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Selangor

Malaysia

Selangor Football Club (Malay: Kelab Bola Sepak Selangor) often referred to Selangor F.C. or Selangor is an Malaysian professional football club located in Shah Alam, Selangor, that is currently a part of the Malaysia Super League, the highest level in Malaysian football. The team is known as Selangor or the Red Giants. The club was officially established on the 26th of September, 1936 by Football Association of Selangor (FAS) which was formed in 1936, the association developed its football team in the wake of merging of the Selangor Association Football League (SAFL which was established around 1905) and then forming the professional soccer team known by the name of Selangor FA. The 2nd October of 2020 marked the date the club was officially able to complete its decision to privatize and create an entirely new entity known as Selangor Football Club after it was approved by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) on 29 September 2020. The club plays its home matches at the 25,000 capacity Petaling Jaya Stadium after the team's home ground which was which was the Shah Alam Stadium, was closed for extensive renovation and reconstruction work that was delayed for a long period of. 15 July 2022 it was announced that the Menteri Besar of Selangor, Amirudin Shari, stated that the Selangor government has designated to the Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) to renovate the stadium as well as its surrounding sports facilities at a cost that could reach RM787 million. Construction is scheduled to commence in the early 2023.

Selangor F.C. (formerly called Selangor FA) are the most successful and decorated club in Malaysia with respect to overall honours, with 52 top-qualifying awards and more than 61 trophy awards. In the domestic arena, Selangor F.C. has won six Malaysia highest division championships, which include two Malaysia Super League titles (the league Selangor FC currently plays) as well as the Premier League 1 title, 2 Semi-Pro League Division 1 titles and one Malaysian League title. In cup competitions, they have an impressive record of 33 Malaysia Cups, a joint-best five Malaysia FA Cups and a record of eight Malaysia Charity Shields. Additionally, they have also been awarded 2 second division titles as well as the 1 Malaysia Premier League title and 1 Semi-Pro League Division 2 title as well as between 1951 and 1973, they won 7 Malaysia FAM Cups where the Malaysia FAM Cup acted as an additional knockout cup competition for teams from the state after Malaysia Cup. Malaysia Cup.

Selangor F.C. were one of the very premier Malaysian club to qualify for and participate in the Asian continental club competition which was which was the Asian Champion Club Tournament which Selangor finished as runners-up in 1967. It was the inaugural edition of the Asian top-flight club tournament and later transformed into the AFC Champions League in 2002. They were among the very first teams to ever in Malaysian football to complete an unbeaten league and cup when they won their first cup, the Malaysian League and Malaysia Cup in the year 1984.

The club also gave birth to numerous Malaysian footballers who helped to bring success to the club and nation, such as Mokhtar Dahari R. Arumugam, Abdul Ghani Minhat, Wong Choon Wah, Santokh Singh, Soh Chin Aun, Zainal Abidin Hassan Azman Adnan Rusdi Suparman Amri Yahyah, Safee Sali among many other. It is also one of the most funded clubs across Malaysia as well as throughout the Asian continent, and has several rivalries, with the most notable being Singapore, Kuala Lumpur City and Johor Darul Ta'zim.

1. History

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1.1. 1905–1936: Beginnings

A Selangor state-wide association of football was formed in 1905 in order to create and run an official state-run league known as"the Selangor Association Football League (SAFL). The first cup competition was financed by the British resident in Selangor, R.G. Watson. There was also a report that the group was run by British Residents at that time.

In 1926, a crisis within the SAFL caused some officials to resign from the SAFL and set up an independent association known as The Selangor Football Association (SFA). The conflict between the SAFL and SFA was a constant battle for nearly 10 years until the two sides came to an agreement to reach a compromise to improve soccer in Selangor. The two football associations officially joined on February 22, 1936, with the designation of Football Association of Selangor (F.A.S) (Malay: Persatuan Bola Sepak Selangor) and also forming Selangor FA for the purpose of representing the State of Selangor.

In the same time frame, Selangor won their first ever piece of silverware in the shape in the Malaya Cup in 1922, with a 3-2 victory over Singapore FA (a rivalry that was to become the norm for Malaysian football in the years to come) and would go to take home the Malaya Cup a further five times in 1927 1928 1929, 1927, 1935, and 1936.

