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Sabah Football Club ( ms, Kelab Bolasepak Sabah) is a Malaysian professional football
club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...
with ownership by Sabah Football Club Sdn Bhd. The football club competes in Malaysia's football league representing the state of Sabah in
Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and ea ...
, Malaysia. They currently compete in Malaysia's top division professional football league, the
Malaysia Super League The Malaysia Super League ( ms, Liga Super Malaysia) is the men's top professional football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP), now known as the Malays ...
. The team's home matches are played at the 35,000 capacity
Likas Stadium Likas Stadium ( Malay: ''Stadium Likas'') is a multi-purpose stadium in Likas, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. It is mainly used for association football and athletics and it is located within Likas Sports Complex. It has been the home stadium ...
in Kota Kinabalu, the capital city of Sabah. The team won the
Malaysia FA Cup The Malaysia FA Cup ( ms, Piala FA) is an annual national knock-out football tournament in Malaysia. The cup was first held in 1990. The competition was previously managed by Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), before being transferred to Fo ...
in 1995, the Malaysian Premier League (top tier) in
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, and the
Malaysia Premier League The Malaysia Premier League ( ms, Liga Premier) was the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia. The league replaced the former second-tier league, Liga Perdana 2 in the Malaysian football league system. The Malaysia Premier Leag ...
(second tier) in
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
. In 1995, the team also advanced to the second round of the
Asian Cup Winners' Cup The Asian Cup Winners' Cup was an association football competition run by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The competition was started in 1991 as a tournament for all the domestic cup winners from countries affiliated to the AFC. The winne ...
after beating
An Giang An Giang () is a province of Vietnam. It is located in the Mekong Delta, in the southwestern part of the country. Geography An Giang occupies a position in the upper reaches of the Mekong Delta. The Hậu Giang and Tiền Giang branches of ...
of V-League by 3–1 on
aggregate Aggregate or aggregates may refer to: Computing and mathematics * collection of objects that are bound together by a root entity, otherwise known as an aggregate root. The aggregate root guarantees the consistency of changes being made within the ...
, subsequently losing to Bellmare Hiratsuka (now
Shonan Bellmare is a Japanese professional football club based in Hiratsuka, in the west of Kanagawa Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Hiratsuka ...
) of
J-League The , known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the system. Founded in 1992, it is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the J ...
by an aggregate score of 1–7. Before 2021, the club was one of the 14 state teams in the Malaysian football system and was known as Sabah FA or Sabah FA State Football Team. It was funded and managed by the Sabah Football Association (SaFA) and relied mostly on state government grants. However, in 2021, the Malaysian football league mandated that all teams in the top two leagues must be professional clubs, leading to the privatization of Sabah FC. Both fans and non-fans of Malaysian football may know the club as Sabah FA, as it was run by SaFA. However, those familiar with the sport simply refer to the club as Sabah.


Club licensing regulations


Eligibility

* This club had obtained the FAM Club License to play in the 2020 Malaysia Super League season after becoming
2019 Malaysia Premier League The 2019 Malaysia Premier League is the 16th season of the Malaysia Premier League, the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia since its establishment in 2004. Team changes A total of 12 teams contested the league, including 8 side ...
champion. * This club had obtained the AFC Club License and is eligible to played either
2023 AFC Champions League 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...
or 2023 AFC Cup if qualified on merit. * Sabah FC had obtained privatization and owned by Sabah Football Club Sdn Bhd in 2021.


History

From the 1950s until 1963, Sabah competed as North Borneo football team in the
Borneo Cup Borneo Cup ( Malay: Piala Borneo) is a football tournament held in East Malaysia and Brunei. It was founded in 1950s and abolished in 1989. The tournament was played in Borneo since the 1950s, perhaps earlier. Before the establishment of Malay ...
together with Sarawak football team and
Brunei national football team The Brunei national football team (; recognized as Brunei Darussalam by FIFA), nicknamed ''Tebuan'' (The Wasps), is the national team of Brunei, controlled by the Football Association of Brunei Darussalam. The team was founded in 1959 and joi ...
. Following the
formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...
of the
Federation of Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Malays ...
, the North Borneo Football Association (NBFA) changed its name to Sabah Football Association (Sabah FA). Sabah qualify into the
Malaysia Cup The Malaysia Cup ( ms, Piala Malaysia), formerly known as ''Malaya Cup'', is an annual football tournament in Malaysia, held at the end of the calendar year. The cup was first held in 1921. Despite its prestige and popularity as the nation's ol ...
for the first time in 1977 and enter the competition in 1978.


