Brunei to compete in World Cup qualifiers

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

BRUNEI are on the road to the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

FIFA recently confirmed that for the first time in the history of the World Cup, all 209 member associations have registered for its preliminary competition – which in Asia, also serves as the qualifiers for the 2019 Asian Cup.

National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) general secretary Hj Muhd Zamri Dato Paduka Hj Hamdani yesterday told The Brunei Times that the national football team will be competing in the first round of the Preliminary Joint Qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Preliminary Competition and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup 2019 Qualifiers next month.

Stand-in national coach Mike Wong Mun Heng, who is also NFABD’s Technical Director, knows that time is limited - but he is hoping to get the best from his players.

“We only started training just over a week ago without the professional players (DPMM FC players),” said Wong (pic) in an interview with The Brunei Times last night.

“We are looking at the best players, not only in terms of skill but attitude and commitment as well.

“The main thing we need to work on is the fitness so that they can stay sharp as most players were on a break during the offseason,” he concluded.

The first round will consist of 12 teams (ranked 35-46 as per latest FIFA ranking on January 8, 2015) and Brunei are currently ranked 45th – second lowest – in the AFC.

They are placed in Pot 2 together with Nepal, Macau, Pakistan, Mongolia and Bhutan.

The draw will be conducted in Kuala Lumpur next Tuesday, and they will face a team from Pot 1 - India, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Cambodia, Chinese Taipei or Timor Leste.

Brunei will play the away fixture on March 12 and the home match will be contested five days later.

The winners of the six pairings will advance to the second round to join the 34 highest ranked teams.

The teams will then be drawn into eight groups of five. The group winner and four runner-up teams – 12 teams in total – will advance to the Asian Cup 2019 Finals and World Cup Qualifiers Final Round.

The remaining 24 teams will continue with qualification into Asian Cup 2019 Finals.

There are currently over 30 players shortlisted for the national squad, with 13 of them plying their trade with DPMM FC.

A total of 20 players – selected from their performance in the DST Super League – were spotted at training last night at the Balapan Track and Field of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas.

Wong will select 23 players for the squad.
Brunei’s last attempt to qualify for the World Cup was for the 2002 edition in South Korea and Japan, where they lost all six of their games against Yemen, the United Arab Emirates and India in 2001.
Brunei went down 5-0 and 1-0 to Yemen, 12-0 and 4-0 to the United Arab Emirates and 1-0 and 5-0 to India in the two-legged home and away qualifiers.

The Brunei Times

DPMM FC set for Thai friendlies

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, February 1, 2015

DPMM FC are set for some pre-season action next week in Thailand.
The Sultanate’s only professional team have three friendly matches lined up as part of their preparations for the upcoming Singapore League (S-League) opener against Harimau Muda on March 1 at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas.
They will go up against Thai Division 1 side Air Force Central FC in the first friendly on February 4.
DPMM FC will then face off against another Division 1 side – Bangkok FC – three days later.
Their toughest test will be against Thai Premier League outfits Suphanburi FC on February 9.
A total of 23 players will travel to the Thai capital including new faces — Md Khairul Anwar Abd Rahim, Reduan Hj Petara, Ak Yura Indera Putera Pg Yunos and Md Aminuddin Zakwan Tahir.
DPMM FC coach Steve Kean believes that the matches will be a good indicator of their progress and is a good opportunity for the new inclusions.
“It is always good to have competition, but the most important is our preparation in getting us ready for the first league game at home,” said Kean in an interview with The Brunei Times after a training session at the Jerudong Mini Stadium yesterday.
“We have been training for four weeks now and it is nice to play some games at the end of the fifth week.
“So far we have only been playing against each other in training. Now we get to try different opposition and try out what we have been working on,” he added.
“The games will give us an indication on things we have to work on and what we are good at.
“It is also good for the younger players who were not involved last year to be integrated in the team. Going away will help get them to bond with the other players,” continued the Scotsman.
DPMM FC have had 13 foreign players on trial but only Brazilian striker Rafael Ramazotti remain in the Sultanate.
Irish midfielder Joe Gamble and Bosnian defender Boris Raspudic are the only two returning imports from last season.
Team manager Ali Hj Momin revealed that two more players – Lebanese international Hussain Awada and Ivory Coast striker Lasina Soro — are set to come for trial and will make the trip to Thailand
“We already have an idea on which imports we want but we are expecting two more players to come on trial and join us in Thailand,” said Ali.
“I also hope that the new (locals) players will be able to show something to the coach and try to fight their way into position in the team,” he added.
The team will depart the Sultanate on Tuesday.
DPMM FC’s first away game in the S-League will be on March 7 against Albirex Niigata FC (S) at the Jurong East Stadium in Singapore before going up against the Young Lions (Singapore national Under-23 team) four days later at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
The S-League runners-up will then host Home United FC in their last match of the month on March 18.

