Muhammad Azraai Khor Bin Abdullah, formerly known as Khor Sek Leng, (; born 25 October 1952) is a

Malaysian Malaysian may refer to: * Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia * Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia * Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regard ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

coach and former player. Azraai, whom one of the most successful coach in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

when he considered to be one of the best football coaches in the history of

n football especially when he brought

Kedah FA Kedah Darul Aman Football Club ( ms, Kelab Bola Sepak Kedah Darul Aman) is a football club based in Alor Setar, Kedah, that competes in the Malaysia Super League. They are the only team in the history of Malaysian football to have won two tr ...

to be a legendary football team in

when they crowned as a double

treble Treble may refer to: In music: *Treble (sound), tones of high frequency or range, the counterpart of bass *Treble voice, a choirboy or choirgirl singing in the soprano range *Treble (musical group), a three-piece girl group from the Netherlands *T ...

champion - a champion for all three major football competitions.

Playing career

He was a Kedah FA player for

Malaysia Cup The Malaysia Cup ( ms, Piala Malaysia), formerly known as ''Malaya Cup'', is an annual association football, football tournament in Malaysia, held at the end of the calendar year. The cup was first held in 1921. Despite its prestige and popular ...

competition and also was in Kedah Kilat FC (a team of

Tenaga Nasional Berhad Tenaga Nasional Berhad (, abbreviated as TNB; TENAGA, ), also known as Tenaga Nasional or simply Tenaga, is the Malaysian multinational electricity company and is the only electric utility company in Peninsular Malaysia and also the largest p ...

or formerly known as ''Lembaga Letrik Negara Tanah Melayu'' before 1990) for

FAM Cup The FAM Cup (Malay: Piala FAM) was a knock-out tournament for teams in both the Malaysia M3 League and the Malaysia M4 League in Malaysia. The tournament was a cup format, but from 2008 to 2018 was held as a third-tier league tournament and used ...

competition from 1969 until 1980. He played as

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

right winger A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

and also has skippered the team. Azraai also was a former part of

national team in the period of 3 years starting from 1975 until 1978. In

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

, He was part of Malaysia squad in the

AFC Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...

in Iran. He also part of malaysia squad that won

Merdeka Cup Merdeka Tournament or Pestabola Merdeka is a friendly football tournament held in Malaysia to commemorate the Independence Day. The competition bears the Malay word for independence. As of 2022, it has been held 40 times, and decreasingly in ...

and

King's Cup __NOTOC__ King's Cup (incl. translations), may refer to: Sports Football * Copa del Rey, Spanish for "King's Cup," the main national knockout tournament in men's football * King Cup (sometimes named King's Cup), Saudi Arabian men's football nati ...

in 1976.

Coaching careers

Early careers

In 1991, at the age of 39 Azraai was appointed head coach of Kedah

Malaysia President Cup The Piala Presiden ( en, President Cup) is a developmental football competition in Malaysia for Under-21 players. The cup consists of developmental squad from clubs competing in the top and second division of Malaysian football league system, t ...

team. He worked as part of the club's youth team for several years - 1991, 1994, 1998 and 2002. However his glorious career began eighteen years ago in 1993 when he and his colleague, Azman Haji Eusoff was just an up-and-coming tactician, assisting

Robert Alberts Robert René Alberts (born 14 November 1954) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player. Playing career Alberts played for Ajax's third team and had stints at French outfit Clermont Foot and in the NASL with Vancouver Whitecaps. ...

to create history with a bunch of great players included his assistants now

Muhamad Radhi Mat Din Muhamad Radhi bin Mat Din (born 17 July 1965) is a Malaysian football coach, former Association football, footballer, and politician. Football career He spent his entire career by playing in midfield for Kedah FA, where he was also the longe ...

and Ahmad Sabri Ismail, from the second division title without losing in 1992 to clean sweep of the domestic football titles in 1993 – Division 1 (the now renamed

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 ...

) and

Kelantan TNB FC head coach

Before return to

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area ...

, Azraai has previously managed Kelantan TNB FC in 2002 when he was an employee of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), an electricity company in

Kedah head coach

After late

Ahmad Basri Akil Dato' Paduka Haji Ahmad Basri bin Mohd Akil (25 April 1939 – 15 July 2008) was the former team manager for Kedah FA and for the Malaysia national football team. Biography Born in Alor Setar, he had 8 children and 11 grandchildren. He mana ...

brought him in August 2004, with his fantastic "

Midas Touch Midas (; grc-gre, Μίδας) was the name of a king in Phrygia with whom several myths became associated, as well as two later members of the Phrygian royal house. The most famous King Midas is popularly remembered in Greek mythology for hi ...

