is one of the more atmospheric stadia in Malaysia when there’s a decent crowd. Some 16,000++ were present for the visit of JDT. And what a contest they saw.

A controversial non-decision by referee Logeswaran (one of my favourite Malaysian refs, btw) at the end of the first half saw JDT’s normally impeccable Eddy Israfilov escape punishment for a high-arm that stopped Negeri Sembilan’s Joseph Esso in full stride. The home team, parading Palestinian midfielder Oday Kharroub for an impressive debut, had gone toe-to-toe with JDT. This was a proper game.

Second half, JDT turned the screw. Azri Ghani in “The Deers” goal made a series of excellent stops, including one astonishing save from his own defender Khuzaimee Piee. He blocked one-on-one from Johor’s Spanish-born Teto Martin, and was relieved when Feroz Baharuddin headed over from inside the 6-yard box. The Southern Tigers’ pressure was relentless with Oscar Arribas operating as a regular crossing source from the right, but it looked as though Negeri were going to frustrate JDT.

Slowing the game down, The Deers held the ball deep in JDT territory at the corner flag for a good 4 minutes of seven added on. The crowd were celebrating; the “Sehati Sejiwa” chant echoed; the phone lights were being waved and the atmosphere was buoyant. An stoppage for an injury meant that we would go beyond the “minimum of seven minutes” time added on.

One last attack for JDT and you can guess what happened next. Of course you can.

98 minutes had been played when Arribas got the ball on the right and crossed for one last time. Eight yards from goal, Manuel Hidalgo – literally the smallest man on the pitch – escaped from the fatigued Kharroub and stretched to his full height to loop a header up and over Azri’s despairing dive. Azri got a touch, but the ball found the side of the net.

Bloody Johor. The visitors bench exploded with joy. Negeri Sembilan’s players slumped to the floor. It was a deserved win for JDT, but so, so, cruel on Negeri Sembilan.

The key words? Relentless, Indefatigable. 14 from 14.

9th Jan 2026: JDT 2-1 Kuching City:

Kuching City have quietly gone about their business since the Kuching FA decided to properly support football a decade ago. What started as the FA supporting an Amateur league in the Kuching region of Sarawak has now grown to include a tightly run professional team who have worked their way through the (now-defunct) FAM League, into M3 (now the AFL), and thence into the (now-defunct) Malaysia Premier League until they won promotion to the Super League for the 2023 season.

Under the organised, sensible coaching of Singaporean Aidil Shahrin (an FA Cup winner with Kedah in 2019), Kuching City survived a torrid debut season at the top level before securing a respectable 4th place in 2024-25. They are a club who don’t overspend, who pay their bills on time, who put football people in charge of football matters, and who work within their means (While that is, globally, a low bar, in the Malaysian context, it’s worthy of note).

Aidil has put together a neat and tidy side. Malaysia International Haziq Nadzli – a success story from the (now-defunct) Frenz Academy - in goal; defensive solidity from Nigerian James Okwuosa and Japanese Yuki Tanagawa; internationally capped Scott Woods and Jimmy Raymond as attacking full-backs; The lovely to watch Petrus Shitembi in midfield alongside Bahrain International Moses Atede, with width provided by Ramadhan Saifullah and Danial Asri, and recent signing Ronald Ngah up front already into double digit goals scored for his new employers.

This season, Kuching City had pushed JDT close in a couple of games. In August, only a goal by Brazilian import Jairo scored after Kuching had been reduced to 10-men earned JDT a 1-0 League win in Sarawak. And when the teams met in the FA Cup semi-final first leg, Kuching stretched JDT again – the Southern Tigers winning 2-1 with Bergson da Silva on target with a brace. JDT won the 2nd leg comfortably at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium 2-0, but they knew that Kuching would not be a “push-over”.

In this game, Jairo thought he had scored inside 10-minutes for JDT only for VAR to confirm referee Razlan Jofri Ali’s decision of a foul in the build-up. Late in the first half, left-back, Scott Woods, turned up at centre forward to turn home a Ramadhan cross. Ramadhan – a former Johor player - looked offside but VAR showed a narrow (and correct) onside verdict in favour of Kuching. 1-0 at half time with Goalkeeper Haziq (another former JDT recruit) looking secure and impressive.

