Felda United Football Club is a Malaysian football club based in Jengka, Pahang which is owned by the Malaysian Federal Land Development Authority (Felda).[2][3] The club used to compete in the Malaysian football league system but withdrew from the Malaysian league competition in 2020.[4] Known as the "Felda Fighters" among the fans, Felda United participated in the Malaysian football league from 2007 to 2020.[5]
 | ||||
| Full name | Felda United Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Felda Fighters[1] | |||
| Short name | FUFC | |||
| Founded | 19 January 2007 | |||
| Dissolved | 2020 | |||
| Owner | Malaysian Federal Land Development Authority | |||
| Website | http://www.feldaunitedfc.my | |||
|
| ||||
The team last played in the 2020 Malaysia Super League season, which is Malaysia's top flight league. The club was able to play in the Malaysia Super League after being crowned Malaysian second-tier or second division Malaysia Premier League champions in 2018.[6]
In 2020, the club made the announcement that from 2021, they will no longer participate in the Malaysian football league. A lack of financial support or funding was cited by the club's officials for making such decision to not participate in the national competition.[7][8]
Club licensing regulations
edit2019 season
edit- This club had obtained the Football Association of Malaysia Club License to play in the 2019 Malaysia Super League season.[9]
History
editThe start
editFelda United Football Club was formed on 19 January 2007 to participate in the Malaysian Football League starting with the 2007 Malaysia FAM Cup.[3] It was initiated by Felda and was officiated by the then Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak on 19 January 2007.[10] As football is the number one sport in Malaysia with a large number of supporters, Felda decided to jump into the industry due to the infrastructure and facilities provided on Felda land.[11] The club embarked their journey by making a debut in the Malaysian Football League by playing in the third-tier division league, the Malaysian FAM Cup. Now, the club is well known and supported by the country and its citizens, especially the Felda generations.
The club's tracks
editThe club has been one of the more consistent teams in the 2007 Malaysian FAM Cup after placing third, despite their fresh appearance in the industry. The club was promoted into the Premier League from the Malaysian FAM Cup in 2008 after only one season in the Malaysian Football League. Felda United played in the Premier League for 3 seasons and was promoted into the Super League after being champion of the 2010 Malaysia Premier League. After playing consistently in the Super League for 3 seasons, the team had a downfall where they were back in the Premier League for 2014. However, it was not the end for The Fighters as they were placed second in Premier League, promoting them back into Super League for 2015, 2016 and 2017. 2018 came with sorrow as the club was again, demoted into the Premier League as the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) denied their club license as they failed to submit some documents.[12] In 2019, The Fighters are back to fight heads on against the Super League clubs as they are back in the league with an approved club license from FAM.[9]
The financial downfall
editTowards the end of the 2018 season, the club had a bump on their smooth road of finance. Since September to November 2018, the club did not manage to pay the players and coaching staff in time. The club's former coach, B. Sathianathan mentioned that he exposed this issue to fight for everyone's rights in the team.[13] Shukor Adan represented the team to get legal consultation from the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) on the overdue payment. The former captain of the team also mentioned that he has been with the club for five seasons and none of these happened before. It gave him a sour memory of his last season with the club.[14]
Not only that, the club had to drop most of their key players[15] such as Syamim Yahya, Wan Zack Haikal, Farizal Harun and all four of the club's import players had to be switched[16] due to financial instability. The head coach, Mohd Nidzam Jamil said the club signed brand new players for the 2019 season as the budget is tight but the club also promotes Felda United's president and Youth squads to fight in the first-tier league, the Super League[15] as this would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for young players to fight heads on against professional and experienced senior players.
In January 2019, Felda United finally were able to pay at least a month's pay to the players and coaching staff out of three months. The club's president, Anuar Malek, said that they paid at least a month's worth of pay to show that the management is committed in trying to rectify the financial problem.[17] The club made a financial plan to make sure that financial issues does not come up again.
Withdrawal from the Malaysian football league
editFollowing the club's decision to withdraw from the Malaysian football league competition in 2020, the club had announced that 16 staff from the team will be laid off.
In a press statement, Felda Holdings Berhad stated: "Felda wish to inform that FUFC's participation is only for the 2020 season. Starting 2021, FUFC will no longer take part in the M-League. Sixteen FUFC staff will be compensated for the termination of their services in accordance with the terms of their appointments and a notice for the handover of duties has been given to them on Sept 17, 2020.[7][8]
Grounds
edit
Felda United's current ground is the Tun Abdul Razak Stadium in Jengka, Pahang. The team officially started playing for leagues in the stadium in 2016 until now, as the stadium completed its construction in late 2015.
