Kota Ranger FC

Kota Ranger
Full nameKota Ranger Football Club[1]
Short nameKRFC
Founded1978; 46 years ago (1978)
StadiumBerakas Sports Complex
Capacity500
OwnerAbdul Razak Ibrahim
Head coachZulkefly Duraman
LeagueBrunei Super League
2023BSL, 3rd of 16

Kota Ranger Football Club (Malay: Kelab Bola Sepak Kota Ranger; abbrev: KRFC), formerly Perkota,[2] is a Bruneian football club, playing in the Brunei Super League. It was formed in 1978 and was successful in the late eighties and early nineties, winning the national championships twice.[3] Kota Ranger directly translates to City Ranger in English.

Having won two national championship playoffs, a competition that pitted the four district champions against one another; in 1987 and 1993, Kota Ranger is regarded as one of the most successful clubs from that era.[2] Kota Ranger FC, a dominant force in Brunei football in the 1980s and 1990s, and AM Gunners FC are two club names that may hint at some British influence on the local game.[4]

History

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Early days

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In the 1970s, Perkota was created by Alidon Laidin and his siblings of Kota Batu on the outskirts of Bandar Seri Begawan, overlooking the Brunei Bay.[5] Before focusing on football and changing their name to Kota Ranger FC in 1978, the main sports were perahu racing, badminton, and sepak takraw. This was a result of their accepting players from outside the Kota Batu region as well.[2] They participated in the national championships run by the Brunei Football Association and claimed silverware first in 1987,[3] then secondly in a league championship in 1992.[6]

Regionally, they participated in the 1987 Asian Club Championship and the 1992 Borneo Inter-Club Cup, winning the latter outright.[7] A penalty scored by Momin Ahmad on the 22nd minute of the match between Kota Ranger and Persiba Balikpapan, brought the club to victory.[2] They failed to qualify for the 1992–93 edition of the Asian Club Championship, despite having beaten PKNK F.C. from Malaysia in the first round.[8] A few national players, including Liew Chuan Fue and Rosanan Samak of the 1999 Malaysia Cup team, were from Kota Ranger.[2]

Decline

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Kota Ranger was one of the founding clubs of the B-League in 2002.[9] They were relegated after being in the last place with only one win during the 2004 Premier League,[10] and spent time in the second tier of Brunei football until 2015, when they became league champions and promoted to the Brunei Super League.[11] Norsillmy Taha scored the winning penalty which resulted in a 1–0 victory over Tabuan Muda.[12]

Clashes between Kota Ranger and DPMM FC players during the 2022 FA Cup.

Revival

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Currently their best record in the competition is in the 2017–18 season when they finished runners-up to MS ABDB.[13] In 2019, Kota Ranger claimed their first ever FA Cup triumph, beating MS PDB 2–1, the winner coming in the 89th minute via Nur Asyraffahmi Norsamri after Amir Bujang for the policemen cancelled out an earlier Amalul Said goal.[14] During the 2020 Super Cup, the club went as far as winning the final match 3–1 against MS ABDB at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium. Adi Said's debut followed by him scoring a hat-trick; on the 3rd, 44th and 90th minutes of the match.[15]

The club was leading 1st place in the 2020 Super League when it was unexpectedly postponed and eventually cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the country, ending the tournament with only two matches completed.[16][17] That following year, the restrictions were lifted and the club would participate in the 2022 FA Cup,[18] Kota Ranger made it into the semi finals of the 2022 FA Cup after winning against KB FC in the quarter-finals. However, they would be defeated by DPMM FC with an aggregated score of 3–0.[19]

Current squad

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As of 20 October 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Brunei BRU Hendra Putera Idris
2 DF Brunei BRU Hanif Omar Ali
3 DF Brunei BRU Safwan Amaluddin Sabli
4 DF Brunei BRU Abdul Aziz Tamit
5 DF Brunei BRU Ahmad Hasbullah Alfiandiy
6 MF Brunei BRU Shad Maymoun Jaafar
7 FW Brunei BRU Aminuddin Masri
8 MF Brunei BRU Habibullah Adanan
9 MF Brunei BRU Hazmi Salleh
10 MF Brunei BRU Asnawi Syazni Abdul Aziz
11 FW Brunei BRU Noorsherzaman Hasan Ahmad
12 FW Brunei BRU Qusyairi Arabimulfhasal
13 FW Brunei BRU Nasy'rul Wafiy Hassan (on loan from Almerez FC)
No. Pos. Nation Player
14 MF Brunei BRU Hafis Mahari
15 FW Brunei BRU Syazwan Sahrin
16 MF Brunei BRU Azim Izamuddin Suhaimi
17 DF Brunei BRU Syaherrul Affendy Syahmirul Nizam
18 MF Brunei BRU Abu Bakar Ash-Shiddiq Mahmud
19 MF Brunei BRU Izzat Arif Shahrul Zaman
20 MF Brunei BRU Fawzan Abu Kassim
21 MF Brunei BRU Abdul Afiq Roslan
22 DF Brunei BRU Sholihuddin Jamaludin
23 MF Brunei BRU Badrul Anak Bujang (Captain)
24 DF Brunei BRU Shah Azahar Abdullah Ahar
25 GK Brunei BRU Hasdattul Anirull Rizam
26 MF Brunei BRU Samsul Masri