Second half; Bergson da Silva went down after a challenge in the Kuching penalty area and referee Jofri was advised to go to the VAR monitor. He saw contact, but minimal, and not enough to award a foul and so a third VAR decision went (correctly, according to this correspondent) against JDT.

And a fourth would follow. Natxo Insa squared up to a Kuching player and Jofri was again “advised” by VAR to view a possible red card offence. He decided that this very 2025 confrontation was worthy of a red card and so JDT were down to 10. A goal-down and down to 10 men.

Surely, THIS time, Johor couldn’t “Up” their game? You know, by now, what the answer was.

The 10-men responded. Nacho Mendez scored a peach from 25 yards to equalise within three minutes of JDT going down to 10-men. Five minutes after that, Hidalgo set up Bergson for a stunning volley for 2-1. JDT’s 10-men then had the majority of the ball and regularly strung together 30-40 passes without Kuching laying a foot on the ball.

The keyword: Resilient,

They may not be liked, but games involving JDT invariably get you emotionally involved either for or against them. And they can play. They can also rough it if needed. They’re fabulous and horrible at the same time; they are merciless as showcased by two 10-goal wins over PDRM this season; they thrill and annoy with equal measure; and a little bit of genuine sporting invincibility is in their grasp – and it’s not JUST about money.

There aren’t too many teams that have won ALL their League matches in a season.

In the 19th Century, Preston North End and Glasgow Rangers (twice) were 100%;

Last century, Ferencvaros in Hungary, Racing Club in Argentina and Penarol of Uruguay were ‘perfect’.

This century, only the Guam league’s Quality Distributors and Turkmenistan’s Arkadag (with an asterisk) have won every game.

JDT’s remaining fixtures:

February: Imigresen (h), Sabah (a), Penang (a),

March: DPMM Brunei (a), PDRM Police (h),

April: Terengganu (h), Melaka (a)

May: Kuala Lumpur City (h), Kelantan The Real Warriors (a)

In 2025-26, Johor Darul Ta’zim have a chance of joining an elite club.

GUEST ARTICLE - Dez Corkhill

JDT Put 10 Past Hapless Cops, LCS Win Again

2026-01-19T18:23:00.002+07:00

Indonesian Championship Group A

Bekasi City v Sriwijaya 7-0 507

PSPS v Persekat 2-0 8,558

Persikad v Garudayaksa 1-1 718

Adhyaksa v Sumsel United 2-1 1,226

Persiraja v PSMS 1-2 6,982

In a group filled with newer clubs, almost 7,000 witnessed the more traditional Persiraja welcoming one of the most historic names in Indonesian football with a Japanese ref! Money and ego is no substitute for history and tradition. Sriwijaya continued their woeful form, conceding seven with Ramadan hitting four

Indonesian Championship Group B

Barito Putera v Persipura 1-1 8,072

PSIS v Deltras 0-3 7,050

Persiku v Persiba 2-1 2,822

PSS v Persela 1-1 11,166

Kendal Tornado v Persipal

More traditional clubs in Group B attracting more than decent crowds over the weekend.

Malaysia Cup

Immigration v Negeri Sembilan 0-0

Melaka v Sabah 2-2

Kelantan Red Warriors v DPMM 0-2

Penang v Kuching City 1-0

PDRM v Johor Darul Ta'zim 1-10

Perak v KL City 2-0

Biggest news I guess, is JDT conceding a goal. Teto did score six, though which helped them reach double figures!

Singapore Premier League

Tampines Rovers v Young Lions 7-1

Albirex Niigata v Tanjong Pagar 3-2

Geylang International v Lion City Sailors 0-3

Balestier Khalsa v Hougang United 2-3

After a nonsensical sabbatical of almost three months, the Singapore Premier League returned over the weekend with Tampines putting their Cup Final embarrassment behind them, comfortably overcoming Young Lions though. LCS won again though - hopefully the league does not become a one horse race like north of the causeway

Thai Football Memories

2026-01-18T18:42:00.002+07:00

2^nd March 1997 Thailand v South Korea 1-3 Supachalasai Stadium, Bangkok

To paraphrase the Cockney Rejects, I wanna go back to where it all began. Except it didn’t. I’d been in Bangkok a good few years but despite telling myself to catch a local game, at various times I lived within a goal-kick of PAT Stadium or the Army Stadium or even the Thai-Japanese Stadium, I never got round to it. Like many a poor English teachers in those distant days I worked weekends and lived a hand to mouth existence the rest of the tie where my meagre earnings would be divvied up between a few local bars and, eventually, rent on my box like rooms. Eventually I managed to drag myself to a game but as with much of the 1990s I remember little about it. I would find out later from Dale it wasn’t the first time we’d been at the same game though!