Amateur and semi-pro era

Sabah was a well known team during the Malaysian football amateur and semi-pro era as state team produced many quality players namely the trio of James Wong,
Hassan Sani Hassan Sani (born 31 August 1958) is a former Malaysian football player. Career Overview He played for Sabah and Kuala Lumpur in the Malaysian League and Malaysia Cup in the late 1970s and in the 1980s. Hassan start representing Malaysia i ...
and
Peter Rajah Peter Rajah (1951 – 14 November 2014) was a Malaysian footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Sabah and the national team. Rajah was a member of the Malaysian team who qualified for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, which Malaysia did not particip ...
. These players during their time led Sabah to become one of Malaysian football's most feared teams during the 80's. One fine example was during the 1979 Malaysian League where Sabah started slowly. After a run of 8 matches, they stood with 3 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses but, during the later stages they stepped up a gear or five by winning all their remaining 8 matches with most of them by huge margins, including an incredible 8–0 thrashing of Sarawak, 11–0 hammering of
Perak Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand's ...
and the 6–1 beating of
Terengganu Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', Jawi: ), formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu, is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l- Īmān'' ("Abode of Faith"). ...
. At the end of the season, Sabah finished as runners-up behind Singapore and became the highest scoring team with 49 goals in 12 games, which is an average of 3 goals per game. In 1991, Sabah striker Matlan Marjan became the first Malaysian to score a double against England in 'A' international matches on 12 June 1991.


Professional era

When professional football was introduced by Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), Sabah also made a reputation of being one of the Malaysian League's most competitive teams. Quality professional players were produced from the ranks during the 1990s, most notably Matlan who helped Sabah finish as runners-up during 1993 and 1994
Malaysia FA Cup The Malaysia FA Cup ( ms, Piala FA) is an annual national knock-out football tournament in Malaysia. The cup was first held in 1990. The competition was previously managed by Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), before being transferred to Fo ...
, and who at one time was appointed as the national team captain by the then Malaysian national team coach
Claude Le Roy Claude Le Roy (born 6 February 1948) is a French football manager and former player, who gained prominence at international level as coach to the Senegal and Ghana national teams. He was most recently the manager of the Togo national team. Ma ...
. The positive results gained from the beginning of professional era however was cut short by the match fixing scandal that rocked Malaysian football in 1994. The scandal almost destroyed Sabah and Malaysian football in general. Matlan was the one of several players found guilty for being involved in the scandal. As a punishment for their involvement in match fixing, he and the other players were banned for life by FIFA from being involved in football and
banished Banished may refer to: * ''Banished'' (TV series), a 2015 drama television series * ''Banished'' (film), a 2007 documentary * ''Banished'' (video game), a city-building strategy game by Shining Rock Software * Banished (Halo) The ''Halo'' vi ...
from the state of Sabah by the state government under the Restricted Residence Act. After the scandal, Sabah began its rebuilding process to regain their reputation in Malaysian football. Sabah won their first professional trophy, the
Malaysia FA Cup The Malaysia FA Cup ( ms, Piala FA) is an annual national knock-out football tournament in Malaysia. The cup was first held in 1990. The competition was previously managed by Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), before being transferred to Fo ...
in 1995. In the 1996 season, Sabah won their first league title and went through to the final of the
Malaysia Cup The Malaysia Cup ( ms, Piala Malaysia), formerly known as ''Malaya Cup'', is an annual football tournament in Malaysia, held at the end of the calendar year. The cup was first held in 1921. Despite its prestige and popularity as the nation's ol ...
for the first time but were beatened by Selangor on penalties.
David Rocastle David Carlyle Rocastle (2 May 1967 – 31 March 2001) was an English professional footballer who played as a midfielder in the roles of a playmaker and a winger. He spent the majority of his career at Arsenal where he was nicknamed "Rocky". R ...
, Sabah reached the final of the 1998 Malaysia FA Cup. With The 2000 season could be considered as Sabah's worst since joining the Malaysian professional league. They were relegated to the second division and could not get past the group stages of the Malaysia Cup. However, Sabah quickly regained its performance in the 2001 season where they finished as runners-up behind
Johor FC Johor Darul Ta'zim Football Club or simply JDT is a professional football club based in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. The club was founded in 1972 as PKENJ FC and currently competes in the top division of Malaysian football, the Malaysia Super ...
. In the 2002 season, Sabah lining up players of calibre such as Zainizam Marjan,
Khairul Azman Mohamed Khairul Azman bin Mohamed (born 5 March 1968) is a former Malaysian footballer who was a goalkeeper for Pahang, Sabah and the Malaysia national team. Career Khairul started his football career with Pahang youth team in 1985. At that time he ...
and foreign striker
Josiah Seton Josiah Seton (born March 23, 1979) is a Liberian footballer (Striker (football), striker). He is a member of the Liberia national football team. Seton previously played for Sabah F.C. (Malaysia), Sabah FA in Malaysia. References External lin ...
, finished third in the league and again managed to get through to the final of Malaysia Cup by beating Selangor Public Bank and Perak. Sabah however finished as runners-up yet again by losing to the same team that beat them in 1996 final, Selangor. This time, Sabah lost by 'golden goal' scored by Mohd Amri Yahyah. In 2003, Sabah again finished third in Liga Premier One. Sabah again reached the final of Malaysia Cup. This time they lost to club-side Selangor MPPJ by 0–3, with
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
from Juan Manuel Arostegui.


