Armed Forces F.C.

Armed Forces
Full nameArmed Forces Football Club
Nickname(s)The Gladiators
Short nameAFFC
ATM FA
Founded1920 (1920), as AFFA
2019 (2019), as Armed Forces FC
GroundMindef Stadium
Capacity5,000
OwnerMalaysian Armed Forces
PresidentMohammad Ab Rahman
Head coachKevin Lee Cooper
LeagueMalaysia A1 Semi-Pro League
2024–25Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League, 8th of 15

Armed Forces Football Club, commonly known as Armed Forces, is a Malaysian professional football club representing the Malaysian Armed Forces. The club's home ground is Mindef Stadium. The club currently plays in the 2nd division of the Malaysian football league system, the Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League.[1][2][3]

History

The Malaysian Armed Forces Football Association (AFFA) was established in 1920, being one of the earliest football teams to exist in Malaysia.[4][5][6] The British forces were the first to introduce football competitions in Malaysia by creating the HMS Malaya Cup (now known as the Malaysia Cup), which was contested by states including Singapore in 1921.[7] However, in line with the development of Malaysian football towards the professional era, the team has joined the Liga Semi-Pro which was first introduced in 1989.[8]

Armed Forces had their first major success in the 1997 season, when they won the Malaysia FAM Cup. Domestically, Armed Forces have won the numerous Malaysia football tournaments, besides being 3 times runners-up in the Malaysia Cup, winning the Malaysia Charity Shield and the Malaysian League Division II title in 2012.

New ownership and going full privatised

Prior to the 2019 season, The privatization of football clubs in Malaysia refers to the process of changing the status of football teams previously managed by the Football Association (FA) to football clubs (FC) that are professionally managed by companies or other entities. The main purpose of privatization is to increase the value of the league, attract investment, and reduce the financial burden of the association. The club changed its name from ATM FA to Armed Forces FC.[9][10][11]

In July 2025, the club took part in the Durand Cup in India.[12]

Crest

  • 1920–2018
  • 2019–present

Players

First-team squad

As of 1 August 2025[13]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
4 MF  MAS Shahrul Aznei Shopri
6 DF  MAS Rafael Shahzari Foo
9 MF  MAS Max Fareezan Anak Lidin
10 MF  MAS Hadi Mohamad
11 MF  MAS Rafizol Roslan
14 MF  KOR Hanseong Lee
17 FW  MAS Akmal Md Isa
18 FW  MAS Faiz Ibrahim (Captain)
20 FW  MAS Danial Syazrul Rejab
21 MF  MAS Hairul Iqmal Raffi
23 MF  MAS Fauzi Mustafa
24 DF  MAS Mazni Khairul Hasnan
No. Pos. Nation Player
25 DF  MAS Azrul Aznan
26 GK  MAS Hafizy Nadzli
30 DF  MAS Fakhrul Izwan Rosdeh
31 GK  MAS Sharizan Syafiq
35 MF  MAS Faiq Mat Alwi
36 GK  MAS Hafizuddin Azuhar
40 MF  MAS Nazrul Asraf
47 DF  MAS Azim Nadim
70 DF  MAS Aqil Asyraaf
74 DF  MAS Zafri Zakaria
77 MF  MAS Danial Hakim
88 DF  MAS Aiman Nulhakim Zaini

Club officials

Position Name
President Mohammad Ab Rahman
Vice-president Zakhir Asni Zabidi
Manager Mohd Noorazam Abdul Razak
Head coach Kevin Lee Cooper
Assistant coach

Boon Aik Hau

Assistant coach

James Richard Barnett

Goalkeeping coach Mohammad Alif Daud
Fitness coach Khairul Anuar Haron
Physiotherapist Ahmad Hambali Md. Desa
Team doctor Fazlizam Ahmad
Media officer Mohd Saiful Asmadi Bin Mansor

Source:[14]

