Kota Ranger FC
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.
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Full name | Kota Ranger Football Club[1] | ||
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Nickname(s) | KRFC | ||
Founded | 1978 | , from Perkota||
Stadium | Berakas Sports Complex | ||
Capacity | 500 | ||
Owner | Abdul Razak Ibrahim | ||
Manager | Mesli Dullah | ||
Coach | Zulkefly Duraman | ||
League | Brunei Super League | ||
2018–19 | 5th | ||
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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
Early days
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
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]

Revival
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 a Nur Asyraffahmi Norsamri free-kick 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
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Club officials
Position | Staff |
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Owner | ![]() |
Team Manager | ![]() |
Head Coach | ![]() |
Goalkeeping Coach | ![]() |
Honours
- Brunei Premier League
- Champions (1): 2015[11]
- Brunei Super League
- Runners-up (1): 2017–2018
- National Championship play-off
- Champions (2): 1987, 1993
- Brunei FA Cup
- Piala Sumbangsih
- Champions (1): 2020[15]
- Brunei National Championship
- Champions (1): 1987[3]
- Jasra Trophy League
- Champions (1): 1988–89[23]
- BAFA-Standard Chartered Football League
- Champions (1): 1992[6]
- Borneo Inter-Club Cup
- Champions (1): 1992[7]
- Joint Cup Championship
- Champions (1): 2019[24]
References
- "Kota Ranger FC – Brunei Darussalam – Kelab Bola Sepak Kota Ranger – Club Profile, Club History, Club Badge, Results, Fixtures, Historical Logos, Statistics". www.weltfussballarchiv.com. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- "Kota Ranger FC". Retrieved 2022-12-10.
- "Brunei - List of Champions". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- Laycock, Stuart; Laycock, Philip (2022-10-13). How Britain Brought Football to the World. History Press. ISBN 978-1-80399-221-1.
- "Club Profiles: Kota Ranger FC". Football Association of Brunei Darussalam. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- "Kota Ranger raih $4 ribu". Pelita Brunei. 19 February 1992. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- "Kejohanan Bolasepak Antara Kelab-kelab Borneo: Kota Ranger Juara" (PDF). Pelita Brunei. 11 March 1992. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
- "The lost tale of PKNK FC". Sportimes. Archived from the original on 24 April 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- "TINGKATKAN MUTU BOLA SEPAK NEGARA". Pelita Brunei. 10 July 2002. Archived from the original on 18 September 2002. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- "Sengkurong FC & Kota Ranger relegated". Borneo Bulletin. 16 October 2004. Archived from the original on 2 December 2006. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- "Kota Ranger bag DST Premier League title". Archived from the original on 2017-02-22. Retrieved 2017-02-21.
- "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.
- "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.
- "KOTA RANGER CROWNED DST FA CUP CHAMPIONS". BruSports News. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- "Kota Ranger FC Juara Piala Sumbangsih 2020 | Brunei's No.1 News Website". www.brudirect.com. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
- "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. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
- "Brunei Super League 2021 called off » Borneo Bulletin Online". Brunei Super League 2021 called off. 2021-11-30. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
- "FA Cup to kick off on August 6". Borneo Bulletin. 8 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
- "DPMM FC beat Kota Ranger FC » Borneo Bulletin Online". DPMM FC beat Kota Ranger FC. 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
- "Kota Ranger FC ready for new season's challenges » Borneo Bulletin Online". Kota Ranger FC ready for new season’s challenges. 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
- "Kota Ranger capture maiden DST FA Cup title » Borneo Bulletin Online". Kota Ranger capture maiden DST FA Cup title. 2019-04-23. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
- "Brunei 2003". RSSSF. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
- "Brunei 1988/89". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- "Kota Ranger 'Joint Cup' champions". Borneo Bulletin. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.