Selangor F.C.

Selangor Football Club ( Malay: ''Kelab Bola Sepak Selangor'') is a professional football club based in the city of Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. The club currently competes in the Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football. The club is nicknamed ''The Red Giants''. It was officially founded in 1936 by the Football Association of Selangor (FAS). On 2 October 2020, the club officially made its privatization as Selangor Football Club after it was officially approved by the Football Association of Malaysia on 29 September. The club currently plays its home games at the Petaling Jaya Stadium after the club's original home ground, the Shah Alam Stadium, was closed to undergo major renovation and rebuilding work which was prolonged for an extended period of time.

Selangor are the most successful and most decorated club in Malaysia, in terms of overall honours won with 52 top-qualifying trophies and 61 trophies collectively. Domestically, Selangor had won a total of 6 Malaysia top division league titles which include 2 Malaysia Super League titles, 1 Premier League 1 title, 2 Semi-Pro League Division 1 titles and 1 Malaysian League title. In cup competitions, the club have a record of 33 Malaysia Cups, a joint-best 5 Malaysia FA Cups and a record of 8 Malaysia Charity Shields. In addition, the club have also won 2 second-division titles, 1 Malaysia Premier League title and 1 Semi-Pro League Division 2 title and between 1951 and 1973, 7 Malaysia FAM Cups where the Malaysia FAM Cup acted as a secondary knockout cup competition between state teams after the Malaysia Cup.

Selangor was also the first Malaysian club to qualify and enter an Asian continental club tournament, the Asian Champion Club Tournament where the club finished as runners-up in 1967, the first edition of the Asian top-flight continental club tournament, which was later rebranded as the AFC Champions League in 2002. The club were also the first team in Malaysian football history to achieve a league and cup double by winning the Malaysian Amateur League and Malaysia Cup in 1984.

The club also gave rise to many Malaysian football stars who brought success to both club and country 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, and Safee Sali and many others. The club is also one of the best supported clubs in Malaysia and across the Asian continent and holds several rivalries, most notably with Singapore, Kuala Lumpur City and Johor Darul Ta'zim.

History

1905–1936: Beginnings

A Selangor state football association was founded in 1905 to establish and manage an internal state league, called the Selangor Association Football League (SAFL). The first cup competition was sponsored by the British Resident of Selangor, R.G. Watson. There were also reports that the association was led by British Residents at that time.

Due to an internal conflict, some officials left the organization in 1926 and founded the Selangor Football Association (SFA), a new organization. The dispute between the SAFL and the SFA continued for almost ten years before the two sides negotiated back on a deal for the betterment of the future of football in the state of Selangor. Finally, the two football entities officially merged on 22 February 1936, under the name of the Football Association of Selangor (FAS) ( Malay: ''Persatuan Bola Sepak Selangor'') and forming Selangor FA to represent the state of Selangor.

During this period, Selangor won their first ever piece of silverware in the form of the Malaya Cup in 1922, in a 3–2 win over Singapore FA (a rivalry that would come to define Malaysian football in future years) and going on to win the Malaya Cup a further five times in 1927, 1928, 1929, 1935 and 1936.

MAHA Stadium

The proposal to build a stadium that can accommodate 5,000 spectators was first voiced in 1927, and from the very beginning the venue was built in collaboration between MAHA () and the Selangor football association. Initially three sites were nominated for the venue; at Gaol Road (now Jalan Hang Tuah), at the intersection of Jalan Bukit Bintang and Circular Road (now Jalan Tun Razak, possibly on the site of where Prince Court Medical Centre now stands), and at Jalan Pudu. The site chosen was ultimately at the intersection of Circular Road and Jalan Ampang, and according to press reports of the time, it began construction in 1928 and was completed the following year. The specific location of the stadium is not known, it is only said in press reports to be behind a police station at this intersection, which is the current Jalan Tun Razak police station.

When it was completed, MAHA was sued by the surrounding residents because it was said that the football matches held there disturbed public order. Although the suit was in favor of the stadium owners, Selangor only began to make the stadium their official ‘home ground’ in 1931, in the Malaya Cup against Penang on July 18, a match that ended in a 5–3 victory for Selangor. The squad played a total of 20 times at this stadium between 1931 and 1940, and won 14 times. The eight finals of the Malaya Cup were held here with Selangor being finalists four times. However, the club won only one final, in a 2–0 win over Singapore FA in 1935. Their last match here was nine years later, against Kedah in the Malaya Cup on 20 July 1940.

In the aftermath of the Japanese occupation during World War II from 1941 to 1945, the MAHA Stadium was damaged which made it unusable and was subsequently destroyed. The current site of the former MAHA Stadium has now become an area for car dealers, with a shopping mall right next to the Jalan Tun Razak police station, also included are residential and embassy areas. In this neighborhood there are several fields and open spaces owned by Kelab Aman, SJKC Chung Hwa (P), and a cricket association.