1.1.1. MAHA Stadium (Malayan Agri-Horticultural Association Stadium): Selangor FA's First Stadium

The idea of building an arena that could accommodate 5 000 spectators was first proposed in 1927. From the beginning, the stadium was developed in conjunction with MAHA (Malayan Agri-Horticultural Society [ms]) as well as Selangor FA. Selangor FA. Initially , three locations were proposed for the venue: at Gaol Road (now Jalan Hang Tuah) as well as located at the crossroads between Jalan Bukit Bintang, Circular Road (now Jalan Tun Razak which is perhaps on the site the former Prince Court Medical Centre now is located) as well as on Jalan Pudu. The location chosen was located at near the junction of Circular Road and Jalan Ampang as per media reports from the time, the stadium was put into construction in 1928. It was completed in 1928. The exact site of the stadium isn't identified, however it is stated in press reports that it is located near an existing police station at the crossroads, which was also the present Jalan the Tun Razak Police Station.

The stadium was finished when MAHA had to be sued by local residents, as they claimed that the football games held there disrupted the public order. While the lawsuit was filed for the owners of the stadium Selangor FA only began to establish the stadium as their official home ground in 1931. It was in the Malaya Cup against Penang FA on the 18th of July the match resulted in a victory of 5-3 to Selangor FA. Selangor FA played a total of 20 times in this venue between 1931 and and they won 14 times. In the eight Finals of the Malaya Cup were held here and Selangor FA being finalists four times. The club did win only one final, the 2-0 victory over Singapore FA in 1935. The last time they played in Singapore occurred nine years following in the Malaya Cup against Kedah FA in the Malaya Cup on July 20, 1940.

Following the Japanese occupation of World War II from 1941 until 1945 The MAHA Stadium was damaged which caused it to be inaccessible and then was destroyed. The present location that was the site of former MAHA Stadium is now an area for car dealers and a mall near Jalan Tun Razak police station. Jalan Tun Razak station of the police. Also comprised are embassy and residential areas. In the neighborhood, there are numerous fields and open spaces that are owned by Kelab Aman, SJKC Chung Hwa (P) as well as an association of cricket players.

 

1.2. 1937–1960: Between World War II and Independence

The beginning of World War II slowed down F.A.S efforts to establish domestic football. The initiative was accelerated immediately after the war was over. State football was upgraded continued as the association laid out plans to build the new field for their state squad. Prior to time of war was played at MAHA Stadium in Jalan Ampang and, in the years following, in the Selangor Field Club (now Dataran Merdeka) The stadium that was to be the team's home needed a stadium that was in line with the direction of the association. The Selangor FA management team met with the mayor of Kuala Lumpur several times for approval to build the stadium, but a solution was not discovered. This resulted in Selangor Football Association's stadium plans was put in limbo.

But, the choice to Tunku Abdul Rahman, Putra Al-Haj to be the very first F.A.S president (who was also the president of the Football Association of Malaysia at the time) was the right choice for the organization. Following his appointment as the first Premier Minister of the new independent Federation of Malaya in 1957, Tunku Abdul Rahman pioneered the construction of stadiums and was the first to order that the building of Stadium Merdeka to celebrate the nation's independence, as well as to be Selangor FA's official home stadium. Stadium Merdeka was also used as the home of the Malaysia national team of football and also as the venue for a variety of international sporting events.

In 1951, Tunku Abdul Rahman vacated the presidency of the F.A.S. The next president was the Independent MP for the Bungsar (now called Bangsar) district and was also an educator by trade, S. C. E. Singam, who was his second F.A.S president from 1953 until after which Singam was succeeded by K. Sundram. Between 1951 and 1950, F.A.S. was awarded two Malaysia Cups in 1956 and 1959, where they finished runners-up in the year 1957, and two Malaysia FAM Cups in 1953 and 1960, finishing runners-up in 1952 and 1953.

1.3. 1961–1983: Era of Harun Idris' Leadership

Dato' Seri Harun Idris is associated with football throughout Selangor and Malaysia from the 1960s until the beginning of the 1980s. He was head of Selangor FAS over a period of 21 years, from 1961 until 1983. Under his direction, Selangor FA won 15 Malaysia Cups as well as creating a variety of positive changes to the organization. Selangor FA was founded in the MCA building in Jalan Ampang before the construction of Wisma F.A.S in 1973 at Merdeka Stadium under the president's (who was also the Chief Minister of Selangor at the time) and club manager Hamzah Abu Samah's efforts.