The Brunei Times

Indera win DST Sumbangsih Cup

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, January 25, 2015

INDERA SC clinched the 2015 DST Sumbangsih Cup after a 2-0 victory over the Royal Brunei Armed Forces Sports Council (MS ABDB) last night.
Two second-half goals by Sam Frank and Hamizan Aziz Sulaiman, respectively, sealed the deal for the two-time DST Super League champions at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas.
Indera should have opened the scoring as early as the 12th minute but Frank saw his header cleared off the goal line.
Pvt Abd Azizi Ali Rahman had a good chance for MS ABDB in the 23rd minute but Indera goalkeeper Mohd Fakhrul Zulhazmi Yussof was equal to the task.
Another opportunity came up for the armymen when Lcpl Mohd Baharin Hamidon was put through on goal for a one-on-one situation against Mohd Fakhrul in the 35th minute.
The forward picked his spot from just inside the box but the Indera goalkeeper did well to keep out his effort.
MS ABDB were seeing plenty of the ball but couldn’t make anything out of it and the match was goalless at halftime.
The deadlock was broken by Indera just three minutes after the interval.
Frank got the ball down the left and he dribbled into the box before firing past Pvt Mohd Tarmizi Hj Mat Johari for the lead.
The Indera forward tried an ambitious one from almost 25 yards out in the 53rd minute and was just off the target.
Indera doubled their advantage in the next minute after Hamizan pounced on a bad backpass to the goalkeeper.
He noticed Pvt Mohd Tamizi was off his line and he chipped the ball from just outside the box and into an empty net.
Frank got another strike on target in the 61st minute but was kept out by the MS ABDB shotstopper.
He then went down with an ankle injury and the tide seemed to change in favour of two- time DST FA Cup defending champions MS ABDB.
Pvt Abd Azizi unleashed a good attempt from inside the box in the 67th minute but an Indera player managed to put his body in the way.
They should have got on the scoresheet two minutes later after Pvt Zulfadhli PK Hj Matassan was put through on goal but Mohd Fakhrul did well to close out the shot.
Another chance came in the 77th minute but Pvt Affendy Hj Akup watched his header go just over the crossbar.
Indera almost killed off the match entirely in the 84th minute off a counterattack.
Hamizan did well to pick out Mohammad Asri Hj Aspar with a high ball. Pvt Mohd Tarmizi came out the box to try and deal with it but the latter rounded him. However, Pvt Mohd Aliuddin Hj Basar recovered to make a tackle to prevent Mohammad Asri from getting a shot into an empty net.
Affendy almost gave the armymen a lifeline three minutes from time after rifling a shot from inside the box but Mohd Fakhrul produced an acrobatic save to ensure they kept a clean sheet enroute to victory.
Present as the guest of honour to hand out the prizes to the winners was Suhaimi Hussain, the CEO of DST. The Sumbangsih Cup is a curtain raiser to the 2015 national football season.
Indera were crowned champions of the 2014 DST Super League with 43 points ahead of second-placed MS ABDB with 37 points. Najip FC finished third in the league with 27 points.
MS ABDB successfully defended their crown for the 2014 DST FA Cup after defeating Najip 2-0 in the final at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium on January 4.

