All positives for Clough in debut season with DPMM FC

 Fadhil Yunus

DPMM FC’s foreign import player Charlie Clough has enjoyed his debut season with the club after winning the Singapore Premier League (SPL) title last season.

Clough entered the club’s history books after becoming the first club’s Englishman to earn a SPL’s medal.

“It was the first winners’ medal of my career and lifting the trophy at our home ground in front of 20,000 fans was the best feeling ever,” he said.

The 30-year-old played an instrumental role in DPMM FC’s title triumph last year at the heart of defence. He opened the scoring in the 2-0 victory against title contenders Tampines Rovers FC during their only appearance this year.

The SPL is currently suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Taunton-born Englishman is enjoying his time in the Sultanate as he entered his second year since making the switch from Europe to Southeast Asia.

“The weather is always hot and Brunei is very peaceful. It is a very religious Muslim country so everyone is nice and respectful,” Clough said in an interview with Gloucestershire Live recently.

“The place is so clean and tidy and they look after their people here, so everyone is happy. The lifestyle beats living in the UK (United Kingdom) hands down,” he added.

He said football takes most of his time with training taking up double sessions on some days.

The former Barnet man has been impressed with the technical ability of his teammates although he admitted the football physicality is lesser compared to England.

“I’ve had to adapt to the style that is played here and players are not as physical as in the UK, but technically they are very good and sharp,” said the centre-back, who was also named in the SPL Team of the Year last season.

Like the rest of the DPMM FC squad, Clough has been training on building his fitness levels before being allowed to use balls in line with the revised guidelines relating to team sports.

Charlie also expressed his hopes of signing a new contract for the 2021 season amid the club’s wait to resume their competitive action.

“I know they really like me here as a character so fingers crossed I can get that over the line.”

https://borneobulletin.com.bn/2020/10/all-positives-for-clough-in-debut-season-with-dpmm-fc/

Brunei Super League 2020 called off

 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (21 Sept 2020) – The National FA of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) have decided the cancel the Brunei Super League 2020 (BSL).

The league was suspended after just two matches into the new season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The decision was made by the NFABD Competition Standing Committee, who also announced that the Under-16 and Under-19 tournaments have also been cancelled.

“Competitions are slated to run in mid-November and hopefully will finish by the second week of December with the possibility of converting the NFABD artificial field to a competition venue,” the press release added.

https://www.aseanfootball.org/v3/brunei-super-league-2020-called-off/

AFC Solidarity Cup 2020 cancelled

 Fadhil Yunus

Brunei Darussalam’s national football team and their nearest continental rivals in the world rankings will not compete in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Solidarity Cup 2020 after the AFC announced the cancellation of the tournament recently.

It was scheduled to be held on November 30 until December 13.

The next instalment of the competition will be in 2024 with the participating teams only likely to be determined once the AFC first round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers reaches its conclusion, subject to any changes of eligibility.

The tournament serves as a platform for countries that have little opportunities to organise international friendly matches.

“These are tough times for everyone connected with football – and sport in general. We are taking steps to ensure the financial well-being of the AFC and its MAs (member associations),” said AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa.

Brunei was considered to be one of the original members in the inaugural edition of the tournament in Kuching, Malaysia in 2016.

The tournament, which replaced the AFC Challenge Cup, has since been expanded to 10 teams.

The national team gained entry in the second edition as one of the losers of the AFC First Round of the 2022 World Cup qualification.

The Wasps missed out on a place in the second round of the qualifying phase following a 3-2 aggregate defeat against Mongolia in June last year.

Qualified teams included Timor Leste, Laos, Pakistan, Macau and Bhutan. Pakistan and Bhutan would have made their debut in the 10-member tournament.

The remaining four slots had been reserved for teams who are knocked out in the AFC Playoff Round 2.

After suffering penalty heartbreak against Macau in the semi-finals, Brunei ended the 2016 tournament in fourth place following a 3-2 play-off defeat against Laos.

The country did not leave empty-handed, however, as national striker Shahrazen Said bagged the top scorer award after scoring four goals in the tournament.

The AFC has also announced that the AFC Under-16 and Under-19 Championships in Bahrain and Uzbekistan respectively have been postponed until early 2021.

The Brunei under-16 and under-19 teams attempted to qualify in the continental meet through the respective qualification tournaments in Indonesia and Cambodia last year.

https://borneobulletin.com.bn/2020/09/afc-solidarity-cup-2020-cancelled/?fbclid=IwAR169FyeGVhf-DZ-LNFHwAThv9pbQPuc4tWafJSdXvGUc6LGMxIOzDwTses

Training camp for Brunei National Team

 The National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) has begun assembling a national team with a 5 days training camp commencing at its home-ground in Berakas last night.

The camp, which was facilitated by a team of coaches helmed by Interim Head Coach Muhammad Ali Mustafa included a list of potential players who have previously made names in their respective Brunei Super League (BSL) clubs and some with international experiences.

There will be continuous training camp sessions held accordingly and in line with FIFA calendar come October and November with some potential sparring matches.

NFABD also intended to appoint a permanent senior national head coach, whose main task is to ensure the national team will pass through the group stage in the AFF Suzuki Cup next year.

https://www.facebook.com/NFABDOFFICIAL/photos/pcb.2498811427078652/2498811023745359

DPMM FC coach heaps praise on Brunei’s handling of COVID-19

by Fadhil Yunus

DPMM FC Head Coach Adrian Pennock heaped praise on the authorities’ handling of the COVID-19 outbreak in Brunei Darussalam.

“I think a lot of credit had got to go with the Minister of Health. He has done a fantastic job by keeping the virus at bay,” said Pennock during an interview with the Bulletin after a training session at the Jerudong Mini Stadium yesterday.