In their early involvement in the Malaysian Football league, they played in the Petronas Stadium in Bangi, Selangor and also the club has played some matches in Mindef Stadium in Kuala Lumpur whenever the Petronas Stadium was not available. They also played in the Petaling Jaya Stadium and Selayang Stadium in Selangor, Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka, and Kuala Lumpur Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, before moving to the Tun Abdul Razak Stadium for the 2016 Malaysia Super League season and upcoming seasons.
Sponsorship
edit| Period | Sportswear | Main Sponsor | Other Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | made by club | none | none |
| 2007-08 | Adidas | Celcom | |
| 2009 | Kappa | Streamyx | Power Root, Felda D'Saji |
| 2010 | TM, Felda Prodata Systems | ||
| 2011 | Felda Prodata Systems | Felda D'Saji | |
| 2012 | Felda Prodata Systems, Felda D'Saji | Felda Sawari | |
| 2013 | Umbro | FGV | Felda Prodata Systems |
| 2014 | Puma | Felda | Koperasi Permodalan Felda Berhad, FGV |
| 2015 | Koperasi Permodalan Felda Berhad | ||
| 2016 | FBT | none | |
| 2017 | none | ||
| 2018 | Felda, Tenera Hotel | Felda Prodata Systems, Felda D'Saji, D'Mart, AirAsia, Animasia, ATF Sport Taping | |
| 2019 | Felda, Ironco, Grand Borneo | ||
| 2020 | Felda, Tanah Melayu Capital | none |
Players
editFelda United Youth Squad
editThe Felda United Youth consists of 2 squads of Under-21 and Under-19 players which will play for the President Cup and the Youth Cup respectively. These two cups are prominent tournaments among youngsters since its inception in the football industry of Malaysia.
Under-21 squad
edit| No | Name | Nat. | Position | Date of Birth | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | ||||||||||
| 22 | Muhammad Amirul Hakimi Rodzan | 
|
GK | 2001 | ||||||
| 25 | Muhammad Danial Asraf Mohd Rani |
|
GK | 2000 | ||||||
| 30 | Muhammad Hazril Azni Abdul Ghani |
|
GK | 2000 | ||||||
| Defenders | ||||||||||
| 5 | Harith Marzuqi Zailaney |
|
CB | 2000 | ||||||
| 11 | Noriqmal Nor Azmi |
|
LB, LWB | 2000 | ||||||
| 13 | Muhammad Daniel Aiman Che Zambil |
|
CB | 2/9/99 | ||||||
| 15 | Muhammad Danial Romizan |
|
CB | 8/5/2002 | ||||||
| 21 | Zainal Abidin Jamil |
|
CB | 5/8/99 | ||||||
| 23 | Abdul Rashid Abdul Razak |
|
RB, RWB | 2000 | ||||||
| Midfielders | ||||||||||
| 6 | Muhammad Firdaus Rosli |
|
DM, CM | 2000 | ||||||
| 7 | Muhammad Solihin Akmal Abdul Razak |
|
RW, LW | 2000 | ||||||
| 8 | Mohamad Saiful Jamaluddin |
|
CM | 2000 | ||||||
| 12 | Mohamad Daniel Haqiem Mohd Razali Abdullah |
|
LW, LM | 2000 | ||||||
| 14 | Muhamad Syahir Abdul Rahman |
|
RM, RW | 2000 | ||||||
| 16 | Azwan Azman |
|
CM | 1999 | ||||||
| 17 | Edy Luqman Muhamad |
|
AM, CM | 2000 | ||||||
| 20 | Khairul Haikal Adam |
|
RW, RM | 1999 | ||||||
| 29 | Muhammad Adam Malique Daniel Ady |
|
LW, LM | 2000 | ||||||
| Forwards | ||||||||||
| 9 | Muhammad Nabil Iman Muhammad Fadzil |
|
ST | 1999 | ||||||
| 10 | Muhammad Haziq Man |
|
ST, LW | 2000 | ||||||
| 19 | Mohammad Haizal Jine Adam |
|
ST | 2000 | ||||||
| 24 | Mohamad Arrieffahmi Mohd Azam |
|
ST | 24/1/99 | ||||||
| 27 | Muhammad Norazwan Mohd Amir |
|
ST | 2000 | ||||||
Under-19s
edit| No. | Name | Nat. | Position | Date of Birth | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | ||||||||||
| 1 | Amirul Rizlan Azami |
|
GK | 2005 | ||||||
| 20 | Azrul Nazhan Mohd Nasrah |
|
GK | 2004 | ||||||
| 22 | Muhammad Aliff Hanbali Nor Azman |
|
GK | 2004 | ||||||
| Defenders | ||||||||||
| 3 | Muhammad Wazif Nazarail |
|
CB | 2005 | ||||||