The Brunei Times

DPMM FC to play Harimau Muda in season opener

Ak Fauzi Pg Salleh

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, January 24, 2015

DPMM FC will start their 2015 Singapore League (S-League) season with a clash against Harimau Muda on March 1 at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas.
They will next face Albirex Niigata FC (s) on March 7 at the Jurong East Stadium before meeting Young Lions at the Jalan Besar Stadium four days later on March 11.
DPMM FC will close the month with a home match against Home United FC on March 18.
The complete fixture list for 2015 as well as the venues for the 10-team S-League can be found on the league’s official website.
The club’s head coach Steve Kean has set his sights on a treble this season after coming off their best season to date by winning the Singapore League Cup, claiming the runners-up spot in the Singapore League and a third-place finish in the Singapore Cup.
Brunei’s only professional team are looking to sign three imports to fill the Singapore League’s (S-League) five-import quota for every team and they are currently trying out 13 imports.
Irish midfielder Joe Gamble and Bosnian defender Boris Raspudic are the only two retuning imports from last season after the club surprisingly released top-scorer Rodrigo Tosi (Brazil), Irish forward Roy O’Donovan and Croatian midfielder Roberto Alviz.
DPMM FC also held a one-day trial for Under-19 players at the Jerudong Mini Stadium on January 11 where a total of 136 players attended.
The Brunei Times previously reported that DPMM FC will take on Indonesian Premier League outfit Persija Jakarta in a friendly match at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas at the end of the month.
DPMM FC also plan to head to Thailand in February for a pre-season friendly competition.

The Brunei Times

Indera SC, MS ABDB impress

Ak Fauzi Pg Salleh

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, January 11, 2015

AS WE look back at the year 2014 that has become a part of history, we can certainly say that it was a momentous year for the football season of Brunei Darussalam.
It was a thrilling season, where we witness some exciting and nail-biting encounters. But Indera Sports Club and Royal Brunei Armed Forces Sports Council (MS ABDB) will remember 2014 more fondly as they emerged champions of the DST Super League and DST FA Cup respectively.
The football enthusiasts will cherish this season as it saw brilliant goals, memorable matches, wonderful performances.
However, the season had its share of controversies too.
In this report The Brunei Times will take readers down memory lane and provide them the review of the 2014 DST Super League and DST FA Cup season.
It was another good year for Indera Sports Club after successfully defending the DST Super League title with two games left to play after a 7-1 thrashing of QAF FC on September 3.
Indera eventually won 14 games, lost one and drew one to finish at the top of the nine-team league table with 43 points ahead of MS ABDB with 37 points and they have scored 51 goals and only let in 14 throughout the campaign.
But 2014 season was for MS ABDB to take after winning the DST FA Cup and defeating Indera SC 2-1 in the final of the DST Super League at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas on September 13.
“This year’s competition has been great as we managed to win the DST FA Cup,” said Major Pg Farisan Pg Metassan in an interview with The Brunei Times.
“We got second place at the DST Super league but we beat the unbeatable Indera SC in the last game of the league which shows that we can beat any team in the league and to top that we also won the best fair play team and best player awards in the league.
MS ABDB’s Mohd Mazazizi Mazlan was awarded the best player of the 2014 DST Super League season and the midfielder played a very important role for MS ABDB in the season.
“Now we are focusing on our ultimate target of winning the 2015 DST Super League and the preparations will start soon,” he added.
The MS ABDB lifted the DST FA Cup after a comfortable 2-0 win over Najip FC on January 4.
Mohd Baharin Hamidon and Abd Azizi Ali Rahman both found the net in the victory at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium.
The year also saw Majra United controversially withdrawing from the 2014 DST Super League and ceased their operations as a football club entirely.
The reason for the pullout was triggered by Majra’s May 13 game against MS ABDB when Majra captain Faizal Mohammad was found guilty of assaulting the referee and was subsequently banned from all football activities for five years starting from May 14.
The National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) charged the 2011 DST League Cup champions Majra $500 for negligence in managing the team and their fans during the match.
MS ABDB were awarded a 3-0 victory based on Article 57 of NFABD’s Disciplinary Code, a decision that was deemed unfair by the club which led to the dismemberment of the club.
One of the season's great entertainers Najip managed to reach the final of the DST FA Cup and finished third in the league with 27 points.
They have provided a fascinating challenge at the top throughout the 2014 season and surprised everyone when they took down Indera 2-1 to reach the final of the DST FA Cup for the first time.
Alongside Indera and MS ABDB, Najip will be the other team to watch for the upcoming 2015 DST Super League and DST FA Cup season.

The Brunei Times

Veteran football gets $20,000 DST boost

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, January 10, 2015

THE Veteran Football Association (VFA) received a boost ahead of the new season after receiving $20,000 from telecommunications provider DST in an official sponsorship presentation yesterday.
DST CEO Suhaimi Hussain handed over the cheque to the VFA president Roslin Suhailee in the presence of DST and VFA members at the DST Headquarters in Tungku Link.
This is the sixth year in a row – since 2010 — that DST has contributed to the development of veteran football in the Sultanate.
A total of 34 teams separated into seven groups will be vying for top honours in the VFA President’s Cup this year.