22^nd May, 1999 Thailand v Arsenal 4-3 Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok

Arsenal in town? Couldn’t miss that, could I? I even finished work early and called into Bobby’s Arms for a few before meeting a mate closer to kick off but in them days there was no such thing as a few and by the time my pal arrived I was gone. I don’t recall leaving the air-conditioned bar in Patpong, getting hit by the moist humidity in the car park or getting in the taxi. I certainly don’t remember the fight with the taxi driver! I do remember the steps inside the ground and ripping a poster off the wall and I remember seeing some Arsenal faces in Nana after the game but it wasn’t till the following day I learned the score!

20^th June, 2009 Thai Port v Chonburi PAT Stadium, Bangkok

Three years after I’d started Jakarta Casual I thought it would be a jolly wheeze to add some Thai football to my portfolio so I convinced my pregnant wife that yes, a few days in Bangkok for me would be a great idea. For me. I checked myself into my old manor off Sathorn Road and headed down to Chonburi. For some reason I thought it would also be a good idea to meet Dale in his backyard and then travel back into Bangkok with the Chonburi fans. The game was kind of fun but the lowlight was doing an interview with Kosin, the Chonburi keeper who had played in Indonesia, and not pressed record! My natural incompetence was preventing me from becoming a vlogger!

14^th October, 2009 Muang Thong United v Chonburi, Impact Arena, Muang Thong

Ok so my second game on June hadn’t been so good, Chula United v Pattaya United, but I’d enjoyed myself enough to book a return visit just two weeks before my son was born! This promised to be massive and it was so massive I met up with Dale early doors and we were in the ground some three or four hours before kick-off which was just as well…the crowd was just shy of 16,000, a record at the time for the Thai league! Exciting times in Thai football!

6^th February, 2010 SAFFC v Muang Thong United Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore

Muang Thong were fun and a far cry from the alphabet spaghetti of Thai football in the 90s when SET v TFB or RTAF v BBC failed to arouse my interest. Yes, the subtle Manchester United imagery was boring but they were doing what so many clubs in Indonesia weren’t and that was creating a bond with supporters. They also had some bloody good players! When I saw they’d been drawn with SAFFC I knew I had to make the effort to go there. I wrangled a pitchside press pass and was talking with SAFFC coach Richard Bok while the players were warming up when the fun started. This puffed up little fellow in a suit told me to leave the pitch. I replied, politely I thought, I was talking to my mate but he was having none of it. ‘Leave or I’ll throw you out!’ Match commissioners eh? That wasn’t the end of it. I was standing behind a line taking my photographs opposite the main stand and bugger me he comes over again and starts berating me for not being in the right place. I was standing with other local press types but he was only picking on me and I knew why but I wasn’t going to get thrown out of a football ground for calling an official racist! It was a good game, SAFFC won on penalties and the next day while I was at Changi waiting for my flight back to Jakarta I spotted Kawin and he smiled at me! No, I didn’t ask for a selfie or an autograph! Three months later I would be back I n Singapore to see SAFFC take on Bangkok Glass ad again I made the short hop, hoping to catch the bunnies but they never showed.

22^nd July, 2012 Thai Honda v Bangkok North KMIT Stadium, Lad Krabang

Back in the 90s I had a teaching job at KMIT. I used to take the train from Din Daeng and alight at Phra Chom Kao I think it was where I would be picked up by the company. It was a long old trek back then and of course little did I know almost 20 years later I would be returning. Much changed of course in Bangkok, I had sworn I would leave if a skytrain ever got off the ground, and of course there was a new airport and guess what? My old stomping ground was close by and there was a football ground right in the flight path. I mean, I had to go didn’t I?