| 12 | Muhammad Yazid Nor Azmi |
|
LB, LWB | 2004 | ||||||
| 14 | Danish Arfan Mohd Shukri |
|
LB, LWB | 2004 | ||||||
| 15 | Muhammad Zairol Arief Abdullah |
|
CB | 2004 | ||||||
| 16 | Muhammad Iqmal Hazim Muhamed Sufian |
|
RB, RWB | 2004 | ||||||
| 19 | Muhammad Arif Ridhwan Ruslan |
|
RB, RWB | 2004 | ||||||
| 27 | Muhammad Danial Hariz Mohd Faizal |
|
CB | 2004 | ||||||
| 30 | Muhammad Harif Mustaqim Hamdan |
|
CB, LB, RB | 2004 | ||||||
| Midfielders | ||||||||||
| 4 | Muhammad Haikal Abdul Hamid |
|
CM | 2004 | ||||||
| 5 | Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Kamal Tajul Arifin |
|
LW, LM | 2005 | ||||||
| 7 | Luqman Hakim Sukemi |
|
RM, RW | 2004 | ||||||
| 8 | Muhammad Farid Aiman Anuar Amri |
|
AM, CM | 2004 | ||||||
| 11 | Muhammad Amir Danial Muhamad Herman |
|
LW, LM | 2005 | ||||||
| 13 | Mohammad Fakrul Amin Ahmad Roslizan |
|
RM, RW | 2006 | ||||||
| 17 | Muhamad Raihan Ramlan |
|
CM | 2004 | ||||||
| 18 | Nur Aiman Anuar |
|
DM | 2005 | ||||||
| 24 | Danial Luqman Ibrahim |
|
DM, CM | 2004 | ||||||
| 25 | Mohd Hafiz A.Aziz |
|
CM | 2004 | ||||||
| 26 | Mohamad Ikmal Rizal Zaman Huri |
|
CM | 2004 | ||||||
| 28 | Mohammad Akimie Amran |
|
CM | 2004 | ||||||
| Forwards | ||||||||||
| 6 | Muhammad Alif Danial Muhd Anuar |
|
ST, AM | 2004 | ||||||
| 9 | Suhaimi Abu |
|
ST | 2004 | ||||||
| 10 | Nik Muhammad Ezwan Nik Ahmad Tajul Ariff |
|
ST | 2004 | ||||||
| 21 | Mohamad Aiman Fahmi Mohd Azam |
|
ST | 2004 | ||||||
| 29 | Mohamad Haziq Hafiz Mohd Hidrus |
|
ST | 2006 | ||||||
Officials
edit- Patron:
- President: Anuar Malek
- Deputy president: Mohd Isa Abu Kassim
- Vice president 1: Anuar Malek
- Vice president 2: Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman
- Secretary general: Zulkarnain Muhammad
- Treasurer: Shahrin Mohd Ali
Team managers
edit| Years | Name |
|---|---|
| 2007 - 2012 | Faisal Zakariah
|
| 2013 | K. Devan
|
| 2014 - 2016 | Jamaludin Ahmad
|
| 2016 | Zulkarnain Mohamad
|
| 2017 - 2020 | Jamaludin Ahmad
|
Coaches
edit| Years | Name | Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 - 2009 | Reduan Abdullah
|
|
| 2009 | Ahmad Fairuz Mohd Yunus (caretaker)
|
|
| 2009 - 2012 | E. Elavarasan
|
2010 Premier League champions |
| 2013 | K. Devan
|
|
| 2014 - 2016 | Irfan Bakti Abu Salim
|
2014 Premier League runner-up 2016 Super League runner up |
| 2016 | Mohamad Nik (caretaker)
|
2016 Super League runner up |
| 2016 - 2017 | Azmi Mohamed
|
2016 Super League runner up |
| February 2017 | Mohamad Nik (caretaker)
|
|
| February 2017 - November 2018 | B. Sathianathan[22]
|
2018 Premier League champions |
| November 2018 - November 2020 | Mohd Nidzam Jamil[23]
|
Honours and achievements
editHonours
editLeague
edit- Malaysia Super League
- Runners-up: 2016
- Malaysia Premier League
Cups
edit- Malaysia FA Cup
- Runners-up: 2014
Achievements
edit| Year | League | Cups | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Position | FA | Malaysia | AFC | |
| 2007 | Malaysia FAM League | 3rd | Not participated | Not participated | Not participated |
| 2007–08 | Malaysia Premier League | 6/13 | Quarter-finals | Not participated | Not participated |
| 2009 | Malaysia Premier League | 6/13 | Round of 32 | Not participated | Not participated |
| 2010 | Malaysia Premier League | Champions | Round of 16 | Group stage | Not participated |
| 2011 | Malaysia Super League | 11/14 | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Not participated |
| 2012 | Malaysia Super League | 10/14 | Round of 32 | Quarter-finals | Not Participated |