In the period the club was able to win it the Malaysia Cup 15 times in 1961 1962, 1963 1966 1968, 1969 1971 1972, 1973, 1975 1976, 1978 1979 1981, 1982 and 1981 in addition to 1981 and 1982. Then, they won the Malaysia FAM Cup 5 times in 1961 1962, 1966 1968 and 1972.

 

1.4. 1983–1989: Ahmad Razali Mohd Ali era

Tan Sri Ahmad Razali Mohd Ali [msTan Sri Ahmad Razali Mohd Ali, who was the The Chief Minister for Selangor at the time, was F.A.S president from the year 1983 until 1989. The 1984 Malaysian League season under his direction, Selangor FA won their first ever Malaysian top division football league the league was first introduced with a winning trophy, which was introduced in 1982. Furthermore, Selangor FA also won the Malaysia Cup in 1984 to create a record trophy and league. This was a unprecedented feat in Malaysian football.

It also won it the Malaysia Cup in 1986 where legends of the club Mokhtar Dahari as well as R. Arumugam made their final appearances at a Malaysia Cup Final. As of 1989, they was awarded the newly rebranded Semi-Pro League Division 1 that was created to replace that of the Malaysian League as the country's premier football league. It it was also the last trophy won by Ahmad Razali's team under his leadership.

1.5. 1990–1995: All-New Stadium and Wisma FAS

After a string of wins with Selangor FA, the F.A.S made the decision to terminate the club's time in Stadium Merdeka to fulfill the goals of Selangor FA. This meant that a brand new stadium had been approved and constructed. On Jan. 1, 1990 the groundbreaking ceremony for the new stadium took place at Shah Alam, Selangor. After the construction of Shah Alam Stadium, which was then renamed the Shah Alam Stadium, the field could be able to accommodate 80.000 spectators at one time. The structure of the stadium is the longest gate free of charge in the world during the time of. It was also one of the main iconic landmarks of Shah Alam, Selangor due to its design and size. It has been an official home for Selangor FA since it opened in July 1994, following the club relocated away from Stadium Merdeka. F.A.S also relocated to their new home located in Kelana Jaya, Selangor which was formerly known as Wisma FAS by the mid-1990s. The club was able to win its Semi-Pro League Division 1 twice in 1989 and in 1990, and also won in the Semi-Pro League Division 2 in 1993 following relegation the previous year and also winning the Malaysia FA Cup triumph in 1991 and in 1995, a Malaysia Cup triumph in 1995 and an Malaysia Charity Shield triumph in 1990.

 

1.6. 1996–2010: 17 Trophies Collected

The time period from 1996 to 2010 was Selangor's most successful time despite reduction in their standings in between. In 1996, with Ken Worden as the head coach, they took home the Malaysia Charity Shield and the Malaysia Cup. In the following season, Steve Wicks was appointed as the head coach and led the team to success by winning the trifecta of trophy wins in the Malaysia Charity Shield, the Malaysia FA Cup and the Malaysia Cup. Under the direction by Coach K. Rajagopal from 1999 until 2000, Selangor FA won the 2000 Premier League 1 title which was the top-flight league in Malaysia in the year 2000. They also achieved the club's fourth title in league. Ken Worden was appointed again and also won his second title, the Malaysia Charity Shield and the Malaysia Cup in the 2002 season.

In 2004 the club was moved to the new second division which was known as the Malaysia Premier League. Dollah Salleh was appointed head coach. She was crowned in 2005 the Malaysia Premier League, the Malaysia FA Cup and the Malaysia Cup, completing a unique triple and gaining immediately promotion back to Malaysia Super League. But, over the next seasons, the club failed to achieve any trophy wins, and this was blamed on the team's inept management.

For the season of 2009, K. Devan was named head coach as well as club manager. This is the very first time in team's history when both positions were given by the same individual. K. Devan is considered to be one of the most successful manager records of the club. He was the winner of in 2009 and 2010, the Malaysia Super League in 2009 and 2010 as well as the 2010 Malaysia FA Cup and the Malaysia Charity Shield in 2009 and 2010. The successes of 2009 marking the second time that the club has had a double-winning season following the success in 1984. In 2022, the year 2010 is the final time the club won the top league in Malaysia that is the Malaysia Super League.