Early years in the Malaysian Super League

When the
Malaysia Super League The Malaysia Super League ( ms, Liga Super Malaysia) is the men's top professional football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP), now known as the Malays ...
(MSL) was introduced in 2004, Sabah struggled to be competitive against other teams in the top league. Sabah only managed to stay in Super League for two seasons as they were relegated to
Malaysia Premier League The Malaysia Premier League ( ms, Liga Premier) was the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia. The league replaced the former second-tier league, Liga Perdana 2 in the Malaysian football league system. The Malaysia Premier Leag ...
(MPL) for the 2005/06 season. After the relegation to 2nd tier league, Sabah continued to struggle for promotion to get back into the top division. They lost to Pahang in the 2006/07 season play-off for a place in 2007/08
Malaysia Super League The Malaysia Super League ( ms, Liga Super Malaysia) is the men's top professional football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP), now known as the Malays ...
.


All local players seasons

After 6 years playing in the 2nd tier MPL, Australian coach Gary Phillips was able to guide Sabah to promotion in 2010 – his first season in charge. After poor results which have affected Sabah's performance in the 2011 league and also the cup, Gary Phillips was replaced by Justin Ganai to save Sabah from relegation zone. Justin improved Sabah performance in 2011 Malaysia Cup where the team reached the quarterfinals. He was retained as head coach for the 2012 MSL season but step down as the league game were 2 games left. Sabah also relegated back to MPL after lose to Kedah in play-off match by which Pahang (was MPL side) won the play-off. Salt was added to the wound as the relegation was followed by them failing to qualify to the group stage of the
2012 Malaysia Cup The 2012 Malaysia Cup ( Malay: ''Piala Malaysia 2012'') was the 86th edition of Malaysia Cup. The competition began on 24 August 2012 and ended on 20 October 2012 with the final, held at Shah Alam Stadium. A total of 16 teams took part in the co ...
.