He added, “We respect the Minister of Health and the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports’ decision because they’ve been right from day one. They’ve been very good.”

The club entered a fifth week since they resumed training but without the use of the ball in line with existing guidelines from the authorities.

“This is our fifth week now. The first couple of weeks were just like a pre-season. We’ve been doing like pre-season but with no footballs.”

The Gegar Gegar men have also followed the guideline on team sports whereby a limit of five players in a group has been capped.

Training has been identical with pre-season activities such as hill runs, trek walking, gym work and now swimming – which has been allowed recently – with social distancing in place.

Pennock is also effusive in his praise of his charges as the players returned to a form of training.

“The boys have been fantastic and they have been unbelievable. I love every single player because they worked so hard.”

With the squad comprising 22 players, improvised training arrangements saw limited numbers on the field with several groups being formed.

“We respect what the Minister of Health said about social distancing. We just do everything by the book and respect everybody’s decision.

“We want to get back to playing football but the health and safety of everybody connected to this country is more important.”

The Ipswich-born shared the first couple of weeks have been about “putting in a lot of mileage in the legs by doing a lot more long-distance running”.

“After the third or fourth week, we have been doing a lot sharper,” said Pennock as they shifted from merely running on a straight line.

Pennock also praised Fitness Coach Jason Moriarty, who joined the club in pre-season ahead of the currently-suspended Singapore Premier League (SPL).

“Jason Moriarty has been fantastic. Obviously it’s difficult for him and me not having any balls to work with. Jason has been first-class as well as all the staff here.”

He also spoke highly of Goalkeeping Coach Jorgeiraa who has found ways to train the goalkeepers without the use of the ball.

“Jorgeiraa has been having the goalkeepers once or twice a week where he pretended to have a ball and use a training disc as an example.”

https://borneobulletin.com.bn/2020/07/dpmm-fc-coach-heaps-praise-on-bruneis-handling-of-covid-19-2/

Paul Smalley ends stint as Brunei’s head coach

by Fadhil Yunus

The National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) and Brunei Darussalam’s head coach Paul Smalley have agreed to part ways by mutual consent, with the Englishman ending a six-month stint at the national governing body.

Smalley’s sudden departure came amid the uncertainties brought about by impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which effectively resulted in all football-related activities nationwide coming to a standstill.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Federation even though it has been for a short period and the challenges with COVID-19. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the President, General Secretary, my colleagues in NFABD especially the Technical Development Department, as well as the coaches and staff at all levels who have supported me so well,” he said.

Smalley, who also served as the Head of Player and Coach Development, has contributed to the development of the country’s football by providing knowledge to the local coaches through his expertise in coaching education as well as assisting them get their coaching badges.

He played an instrumental role in leading the National Programme for Coaching and Education and Learning of Coaches in Brunei for 2020.

The former technical and strategic director of the Bangladesh Football Federation has guided local coaches in line with NFABD’s vision to provide aspiring coaches with training, support and guidance to succeed in both club and international coaching at the highest level.

During his tenure, Paul Smalley conducted two coaching refresher courses participated by 43 qualified coaches who met the required revalidation requirements to keep their accreditation valid and current.

He also conducted two ‘C’ Coaching Certificate courses, one ‘B’ Coaching Certificate course, one ‘A’ Coaching Certificate course and one Coach Educator course, which brought NFABD to achieve AFC Coaching Convention B Diploma status.

President of NFABD Pengiran Haji Matusin bin Pengiran Haji Matasan said, “On behalf of NFABD, we thank Paul for his high standard of professionalism. NFABD appreciates his contribution.

“It is most unfortunate that there are uncertainties and unprecedented anxieties brought about by COVID-19. NFABD wishes Paul Smalley well in his future undertakings.”

Smalley was formally announced as the new national head coach for Brunei Darussalam last November. He has not had the opportunity to take charge of the national team in any international match as there had been no exhibition or competitive matches since his appointment.

https://borneobulletin.com.bn/2020/05/paul-smalley-ends-stint-as-bruneis-head-coach-2/

NFABD sets up workout drills for players

Fadhil Yunus

With the football season on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) through its Technical Development Department prepared visual material on training drills to guide all football players for their individual workouts.

As all group training sessions are currently suspended in line with the government’s measure to curb the spread of the pandemic, players have to train on their own to keep their fitness levels high.

The national football governing body in a statement said, “Maintaining top-level fitness and skills is crucial for our football players. You can’t expect to win your games if you can’t perform well.”

The five-minute instructional video shows a series of football routines as well as warm-ups and exercises designed to help players build momentum throughout Ramadhan and until the country is officially COVID-19 free.

Some of the routines include repetitive motions of the sole roll and the outside foot roll for both feet, a 60-second no-touch stepovers and Brazilian taps as well as single leg V drags and V drag exchange.

The individual workout will help players develop their dribbling and ball control as well as balance and coordination.

For a longer routine, players may also perform variations of the dynamic ball mastery which encourage them to work on their touches.

Using football cones, players can also improve their dribbling skills, while one-touch passing and receiving the ball is also known to be a popular football drill. After ball work, players may focus on working on their upper body strength through push-ups and lower body strength through squats as well as a core exercise through planking.

NFABD have been advocating the stay-at-home initiative in support of the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and FIFA as the global football community join forces to combat the spread of the pandemic.

Last month, President of NFABD Pengiran Haji Matusin bin Pengiran Haji Matasan lauded the BreakTheChain video campaign, which was launched by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The video, which involved iconic Asian football stars, raised awareness to combat the spread of the pandemic and served to convey their gratitude to the frontliners.

https://borneobulletin.com.bn/nfabd-sets-up-workout-drills-for-players/