", Azraai gives a miracle for

state football environment after they've been dropped to the last place in 2004

competition. Kedah on that time handled by

Mirandinha Francisco Ernandi Lima da Silva (born 2 July 1959 in Brasilia), better known as Mirandinha, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Club career He had unsuccessful early spells at Ceará and Fortaleza, befor ...

. After Mirandinha left the job, Azraai who returned to

Kulim The Kulim District is a district and town in the state of Kedah, Malaysia. It is located on the southeast of Kedah, bordering Penang. The town of Kulim, a mere east of Penang's capital city, George Town, also forms part of Greater Penang, Ma ...

from

Kelantan Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode"). Kelantan is located in the ...

as a full-time TNB employee on that time has rejuvenated the team and creates fantastic achievements in

competition when he led Kedah through to the 2004

Final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

, but they lost 1-0 against

Perlis FA Perlis FA State Football Team ( ms, Pasukan Bola Sepak Negeri Perlis), also known as Perlis FA, is a football team based in Kangar, Perlis, Malaysia which is run and managed by the Perlis Football Association (PFA). The team was founded in 1963 ...

Successive 'double treble'

Azraai now became the only coach, to win double treble champions in successive 2006/07 and 2007/08 seasons. After he clinched the third cup in

n football arena, coach Azraai also regarded the 2006/07 Malaysian Favourite Coach Award in 100Plus-F.A.M National Football Awards as an additional motivation after his team won three titles -

Malaysian 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 ...

Malaysian 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 Malaysi ...

, and

in 2006/07 season and also as a boost for the future of football in Kedah and in the country. And a few hours before he creates another historical moment of Malaysian football on 23 August 2008, he once again awarded as the 2007/08 Malaysian Best Coach Award in the same awards after Kedah retained the 2007/08

and

trophies for second consecutive times. Azraai deserved the awards after his Kedah wonder boys won the

final defeated

Selangor FA Selangor Football Club (Malay: ''Kelab Bola Sepak Selangor''), commonly referred to as Selangor F.C. is a Malaysian professional football club based in the city of Shah Alam, Selangor, that currently competes in the Malaysia Super League, the ...

with 3-2 result.

After Kedah

He resigned from Kedah after the 2009 season, which Kedah failed to scale the heights of the previous two seasons, mainly because of the loss of his influential import players due to new ruling by FAM. His problems with the new management team also led to his departure. He was appointed the head coach of

Harimau Muda A Harimau Muda A was the club name for the former Malaysia Under-22 National Football Team, representing Malaysia in international football (soccer), football competitions such as the AFC U-22 Asian Cup, Champions Youth Cup as well as other under ...

in 2010, but resigned later in the year after confrontation with the team's technical personnel and players during the squad training stint in

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

. In 2011, he was named as the new head coach of

Negeri Sembilan FA Negeri Sembilan Football Club is a Malaysian professional football club based in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, that competes in the 2022 edition of the Malaysia Super League. Founded in 1923, the club's home ground Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium. Nege ...

, replacing

Wan Jamak Wan Hassan Wan Jamak bin Wan Hassan (born 22 November 1957) is a Malaysian former footballer, currently working as the Head of Youth Development at Johor Darul Ta'zim FC since 2015. Wan Jamak was a former football player for Johor FA and the Malaysian n ...

(who ironically took over as head coach of Azraai former team Kedah later that season). Although

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 ...

results were in dire when he took over, he improved the team's fortunes. The pinnacle of the season was where he led Negeri Sembilan to the

2011 Malaysia Cup The 2011 Malaysia Cup (Malay language, Malay: ''Piala Malaysia 2011'') was the 85th edition of the Malaysia Cup. The soccer competition began on 6 September 2011 and concluded on 29 October 2011 with the final held at Shah Alam Stadium, Shah Alam ...

triumph, beating

Terengganu FA Terengganu Football Club is a professional football club based in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia, that competes in Malaysia Super League, the first division of Malaysian football league system. Nicknamed "The Turtles", the club was founded ...

2-1 in the final. On 15 October 2012, he was announced as

Perak FA Perak Football Club or Perak F.C. is a professional association football, football club based in Ipoh. Founded in 1921, the club's home ground since then has been Perak Stadium in Ipoh, Perak. The club represents the state of Perak in Malaysian ...

new coach. Signing a 2-year contract, Azraai resigned from his job in October 2013 after only one season, in which he guides Perak to seventh place in

the league ''The League'' is an American sitcom that aired on FX and later FXX from October 29, 2009, to December 9, 2015, for a total of seven seasons. The series, set in Chicago, Illinois, is a semi-improvised comedy show about a fantasy football league ...