Foreign players returns

Sabah started their 2013 season back in MPL as their main defenders, Sipitang duo
Ronny Harun Ronny Harun (born 19 January 1984 in Sipitang, Sabah) is a Malaysian professional footballer who plays for Petaling Jaya Rangers in the Malaysia FAM League. His primary position is as a left back but he can also play as a centre-back. Club c ...
and Mafry Balang left for Borneo rival Sarawak and Bongawan young striker Rozaimi Abdul Rahman was loaned out to
Harimau Muda A Harimau Muda A was the club name for the former Malaysia Under-22 National Football Team, representing Malaysia in international football competitions such as the AFC U-22 Asian Cup, Champions Youth Cup as well as other under-22 international f ...
. 2013 season was led by Northern Irishman, David McCreery and they end up in 5th place but still available for Malaysia Cup play-off by which they lose heavily 0–4 to
Negeri Sembilan Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan'') is a state in Malaysia which lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the s ...
at
Shah Alam Stadium The Shah Alam Stadium ( Malay: ''Stadium Shah Alam'') is a multi-purpose stadium located in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. It is used mostly for football matches but also has facilities for athletics. The stadium is the officially home of Red ...
. McCreery left at the end of the season with disappointment. The year 2014 saw a major changes in the team's sponsorship by which local brand Carino was signed as their kit supplier and Ararat Sports plus BSA as their sponsors. During this season, Sabah ex-player and also a legend in 90's, Milomir Šešlija become their head coach replacing McCreery in the hot seat. National striker, Rozaimi and winger/midfielder Maxsius Musa also returned after their loan to Harimau Muda A and
Harimau Muda B Harimau Muda B was the club name for the former Malaysia Under-21 National Football Team and was managed by the Football Association of Malaysia. The national team played as a club under the name Harimau Muda B which took part in Malaysia Premi ...
respectively finished. But to no avail, they finished 8th out of 12 in the MPL, missed the Malaysia Cup group stage for third consecutive seasons and also kicked out from FA Cup in the early stage. This was worse than the 2013 season. Milomir's contract was not renewed at the end of the season. Just after 2014 season finished, another major changes was made by which
George O'Callaghan George Paul O'Callaghan (born 5 September 1979) is an Irish former football player and manager. O'Callaghan started his career with Port Vale in 1995, he made 41 appearances for the club before joining Cork City in 2002. He spent five years a ...
was signed as their Technical Director and Justin is back as temporary head coach. Sabah FA
chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
TC Goh also came as team manager by which he and O'Callaghan makes a big signings. Carino remained as their kit supplier but only for the women team, futsal team, President Cup and U19 team.
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
, Globaltech, UZMA, Grace One, BSA and Ararat Sports are their current sponsors. Sabah FA successfully signed twice African Player of The Year, El Hadji Diouf and his compatriot
Abdoulaye Faye Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye (born 26 February 1978), known as Abdoulaye Faye, is a Senegalese former footballer who played as a defender. Faye began his career playing for ASEC Ndiambour and Jeanne d'Arc in his native Senegal before moving to Frenc ...
followed by Irish-born Libyan footballer,
Éamon Zayed Éamon Zayed ( ar, أیمن زايد; born 4 October 1983) is a former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is currently the head coach of Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC in USL League One. Born in the Republic of Ireland, he re ...
and Singaporean striker
Fazrul Nawaz Fazrul Nawaz bin Shahul Hameed (born 17 October 1985) is a Singapore international footballer who play as a striker for Singapore Premier League club Tampines Rovers . Club career Geylang United Fazrul went to a trial by Geylang United for ...
. Fazrul and O'Callaghan were released early in the season few weeks before
Malaysia Premier League The Malaysia Premier League ( ms, Liga Premier) was the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia. The league replaced the former second-tier league, Liga Perdana 2 in the Malaysian football league system. The Malaysia Premier Leag ...
kick off. Fazrul was replaced with
Joel Chianese Joel Joseph Chianese (born 15 February 1990) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward. Career Sydney FC Chianese made his senior debut in the first game of the 2011 Asian Champions League as a s ...
during the mid-season transfer window in April and O'Callaghan was replaced with
Brisbane Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland and has won the domestic title on three occasions, as well as holding the longest unbeaten record of 36 league matches without defeat. Brisba ...
ex-head coach
Mike Mulvey Mike Mulvey (born in Manchester) is an Australian-English football manager, who is currently the Technical Director of South West Queensland Thunder. He had previously been in charge of clubs in Australia, Thailand and Malaysia. Mulvey is b ...
in February 2015. Both Chianese and Mulvey are Australian. After 3 games working as technical director, Mulvey was appointed as the new head coach while Justin went back to the President Cup team. During this current season, fans began to return and fill the home stadium. But as the seasons passing by, Sabah lose mostly of their matches during the second half of the season. Diouf's dissatisfaction with Sabah FA management plans, along with his dismissal during few of Sabah's matches thus allowing youngster Leopold Alphonso and Rawilson Batuil respectively to skip the team. Promising start of 2015 season end with huge disappointment for the team as they sit at 7th place, missing Malaysia Cup automatic slot and also the play-off. TC Goh, Mulvey and big name players such as Diouf, Zayed, Faye and Chianese plus local golden boy, Rozaimi Abdul Rahman left at the end of the season due to no contract renewal.