1937–1960: Between World War II and Independence

The outbreak of World War II slowed down FAS' efforts to develop domestic football. The effort was started aggressively as soon as the war ended. Efforts to upgrade state football continued with the association laying out plans to construct a new football stadium for the state team. The state team prior to the war played at MAHA Stadium in Jalan Ampang and in the intervening years at Selangor Field Club (now Dataran Merdeka), the team's new home ground clearly required a stadium in line with the association's direction. The association management met the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur several times for permission to construct the stadium but a solution couldn't be found. The impasse meant that Selangor's home stadium plan had to be put on hold.

However, the appointment of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj as the first official FAS president (who also held the presidency of the Football Association of Malaysia at that time) was a right move for the association. After becoming Prime Minister of the newly independent Federation of Malaya in 1957, Tunku Abdul Rahman pioneered the stadium construction business and ordered the construction of Stadium Merdeka to celebrate the country's independence as well as being Selangor's official new home stadium. Stadium Merdeka also served as the occasional home ground of the Malaysia national football team as well as the staging of international sporting events.

After 1951, Tunku Abdul Rahman vacated the presidency of the FAS. He was succeeded by the Independent MP for Bangsar (now known as Bangsar) constituency and also a teacher by profession, S.C.E. Singam, who became the second official FAS president until 1953, where he was succeeded by K. Sundram. Between 1951 and 1960, the club won two Malaysia Cups in 1956 and 1959, finishing as runners-up in 1957 and 2 Malaysia FAM Cups in 1953 and 1960, finishing as runners-up in 1952 and 1955.

1961–1983: Era of Harun Idris' leadership

Dato' Seri Harun Idris is synonymous with football in Selangor and Malaysia in the 1960s to the early 1980s. He ran as president of the FAS for 21 years from 1961 to 1983. During his leadership, Selangor won 15 Malaysia Cups as well as doing a lot of positive changes for the association. The club was originally headquartered at the MCA building in Jalan Ampang before the construction of Wisma FAS 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 that time, the club won the Malaysia Cup 15 times (in 1961, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981 and 1982 as well as the Malaysia FAM Cup 5 times in 1961, 1962, 1966, 1968 and 1972).

1983–1989: Ahmad Razali Mohd Ali era

Tan Sri , who was the Chief Minister of Selangor at that time became FAS President from 1983 to 1989. In the 1984 Malaysian League season, under his leadership Selangor won their first ever Malaysian top division football league title, a league that was first introduced with a winner's trophy in 1982. Additionally, Selangor also won the Malaysia Cup in 1984 to achieve a historic league and cup double, a first in the history of Malaysian football.

The club also won the Malaysia Cup in 1986 where legends Mokhtar Dahari and R. Arumugam made their final appearances. In 1989, the club also won the rebranded Semi-Pro League Division 1 that replaced the Malaysian League as the country's top-flight football league. It was the final trophy under Ahmad Razali's leadership.

1990–1995: All-new stadium and Wisma FAS

After a series of successes for the club, the FAS decided to end the club's tenure at Stadium Merdeka to fulfill the ambitions of the club. As a result, an all-new stadium development had to be approved and built. Finally, on January 1, 1990, a groundbreaking ceremony for the new stadium was held in Shah Alam. Built primarily for the Commonwealth Games in 1998, the ground could accommodate up to 80,000 spectators at a time. Its structure is the longest free gate in the world in that era. It also become one of the major landmarks in Shah Alam, due to its impressive size and design. The stadium has been the home of Selangor since it opened in July 1994. FAS also moved to their new headquarters in Kelana Jaya, which was known as Wisma FAS in the mid-1990s. In that time, the club won the Semi-Pro League Division 1 twice in 1989 and 1990, and won the Semi-Pro League Division 2 in 1993 after suffering relegation the year before, as well as a Malaysia FA Cup triumph in 1991, a Malaysia Cup triumph in 1995 and a Malaysia Charity Shield triumph in 1990.

1996–2010: 17 trophies collected

The period between 1996 and 2010 was Selangor's most successful, despite a relegation in between. In the 1996 season, with Ken Worden as a coach, they won the Malaysia Charity Shield and the Malaysia Cup. The following season, Steve Wicks guided the club to success with a trifecta of trophies. Under the guidance of coach K. Rajagopal from 1999 to 2000, Selangor won the 2000 Premier League 1 title, which was the top-flight league in Malaysia and secured their fourth league title. Ken Worden was appointed again and won the Malaysia Charity Shield and the Malaysia Cup in the 2002 season.

In the 2004 season, the club was relegated to the brand new second-division, the Malaysia Premier League. Dollah Salleh was appointed as coach and won the 2005 Malaysia Premier League, the Malaysia FA Cup and the Malaysia Cup. However, in the following seasons the club did not win any trophies as this was attributed back to the poor management.

In the 2009 season, K. Devan was appointed. He won the Malaysia Super League in 2009 and 2010, the 2009 Malaysia FA Cup and the Malaysia Charity Shield in 2009 and 2010, with the 2009 triumph being the club's second ever double winning season after the 1984 success.