Club officials

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Position Staff
Owner Brunei Abdul Razak Ibrahim[20]
Team manager Brunei Mesli Dullah
Head coach Brunei Zulkefly Duraman
Goalkeeping coach Brunei Ibrahim Abu Bakar

Continental record

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Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
1987 Asian Club Championship Group Stage Indonesia Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian 5–1 4th
Malaysia Federal Territory 1–8
Singapore Tiong Bahru CSC 3–2
1992–93 First Round Malaysia PKNK 1–1 5–1 6–2
Second Round Indonesia Arseto Solo 1–1 1–2 2–3
1994–95 Preliminary Round Macau Negro Rubro advanced
Philippines Davao City
First Round Hong Kong Eastern AA 1–6 1–6 2–12

Honours

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References

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  1. ^ "Kota Ranger FC – Brunei Darussalam – Kelab Bola Sepak Kota Ranger – Club Profile, Club History, Club Badge, Results, Fixtures, Historical Logos, Statistics". www.weltfussballarchiv.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Kota Ranger FC". Archived from the original on 2022-12-10. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  3. ^ a b c "Brunei - List of Champions". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 23 June 2021. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  4. ^ Laycock, Stuart; Laycock, Philip (2022-10-13). How Britain Brought Football to the World. History Press. ISBN 978-1-80399-221-1. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  5. ^ "Club Profiles: Kota Ranger FC". Football Association of Brunei Darussalam. 19 February 2021. Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Kota Ranger raih $4 ribu". Pelita Brunei. 19 February 1992. Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Kejohanan Bolasepak Antara Kelab-kelab Borneo: Kota Ranger Juara" (PDF). Pelita Brunei. 11 March 1992. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  8. ^ "The lost tale of PKNK FC". Sportimes. Archived from the original on 24 April 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  9. ^ "TINGKATKAN MUTU BOLA SEPAK NEGARA". Pelita Brunei. 10 July 2002. Archived from the original on 18 September 2002. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Sengkurong FC & Kota Ranger relegated". Borneo Bulletin. 16 October 2004. Archived from the original on 2 December 2006. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Kota Ranger bag DST Premier League title". Archived from the original on 2017-02-22. Retrieved 2017-02-21.
  12. ^ "Kota Ranger FC crowned DST Premier League champions | The Brunei Times". 2015-09-23. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  13. ^ "MS ABDB win third straight DST Super League". National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  14. ^ "KOTA RANGER CROWNED DST FA CUP CHAMPIONS". BruSports News. 23 April 2019. Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  15. ^ a b "Kota Ranger FC Juara Piala Sumbangsih 2020 | Brunei's No.1 News Website". www.brudirect.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-10. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  16. ^ "NFABD calls of Brunei Super League due to COVID-19 » Borneo Bulletin Online". NFABD calls of Brunei Super League due to COVID-19. 2020-03-14. Archived from the original on 2022-12-10. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  17. ^ "Brunei Super League 2021 called off » Borneo Bulletin Online". Brunei Super League 2021 called off. 2021-11-30. Archived from the original on 2022-12-10. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  18. ^ "FA Cup to kick off on August 6". Borneo Bulletin. 8 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  19. ^ "DPMM FC beat Kota Ranger FC » Borneo Bulletin Online". DPMM FC beat Kota Ranger FC. 2022-11-28. Archived from the original on 2022-12-10. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  20. ^ "Kota Ranger FC ready for new season's challenges » Borneo Bulletin Online". Kota Ranger FC ready for new season’s challenges. 2020-02-28. Archived from the original on 2022-12-10. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  21. ^ "Kota Ranger capture maiden DST FA Cup title » Borneo Bulletin Online". Kota Ranger capture maiden DST FA Cup title. 2019-04-23. Archived from the original on 2019-04-27. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  22. ^ "Brunei 2003". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2022-09-05. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  23. ^ "Brunei 1988/89". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 14 April 2022. Archived from the original on 23 August 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  24. ^ a b "Kota Rangers Win Piza Cup Charity Shield". Borneo Bulletin. 21 February 2006. Archived from the original on 2 December 2006. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  25. ^ "Kota Ranger 'Joint Cup' champions". Borneo Bulletin. 11 December 2019. Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
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