Asian & ASEAN player quota introduced

Following much efforts and various reorganisation made on the team, Sabah FA was crowned as the champion of the
2019 Malaysia Premier League The 2019 Malaysia Premier League is the 16th season of the Malaysia Premier League, the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia since its establishment in 2004. Team changes A total of 12 teams contested the league, including 8 side ...
for the first time since they last lifted the old first division title back in 1996. Having early secured various imports such as Brazilian Luiz Júnior, South Korean defender Park Tae-soo and Serbian midfielder Luka Milunović in the 1st leg transfer before securing another two important players such as Angolan striker Aguinaldo da Veiga together with Turkmenistan midfielder Ahmet Ataýew in the 2nd leg transfer that was combined with Serbian striker
Rodoljub Paunović Rodoljub Paunović (Serbian Cyrillic: Родољуб Пауновић; born 20 June 1985) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a forward. Club career Sabah In June 2017, Paunović signed for Malaysia Premier League side Sabah fo ...
and various local talents, the team able to won thirteen matches from a total of 19 matches thus qualifying the 2020 Malaysia Super League.


Malaysian Football League Privatisation Era

Starting from the 2021 season, all clubs competing in the 2021 Malaysia Super League and the Malaysia Premier League, must be privatised as required by the Football Association of Malaysia(FAM) . Sabah Football Club Sdn. Bhd. was formed in order to fulfill the condition in order to compete in the 2021 season of Malaysia Super League. Local Businessman Dato' Verdon Bahanda was official appointed as the chief executive officer(CEO) of Sabah Football Club Sdn. Bhd. on the 12th of November 2020.


Crest and colours

Being a Malaysian state football team competing in the Malaysian football league system before 2021, the team wore kits with the crest of the Sabah Football Association (SaFA) on them, whenever they play any competitive match. In November 2020 and following the privatisation of the club, Sabah FC displayed the club's new official logo on its Facebook page which was chosen following a competition to create the Sabah FC's logo. During the time, Sabah Football Club Sdn Bhd in its statement informed that the logo was created by an individual named Firzaruddin Zainal Abiddin. Apart from fulfilling the design requirements, the logo was chosen in the competition based on the one voted by the most fans as fans at the time get to vote on which logo they like on the team's Facebook page.


Stadiums

*
Likas Stadium Likas Stadium ( Malay: ''Stadium Likas'') is a multi-purpose stadium in Likas, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. It is mainly used for association football and athletics and it is located within Likas Sports Complex. It has been the home stadium ...
- * Penampang Stadium - * Tawau Stadium -
Likas Stadium Likas Stadium ( Malay: ''Stadium Likas'') is a multi-purpose stadium in Likas, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. It is mainly used for association football and athletics and it is located within Likas Sports Complex. It has been the home stadium ...
is the current ''official home ground'' for Sabah Football Club.
Penampang Penampang ( ms, Pekan Penampang) is the capital of the Penampang District in the West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 93,616 in 2010, with ethnic Kadazan as the majority. It contains, or is synonym ...
Stadium is occasionally used for afternoon matches, usually when Likas Stadium was renovated or if floodlights require maintenance. Tawau Sports Complex is a regular venue that is only used sometimes for the Malaysia Premier League.


Kit manufacturers and main sponsors


Club culture


Supporters

* Bola Sepak Sabah * Football Fans of Sabah * Kelab Penyokong Sabah Rhino * North Borneo Ultras (NBU) * Sabah Football Fans Club * SabahRhinos.com since 1997 * Tawau City Hoodlum (TCH) * The Rhinos Troops * Sabah Diehard * The Voice of Rhinos#12 * RedBois City (RBC) * Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)


Mascot

Sabah FA first mascot was the Rhino since mid-1990s. In 2010 SAFA rebranded the struggling team mascot to Hawk which was controversial as Kuala Lumpur FA at that time was also known as the ''Hawks''. Sabah FA reinstated its name as the Rhinos starting from 2015. In 2019, Sabah FA once again rebranded as Tambadau. During 2021 privatization process, Sabah FC was chosen as the new club name and Rhino once again became the official mascot.