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Season Manufacturer Sponsor
1998 Adidas Dunhill
1999 Admiral
2004 J-King
2006 Figos Celcom, TM Net
2007 Kappa Celcom, Inai Kiara
2009 Streamyx
2010 Line 7 TM
2011 Kappa None
2012
2013 Macron
2014 Lotto Ecobumi
2015 Warrix Sports
2016 SkyHawk None
2017 Admiral
2018 Transwater API Sdn Bhd
2019–2022 Ego Sports
2023 Al-Ikhsan MBSB Bank
2024– Hayz En Dosz

Season by season record

Year Position League Malaysia FA Cup Malaysia Cup/Malaysia Challenge Cup Top scorer (M-League)
2014 10th Malaysia Super League First round Group stage Juan Arostegui (9 goals)
2015 11th (relegated) Malaysia Super League First round Not Participated Jerry Palacios (6 goals)
2016 11th Malaysia Premier League Third round Not Participated Venice Elphi (5 goals)
2017 11th (relegated) Malaysia Premier League Second round Not Participated Venice Elphi (9 goals)
2018 3rd Group A Malaysia FAM League Second round Semi-finals Zaironi Yusof (6 goals)
2019 3rd Malaysia M3 League Second round Not Participated Rafizol Roslan (22 goals)
2020 cancelled and declared null and void due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 not held due to COVID-19 pandemic
2022 3rd Group B Malaysia M3 League Second round Not Participated Faiz Ibrahim (18 goals)
2023 11th of 14 Malaysia M3 League Not Participated Not Participated Hairul Iqmal Raffi (7 goals)
2024–25 8th of 15 A1 Semi-Pro League Not Participated Not Participated Max Fareezan Anak Lidin (6 goals)
Champions Runners-up Third place Promoted Relegated

Continental record

Season Competition Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate
2025 Durand Cup Group Stage Shillong Lajong
6–0
NorthEast United
3–1
Rangdajied United
1–0

Coaching history

Years Head coach
1990–93 Alan Mullery
1999 Shafiq Zulhilmi Kee Abdullah
2000–01 Muhd Abdul Rani
2007–08 Abdul Nasser Ahmad
2008–09 Zainuddin Abdul Ghani
2009 Mat Sidik Abas
2010–11 Mohd Razali Ali
2012–13 B. Sathianathan
April 2013 Alias Jaafar
2018 Mazelan Kasap
2019–21 Kevin Lee Cooper
2022 Boon Aik Hau
2023– Kevin Lee Cooper

Honours

Domestic competitions

League

Winners (1): 2012[15]
Winners (2): 1958, 1997
Runners-up (2): 1954, 2006
Third place (1): 2019

Cups

Winners (1): 2013
Runners-up (3): 1949, 1966, 2012

Affiliated clubs

References

  1. ^ "Malaysia 2017". Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  2. ^ "ATM guna 100 peratus pemain tentera". Berita Harian. 4 January 2016.
  3. ^ "ATM Kekal Dalam Liga Perdana 2017". mStar. 1 December 2016.
  4. ^ "Malaysia Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  5. ^ "ATM guna 100 peratus pemain tentera". Berita Harian. 4 January 2016.
  6. ^ "ATM Kekal Dalam Liga Perdana 2017". mStar. 1 December 2016.
  7. ^ "Malaysia 2017". Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  8. ^ "Pelancaran Pasukan Bolasepak Angkatan Tentera Musim 2014". Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  9. ^ "Penswastaan Liga M tak gagal, tapi kelab perlu lebih bertanggungjawab". Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  10. ^ "12 pasukan Liga M lengkap proses penswastaan". Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  11. ^ "ATM FA lengkap proses penswastaan". Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Durand Cup 2025: Shillong Lajong thrash Malaysian Armed Forces 6–0". The Statesman. New Delhi. IANS. 27 July 2025. Archived from the original on 28 July 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  13. ^ "Armed Forces 2025-26 Player List". Football Association of Malaysia.
  14. ^ "Staf Armed Forces". FAM. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  15. ^ "Malaysia Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.