| 2013 | Malaysia Super League | 11/12 | Round of 32 | Group stage | Not participated |
| 2014 | Malaysia Premier League | Runners-up | Runners-up | Semi-finals | Not participated |
| 2015 | Malaysia Super League | 5/12 | Round of 32 | Semi-finals | Not participated |
| 2016 | Malaysia Super League | Runners-up | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Not participated |
| 2017 | Malaysia Super League | 3/12 | Second round | Semi-finals | Group stage |
| 2018 | Malaysia Premier League | Champions | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Not participated |
Source:[2]
AFC competitions
editPerformance in AFC competitions
edit- AFC Cup: 1 Appearance
- 2017: Group stage
AFC clubs ranking
edit- As of 1 December 2017.[24]
| Current Rank | Country | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 119 | |
Felda United |
| 120 |  |
Al-Ahli |
| 121 |  |
Ahal |
| 122 |  |
East Bengal |
| 123 |  |
Alay Osh |
| 124 |  |
Bangkok United |
Continental record
edit| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | AFC Cup | Group G |  Tampines Rovers
|
1–3 | 2–1 | 4th |
 Hà Nội
|
1–1 | 4–1 | ||||
 Ceres-Negros
|
0–0 | 3–0 |
References
edit- ^ "No more the settlers". New Straits Times. 20 December 2006. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- ^ a b Felda United Achievements
- ^ a b Felda United guna Stadium Tun Abdul Razak musim ini Berita Harian, 3 February 2016
- ^ Felda United 'uproot' themselves
- ^ "Peneroka tubuh pasukan Felda United sertai Liga FAM". FourFourTwo. 20 December 2006. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- ^ Felda United captured 2018 Malaysia Premier League Title Zulhilmi Zainal, 18 July 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ a b "Felda United FC to withdraw from M-League next season". Malaymail.com.
- ^ a b "Felda United 'uproot' themselves". nst.com.my.
- ^ a b Lesen Kebangsaan Felda United 2019 Lulus Zulfaizan Mansor, 16 November 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
- ^ Najib Kicks Off Felda United. The Star, 20 January 2007. Retrieved 11 January 2019
- ^ Sejarah Felda United Felda United FC. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ Felda United Demoted for Failing to Comply with Regulations New Straits Times, 4 December 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ Sathianathan Demands for their Rights Sulaiman Ismail, 19 December 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ Shukor wants Felda to Settle Overdue Payment Stadium Astro, 2 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ a b Felda United Drop Key Players The Star, 18 November 2018. Retrieved by 14 January 2019.
- ^ Felda Tukar Semua Pemain Import Asrol Awang, 18 November 2018. Retrieved by 14 January 2019.
- ^ Felda United Pays Overdue Payment Syafiq Aznan, 11 January 2019. Retrieved by 14 January 2019.
- ^ "Felda U21". www.pengurusanbolasepakfam.org.my. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
- ^ "Felda U21 2020". www.feldaunitedfc.com. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ "Felda Utd U19". www.pengurusanbolasepakfam.org.my. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
- ^ "Felda Utd U19 2020". FAM. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ "Sathianathan jurulatih baharu Felda United". Berita Harian. 20 February 2017. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "Nidzam Jamil jurulatih baharu Felda United". Semuanya Bola. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
- ^ "AFC Club Ranking (2nd July 2017 )". globalfootballranks.com. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