Rivalry

Sabah FC neighbouring rival is Sarawak United FC with both claiming the title of 'the best in Borneo' and referred to as the Borneo Derby.


Broadcasting

Radio coverage of regular season matches are broadcast on Sabah FM 89.9 in Malay language.


Honours


Club records

''Note'': * Pld = Played, W = Won, D = Drawn, L = Lost, F = Goals for, A = Goals against, Pts= Points, Pos = Position Source:


Performances in AFC competitions

*
Asian Cup Winners' Cup The Asian Cup Winners' Cup was an association football competition run by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The competition was started in 1991 as a tournament for all the domestic cup winners from countries affiliated to the AFC. The winne ...
: 1 appearance ::
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake stri ...
: Round of 16


Players


First-team squad


Transfers and contracts


In

Pre-season Mid-season (HIDE)


Out

Pre-season Mid-season


Current coaching staff


Development squad


U21 squad


Current coaching staff

:


U19 squad


Current coaching staff


Managers and coaches


Managers

* Goh Thian Chuan (1999, 2015) * Osman Jamal (2000–2001) * Mohd Joehari Mohd Ayub (2004–2005) * Abdul Rahman Zakaria (2006–2009, 2014) * Mohd Asyraaf Fong Abdullah (2009) * Gary Phillips (2010–2011) * Shahriman Abdullah (2011–2012) * Alijus Sipil (2013–2014) * Adlane Messelem (2017) * Juil Nuatim (2018) *
Peter Anthony Datuk Peter Anthony (born 24 February 1971) is a Malaysian politician, singer and businessman who has served as the Member of Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Melalap since May 2018. He served as State Minister of Infrastructure Dev ...
(2018-2020) * Jelius Ating (2020-2022) *
Ong Kim Swee Ong Kim Swee () is a Malaysian football manager and former footballer, who is the Head coach of Malaysia Super League club Sabah. He spent most of his career playing for East Malaysian teams, notably Sarawak and Sabah during the mid 1990s. Ong ...
(2023-Present)


Head Coach

* Stanley Chew (197?–1979, 1985, 1987–1988) * Gerd Schmidt (1980–1983) * James Wong (1984) * Azah Ezrein (1986) *
Frank Upton Frank Upton (18 October 1934 – 17 May 2011) was an English professional football player and manager. Playing career Upton, a hard tackling central defender, began his football career with Nuneaton Borough. He moved to Northampton Town in Mar ...
(1989–1990) * Roy Lorenson (1990–1992) * Oldřich Sedláček (1992–1995) * Kelly Tham (1995–1996) * Ron Smith (1996–1997) *
Ken Shellito Kenneth John Shellito (18 April 1940 – 31 October 2018) was an English footballer and manager who played for Chelsea from 1959–1965, and subsequently managed the club from 1977–1978. He worked in a coaching role for the Asian Football Conf ...
(1998) * Justin Ganai (1999, 2005–2006, 2011–2012, 2015) * Ken Worden (1999) *
David Woodfield David Woodfield (born 11 October 1943) is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Watford and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Career After a nine-year spell with Wolverhampton Wanderers where he made over 250 appearances Woo ...
(2000–2001) * Peter Butler (2001–2004) * José Garrido (2004–2005) * José Luis (2005) *
Drago Mamić Drago Mamić (born February 9, 1954) is a Serbian-born Croatian retired football player and manager. Managerial career He last managed Bangladesh Premier League side Saif Sporting Club. He is also the former manager of Maldives. He has a UEF ...
(2007–2008) * Wathiq Naji Jasim (2008–2009) * Mohd Asyraaf Fong Abdullah (2009) * Gary Phillips (2010–2011) * Andrew Majjangkim (2012) * David McCreery (2012–2013) * Johnny Dominicus (2013) * Milomir Šešlija (2013–2014) *
Mike Mulvey Mike Mulvey (born in Manchester) is an Australian-English football manager, who is currently the Technical Director of South West Queensland Thunder. He had previously been in charge of clubs in Australia, Thailand and Malaysia. Mulvey is b ...
(2015) * Vjeran Simunić (2015–2016) * Steve Vilmiaire (2016–2017) * Jelius Ating (2017–2019) * Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto (2020) * Lucas Kalang Laeng (2020-2021) * Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto (2021) * Burhan Ajui (caretaker) *
Ong Kim Swee Ong Kim Swee () is a Malaysian football manager and former footballer, who is the Head coach of Malaysia Super League club Sabah. He spent most of his career playing for East Malaysian teams, notably Sarawak and Sabah during the mid 1990s. Ong ...
(2021-Present)