1.7. 2011–2017: Period of decline

The club was through what was considered to be the worst time in their history , going through seven head coaches. But, despite this the fact that in 2015 the club took home the Malaysia Cup for a record 33rd time under the direction by former footballer Mehmet Durakovic. This record is unbeatable and the team remains one of the top teams in the history of the tournament. However, the off-field issues were not as good as the management issues during the time of Mohamed Azmin Ali when he was the club's F.A.S President led to Selangor F.C. to move out of their home ground and that is the Shah Alam Stadium and the internal dispute that erupted between Exco members and the management of the club also contributed to a drop in the performance of the team on the field.

 

1.8. 2018–present: Tengku Amir Shah era

In July of 2018, the King of Selangor Darul Ehsan, Tengku Amir Shah (RMS) was appointed his new President for F.A.S. He was appointed to the post that was left by Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal. In the years since Tengku Amir Shah was elected to the presidency, much effort was put into improving the club. This marked the beginning of a new era for the club into the modern day.

In July the facility was relocated to a brand new 400,000 square foot facility located in Section 5. Shah Alam called the Selangor FA Training Centre (now called Selangor F.C. Training Centre) that was a three-year lease with Selangor F.C. Government of Selangor. The facility is also home to the administration office for Selangor's Football Association of Selangor, club administration office indoor training, training fields as well as a gym, first team lounge and physio treatment area locker room and coaching and administration to be housed under the same under one roof.

On the 9th of October in conjunction with the privatization process, F.A.S decided to only manage the U17 squad, the U14 squad U12 squad, and the women's team and focus on the role of the association in the State of Selangor. Selangor F.C. also was able to take over PKNS FC and served as an additional team, named Selangor F.C. II. They also participate within the Malaysia Premier League while the current Selangor FA U21 and Selangor FA U19 squads were referred to by the names of Selangor F.C. III and IV. The three teams were all transformed and streamlined to provide a development pathway to make it into the first-team squad.

The team of football that was called Selangor FA was managed by an entity that was just established; Red Giants FC Sdn. Bhd. as well as the team's football was rebranded to Selangor Football Club (Selangor F.C.). In the beginning of 2020 Selangor F.C. is home ground. It's the Shah Alam Stadium, was closed for three years while it was renovated and rebuilding work . It was then extended by a year.

 

2. Brand and identity

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2.1. Crest and colours

The emblem was first developed in 1936 in the wake of the merger of the Selangor Football Association (SFA) and the Selangor Association Football League (SAFL) featured an image of the wildebeest (gaurus). The early 1970s saw the F.A. Selangor symbol, the wildebeest's head was replaced by Selangor's coat of arms and flag. Selangor and English letters within the F.A. Selangor symbol was in Malay.

The crest has the shape of an shield. The emblem on the upper portion of the crest comes in the Selangor State Council coat of arms. The distinctive colour of the crest represent the primary color for the nation of Selangor that symbolizes Bravery in the red color as well as Royalty to represent yellow. Both of these colours are connected to the state flag , which is a reflection of the distinctiveness of Selangor. The logo is completed by including the state's emblem at the top.

 

2.3. Kits

In the 70s and beyond From the 1970s onwards Selangor F.C. kit for the team was produced by various companies , including Admiral, Puma, Adidas, Lotto, Kappa and Joma.

Since 1985 until 1985, from 1985, the Selangor F.C. squad was sponsored by several corporations, like Dunhill, EON, Celcom, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (SYABAS), Telekom Malaysia (TM) in addition to Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI). Since 2014 the Selangor kit is supported by the government of Selangor under the names of six state-owned corporations. The company who sponsored the club longest time in its history was Dunhill from 1985 until 2004. Dunhill being the sponsor of all Malaysian clubs from 1985 to 2004 before being banned by Malaysian Health Ministry to decrease the prevalence of smoking cigarettes and smoking tobacco in Malaysia.

Since the start of the 2019 season the kits for the club were designed and were sponsored by Spanish sportswear brand, Joma which covers the sponsorship of a complete that is used by the Super League squad, Premier League squad, President's Cup squad, Youth Cup squad, men's and women's futsal teams, as well as training kits. Joma's sponsorship also covers clothes that are suitable for FAS League referees including travel casual clothes and cash sponsorship for the club. On September 23, 2021, Selangor F.C.'s official website Selangor F.C. official website announced an extension of their partnership with Joma until the 2023 season.