Al-Idrus, Ministry of Development, Mix FT, Satria Veteran and Kilugus FC make up Group A while the Royal Brunei Police Force Sports Council (MS PDB), defending champions XN FT, Jerudong FC, Menengah FC and Mangalela FC are drawn in Group B.
Group C is made up of Manggis FC, RB FC Veteran, BSRC Veteran, Miisa Utd and PBDB Veteran.
Pondok 12, Riwayat FC, Kasuka FC, Besa FC and Media FC are in Group D while Rimba Star, Terraza FC, Najip J4F FT, BSRC Recon and I-Team completed Group E.
Group F constitutes Persatuan Sang Jati Dusun (PSJD), Old Stock, Stoneville, Astavilla FC and Akse Bersatu while Group F will see Setia Bakti, IKLS Veteran, Wasabi FC and MBS United fight for top honours.

Kick off for the tournament is slated for January 16.
XN FT won the title last year after defeating Al-Idrus FT 6-3 in the final back in June.
The first action for the VFA will be the 3rd Sumbangsih Cup this Sunday Cup which will see XN FT up against FA Cup holders Al-Idrus at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium of the Royal Brunei Police Force Headquarters in Gadong.
Both teams also met in the second edition of the Sumbangsih Cup with Al-Idrus emerging winners 2-1 at the Tutong Sports Complex.
Kick off is at 4pm.

The Brunei Times

Import search starts again

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

SOME 10 foreign players are expected to be on trial with DPMM FC over the next few days.
Last year’s Singapore League (S-League) runners-up held their first training session of 2015 on Monday, with two of the players present at the pitch at the Jerudong Mini Stadium – Liberian international defender Patrick Nyema Gerhardt and Congolese national team goalkeeper Barel Mouko (pic).

Seven more players took to the field yesterday, with the remaining player set to join the rest today.
Gerhardt plied his trade with Melbourne Heart in the A-League for the past three years before coming to try out in the Sultanate while Mouko was the backup goalkeeper at French Ligue 1 club Lille.
Speaking to The Brunei Times on Monday, Swiss-born Gerhardt said he is enjoying his time here and is hoping to put on a good show.
“It is a good club. People are friendly and very welcoming and the culture is also good,” said Gerhardt.
“I was talking to my agent and he said it would be a good stop to come play here. I wanted to play in Asia and he said it a good place to be. We will see what happens in the next few days,” he continued.
DPMMF FC are currently looking for three players to complete the five-player S-League import quota - the club retained Irish midfielder Joe Gamble and Bosnian defender Boris Raspudic from last season after surprisingly releasing top-scorer Rodrigo Tosi (Brazil), Irish forward Roy O’Donovan and Croatian midfielder Roberto Alviz.
Gamble said he is delighted to be back in the Sultanate and is expecting another great year for the team after 2014’s campaign also reaped the Singapore League Cup and a third-place finish in the Singapore Cup – the club’s best season to date.
“Although it was a fantastic season, we are disappointed really at the final outcome,” said Gamble.
“We could have won the league and had a good chance to win the Singapore Cup.
“We know that we can go the distance and the players here know that we are capable of winning the league.
“We will carry on where we left off as we had a good strong last three games to end the season,” continued Gamble.
The Irishman also felt that things are looking better to start off the New Year compared to last year.
“We are already at a good state coming into the first day of preseason. We are at a good standard compared to last year,” said Gamble.
“We were not able to train like this from day one (last year). I can say that we are 20-30 per cent better in terms of fitness and are mentally better prepared than last year,” he concluded.
REGISTRATION FOR UNDER-19 TRIALS
DPMM FC’s office will be open today for registration of players for Sunday’s Under-19 trials at Jerudong Mini Stadium.
The club announced late last year that they are searching for players around 17-18 years old to be the future of the team.
Registration will also begin at 7.30am at the Jerudong Mini Stadium on the day itself.
Registration is open to the first 200 players, with another trial next Sunday to be held if there are more interested players.
DPMM FC’s office is located at Suite 1, Level 1, Halimatul Sa'adiah Building in Gadong.

The Brunei Times