Coach history

The following coaches won at least one trophy when in charge of Sabah:


Former notable players

Notable former players that represented their national team: *
El-Hadji Diouf El Hadji Ousseynou Diouf (; born 15 January 1981) is a Senegalese former professional footballer. Throughout his career, Diouf played as a winger or a forward. Having started his professional football career in France with Sochaux, Rennes a ...
*
Syed Adney Syed Adney Syed Hussein (born 29 November 1986) is a former Malaysian footballer who is now a football commentator and pundit in Malaysia. He was born in Liverpool, England. He has been capped by the Malaysian national team and also has pla ...
* Mohd Anis Faron *
Bobby Gonzales Bobby Gonzales (born 15 February 1984 in Beaufort) is a Malaysian footballer who plays for Malaysian Super League club Sabah as forward. He currently hold the all-time top scorer of Malaysia Premier League with 90 goals. Personal life Bobby ...
* Sumardi Hajalan *
Ronny Harun Ronny Harun (born 19 January 1984 in Sipitang, Sabah) is a Malaysian professional footballer who plays for Petaling Jaya Rangers in the Malaysia FAM League. His primary position is as a left back but he can also play as a centre-back. Club c ...
* Mohd Fareed Shah Hassan * G. Jeevananthan * Wong Sai Kong * Dass Gregory Kolopis * Matlan Marjan * Zainizam Marjan *
Khairul Azman Mohamed Khairul Azman bin Mohamed (born 5 March 1968) is a former Malaysian footballer who was a goalkeeper for Pahang, Sabah and the Malaysia national team. Career Khairul started his football career with Pahang youth team in 1985. At that time he ...
* Julamri Muhammad * Rozaimi Abdul Rahman *
Peter Rajah Peter Rajah (1951 – 14 November 2014) was a Malaysian footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Sabah and the national team. Rajah was a member of the Malaysian team who qualified for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, which Malaysia did not particip ...
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David Rocastle David Carlyle Rocastle (2 May 1967 – 31 March 2001) was an English professional footballer who played as a midfielder in the roles of a playmaker and a winger. He spent the majority of his career at Arsenal where he was nicknamed "Rocky". R ...
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Hassan Sani Hassan Sani (born 31 August 1958) is a former Malaysian football player. Career Overview He played for Sabah and Kuala Lumpur in the Malaysian League and Malaysia Cup in the late 1970s and in the 1980s. Hassan start representing Malaysia i ...
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Ong Kim Swee Ong Kim Swee () is a Malaysian football manager and former footballer, who is the Head coach of Malaysia Super League club Sabah. He spent most of his career playing for East Malaysian teams, notably Sarawak and Sabah during the mid 1990s. Ong ...
* James Wong


Football clubs


Affiliated clubs with Sabah F.C.

* Kinabalu Jaguar F.C. * Cebagoo * Tawau Army *
DYS Dys is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Niemce, within Lublin County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Niemce and north of the regional capital Lublin Lublin is the ninth-larges ...
* KDMM * Likas Utd * Merotai * Indah Utd * PRESTA * Ranhill * Tenom Juta


Affiliated clubs outside Sabah F.C.

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Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, K ...


References


External links

*
Sabah football supporters website

Sabah FA team latest statistics

Sabah FA individual player stats
__FORCETOC__ {{DEFAULTSORT:Sabah_F.C. Malaysia Premier League clubs Football clubs in Malaysia Association football clubs established in 1963 1963 establishments in Malaysia Football associations in Malaysia Sports organizations established in 1963