, but failed to lead Perak out of the group stage of

2013 Malaysia Cup The 2013 Malaysia Cup (Malay: ''Piala Malaysia 2013'') was the 87th season of Malaysia Cup and began on 20 August with a preliminary round and finished on 3 November 2013 with the final, held at Shah Alam Stadium. A total of 16 teams took part in ...

, which includes a 6-1 thrashing by

Sarawak FA Sarawak FA State Football Team ( ms, Pasukan Bola Sepak Negeri Sarawak) was a defunct football team which represented the Malaysian region (formerly state) of Sarawak from 1974 to 2020 in the Malaysian football league. It was one of the 14 Mal ...

. On 14 November 2013, he was officially unveiled as the new

T-Team F.C. Terengganu Football Club II ( ms, Kelab Bola Sepak Terengganu II) is a professional football club based in Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia. The club currently plays in the Malaysia Premier League, the second division of the Malaysian Leag ...

head coach. Azraai resigned from his job at the end of July 2014, after T-Team were relegated to

Malaysia Premier League The Malaysia Premier League ( ms, Liga Premier) was the second-tier professional Association football, football league in Malaysia. The league replaced the former second-tier league, Liga Perdana 2 in the Malaysian football league system. The ...

. On 24 March 2015, Azraai was appointed as the new head coach for

Kelantan FA Kelantan Football Club ( ms, Kelab Bola Sepak Kelantan) is a Malaysian professional football club based in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The club plays in the Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football since 2023. Founded in 1946, the ...

replacing

George Boateng George Antwi Boateng (born 5 September 1975) is a former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He is Assistant Coach of the Ghana national team. Born in Ghana, raised in Holland and he represented the Netherlands interna ...

who was appointed as Technical Director. However three months later, Azraai resigns from his position, with only one win in seven league matches and losing in the

2015 Malaysia FA Cup The 2015 Malaysia FA Cup (2015 XOX Piala FA) was the 26th season of the Malaysia FA Cup, a knockout competition for Malaysia's state football association and clubs. Pahang were the defending champions after beating FELDA United 2–1 the previo ...

final to LionsXII. Azraai was announced as the new head coach of

Sabah FA Sabah Football Club ( ms, Kelab Bolasepak Sabah) is a football club with ownership by Sabah Football Club Sdn Bhd. The football club competes in Malaysia's football league representing the state of Sabah in Borneo. They currently compete in M ...

in September 2015, his 1-year contract beginning on 1 October. But less than a month later, he mutually terminated his contract with Sabah. On 28 February 2018, he returned to Negeri Sembilan as head coach to replace

Jorg Steinebrunner Jorg may refer to: * Jorg Gray, California-based brand of men's and women's watches * Jorg Smeets (born 1970), Dutch former footballer * A battle mech used by the Makron (Quake character) ''Quake'' is a series of first-person shooter video gam ...

who resigned after just 5 games into

2018 Malaysia Super League The 2018 Malaysia Super League ( ms, Liga Super Malaysia 2018), known as 2018 unifi Malaysia Super League ( ms, unifi Liga Super Malaysia 2018) for sponsorship reasons, was the 15th season of the Malaysia Super League, the top-tier professional f ...

. However, Azraai were sacked just 3 months later on 10 May 2018, after the team performed no better than with previous coach, and languishing in the relegation zone.

Honours

Coaching

Kedah

: 2006/07, 2007/08 *

: 2005/06 :* Runner-up: 2005 *

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 ...

: 2006/07, 2007/08 *

: 2006/07, 2007/08 :* Runner-up: 2004

Negeri Sembilan

: 2011 *

Malaysia Charity Shield Piala Sumbangsih (English: Malaysia Charity Cup), also known as Piala Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah ( en, Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Cup), is the Malaysian super cup competition. It is the curtain raiser match to the new Malaysian football season, pitting ...

: 2012

Kelantan FA Kelantan Football Club ( ms, Kelab Bola Sepak Kelantan) is a Malaysian professional football club based in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The club plays in the Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football since 2023. Founded in 1946, the ...

: :* Runner-up:

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

Personal

100Plus-F.A.M National Football Awards *2006/07 - "Malaysian Favourite Coach" *2007/08 - "Malaysian Best Coach"

Quotes

*''"To be a champion we must act like a champion."'' - Fokus Bola, 12 July 2007

References

External links

Mohd Azraai Khor Abdullah Official Website
{{Kelantan FA managers 1952 births Living people Malaysian footballers Malaysia international footballers 1976 AFC Asian Cup players Malaysian football managers Kedah Darul Aman F.C. players Mohd Azraai Khor Bin Abdullah Converts to Islam Malaysian Muslims People from Alor Setar Association football midfielders