DPMM FC ready for S-League

Azamri Zainal
BRUNEI-MUARA
Tuesday, December 20, 2011

DPMM FC are expected to finish in the top five of the S-League, and the club's return is the 'worst kept secret in Singaporean football'. This was commented by Steven Tan, the coach of Tampines Rovers, a club from Singapore.

"They are a good team that will probably finish in the top five, it should be very interesting next year," said the coach.

The first foreign team to win the Singapore League Cup in 2009, DPMM FC were also on the hunt for the S-League title the same year, only to be brought down by news of a suspension for Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (BAFA), leaving the local football scene with a mountain to climb.

With the existence of the new football body, National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD), DPMM FC will return to the league together with the Malaysian Tigers in a new 14-team format.

According to a press statement relesed by TODAYonline, The ASEAN Football Federation received word from the Football Association of Singapore last week, and yesterday confirmed DPMM FC's return to Singapore's domestic football competitions.

Richard Bok from S-League club The Warriors welcomed the return of DPMM FC: "They were a strong team that provided excitement when they were playing then, and we welcome their return.

"Ivan (Jerkovic) has joined them, and they seem to have retained most of their local players and signed good foreigners. They should be a strong team again."

DPMM Coach, Vjeran Simunic, who lead the club to League Cup glory in 2009, said: "This is good news for us. We have started preparing (since October) and it is not easy from the start especially with the players having had no games for the past two years."

With the presence of DPMM FC well received by the Singapore football scene, local fans and crowds are expected to give the club some much needed support. In 2009, home games' attendance reached 10,000 at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. This record of spectators gave the S-League a different kind of atmosphere.

Also, 2012 looks like a hectic year for the Bruneian football scene, with tournaments like The Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy, The Singapore League, The DST National League, The DST FA Cup, The DST National Super League and its lower divisions. The local football scene has never been this busy.The Brunei Times