20^th December 2014 Malaysia v Thailand Bukit Jalil Stadium, KL

I’m no fan of international football but I would crawl over broken glass for the AFF Suzuki Cup. For 2014 I’d gone to Vietnam to see the Indonesia group stage games in Hanoi and on the way back to Jakarta stopped off in Singapore to see the Lions take on the Thais. Thailand won that game 2-1 and went on to reach the final. I didn’t bother going to Bangkok but some Malaysian friends said I really should make the effort for the second leg in KL so I got permission from wife and son and headed north. What a game. What an experience. Malaysia won 3-2 and came oh so close to winning the trophy but the Thai side was something special. But so were the Malaysian fans who put on a show of their own. A great trip and a fantastic advert for all that was great about south east Asian football.

Since then my interest in Thai football has waned. They still produce an amazing conveyor belt of talent but the league lacks the sheer strength in depth or the history, traditions or passions of the game in Indonesia. Plus, my son was growing up and I needed to spend more time at home, especially as I was spending more and more time working overseas. It would be nice to get back there and spend a couple of months bouncing around the provinces watching games, if only to put the finishing touches to a book I originally began some 14 years ago!

Once Mighty Sriwijaya Fallen On Hard Times

2026-01-17T18:28:00.000+07:00

It's always nice when I hear English football fans get on their high chair and say politics should not be a part of football. In an ideal world, agreed but we're not in an ideal world and in countries like Indonesia they're a necessary evil.

Unless you're a club with a large fanbase (Persebaya, Persib, Persija) or wealthy backers (Bali United, Dewa United, Borneo) then the chances are high a club is going to need political backing at a local level to even get off the ground.

Sriwijaya are one such club. With a licence bought from Persijatim, the city government of Palembang in South Sumatra sought a team to fill their impressive Sriwijaya Stadium. Little did they know they were giving birth to a prodigal side that would go on and dominate the local football scene over a five-year period as well as share their plastic water bottles with the best of Asia

League Champions - 2007/08, 2011/12

Copa/Piala Indonesia - 2007/08, 2008/09, 2010

Inter Island Cup - 2010, 2012

Community Shield - 2010

Sadly for the fans who embraced their local side, a club built upon political munificence was always at risk of politicians moving on. Palembang is a provincial city with a population of 1.8 million, more than Munich for example but with a much weaker economy. Not enough to support a successful football club.

At the end of the 2018 season, with new money coming into the league through clubs like Bali United, Madura United, Sriwijaya were relegated and have been in the second tier ever since.

A bigger blow came before the 2025/26 season. The local government wanted a football club but instead of investing in Sriwijaya or even the original PS Palembang, they wanted their own football club, one that local residents would identify with them rather than the city.

So, much as the city of Palembang had done 21 years earlier, they went licence shopping and bought Persikas Subang from West Java. Persikas were rebranded SumSel United (Sumatra Selatan) and thanks to their rich owners they are in the same Championship Group A as Sriwijaya.

This meant for the first time since god knows when the city of Palembang got to host a proper derby match. The game was played behind closed doors, I guess officials were worried fans of a club five months old would be after their elder brethern, and ended 1-1, Sumsel equalising in the last minute.

If the result indicates a couple of sides of equal ability you'd be wrong. Sumsel United may be the younger in the relationship but for now they are the top boys in town. They are coached by Nil Maizer, who once had the biggest job in the land, while Sriwijaya are coached by former international Budi Sudarsono.

Sumsel boast a number of familiar names like Ichsan Kurniawan, Rachmat Hidayat and Bayu Gatra as well as a handful of foreigners.

Sriwijaya have Erick Cantona and Madrid Augusta! They also have former international Valentino Telabun but the point I'm making is the Palembang clubs, old and new, maybe in the same restaurant but are eating off very different menus and the table doesn't lie.

Sriwijaya haven't earned so much as a point since that Palembang Derby, losing seven straight. Their last game was a 7-0 loss at Bekasi City. Their last home game saw they lose 2-5 against PSPS. Yet while they are in freefall, a hardcore of fans have stayed with them. Their opening game of the season was more than 10,000 while the PSPS game attracted just 1700. Even then, the Laskar Wong Kito could claim full bragging rights as high-flying Sumsel only pulled in 1200 last time out.

The Palembang Derby is back again next weekend, thanks to a new team manager coming into Sriwijaya to perhaps provide the backing needed to at least see out the season

Different football clubs birthed by political egos on very different trajectories.