2011–2017: Period of decline

The club went through what is considered to be the worst period in their history, with 7 different coaches. However, in 2015 the club won the Malaysia Cup for a record 33rd time under the management of former player Mehmet Duraković. That tally is still unsurpassed and the club remains as one of the most successful in the competition's history. Affairs off the pitch were not great as management problems during the tenure of Mohamed Azmin Ali caused Selangor to vacate their home ground and the internal conflict between management.

2018–present: Tengku Amir Shah era

In July 2018, The Crown Prince of Selangor, Tengku Amir Shah (RMS) was appointed as the new president of FAS. He took over the seat left by Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal. In July 2019, they moved to a new 400,000-square facility called Selangor FA Training Centre which had a three-year lease from the Government of Selangor. The facility also sees the administrative headquarters of the Football Association of Selangor, club administration office, indoor training, pitches, gym, lounge and physio treatment area.

On 9 October 2019, as part of the privatization effort, FAS decided to only manage the U17, U14, U12 and women's squad. The club also took over PKNS FC, while the existing Selangor U20 and Selangor U18 squads were known as Selangor III & IV. On 2 October 2020, Selangor announced that their privatisation submission has been approved by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM). The club revealed that it will be known as ''Kelab Bolasepak Selangor'', ''Selangor Football Club'', starting from 1 December. The football team was managed by a newly established entity, Red Giants FC Sdn Bhd.

On 5 May 2024, Selangor forward Faisal Halim suffered an acid attack in front of a shopping mall, which resulted in Faisal suffering fourth-degree burns and had to undergo multiple surgeries. Selangor was due to face Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. but chose to withdraw from the match. Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah supported Selangor's withdrawal while criticising MSL's refusal to postpone the match. On 20 June 2024, it was confirmed that Selangor will participate in the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two, making their return to the intercontinental tournament since the 2016 AFC Cup.

Brand and identity

Crest and colours

The original emblem that was first created in 1936 as a result of the merger between the Selangor Football Association (SFA) and Selangor Association Football League (SAFL), containing the symbol of wildebeest. In the early 1970s, the FA Selangor symbol was replaced with the flag and coat of arms of Selangor and the lettering was written in Malay. The colour characteristics symbolize Bravery for red and Royalty for yellow. Both of these colors are linked to the state flag which follows the identity of Selangor. The logo is then completed by featuring the state's blazon on the top of it.

Kits

From the 1970s onwards, the Selangor team kit was manufactured by various companies including Admiral, Puma, Adidas, Lotto, Kappa and Joma. Since 2014, the Selangor kit has been sponsored by the government of Selangor under the names of six state government corporations.

Stadium

Selangor used several grounds throughout their history. The club's first ground was the MAHA Stadium (collaboration with the Malayan Agri-Horticultural Association) at the intersection of Circular Road (Jalan Tun Razak) and Jalan Ampang, circa 1931 until 1940. Following the aftermath of the Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1945, the MAHA Stadium was damaged, which made it unusable and subsequently destroyed. At the same time, Selangor played at Selangor Club Field (Dataran Merdeka) from their founding until the independence of Malaya in 1957.

In September 1956, the club president Tunku Abdul Rahman ordered the construction of the Merdeka Stadium as the new home stadium for the ''Red Giants'' and to celebrate the country's upcoming independence. The stadium was finished on 21 August 1957 and was inaugurated on 31 August, the day the Federation of Malaya declared independence from British rule. Right after the declaration of independence, the club played their home matches at Merdeka Stadium, which would become the club's home ground for the next 38 years. The first football match took place on 1 September 1957, which saw Malaya defeat Burma 5–2. In this stadium which hosted 20,000 spectators, Selangor celebrated its first Malaysian league title in 1984.

After some successes, the management decided that the Merdeka Stadium was not big enough for the ambitions of the club, and a new stadium was inaugurated on 16 July 1994. This was the Shah Alam Stadium which could host an astounding number of up to 80,372 supporters, and became the club's home stadium for the next 22 years. The first match at the stadium was played between Selangor and Scottish club Dundee United in an invitational tournament, which resulted in a 1–1 draw, with the first goal being scored by Billy McKinlay. Other teams in the tournament were Bayern Munich, Leeds United, the Australian Olympic team "Olyroos" and Flamengo, who won the tournament.

In 2017, an internal crisis occurred within the club management, which resulted in the resignation of the club's president Mohamed Azmin Ali. The crisis began when executive members of the club reportedly rejected the notion of privatization which was suggested by the club's president. The crisis forced the club to move to a temporary home ground at the Selayang Stadium, after the Selangor state government denied to use the Shah Alam Stadium.

The following year, the club management decided to switch the club's home ground to the Kuala Lumpur Stadium for the 2018 season. The club's president Subahan Kamal stated that the Kuala Lumpur Stadium could generate a higher income and that the Selayang Stadium did not meet the criteria required by the FMLLP. Selangor originally proposed to use the Shah Alam Stadium and the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, however both applications were rejected by the reason that certain matches could collide with the Malaysia national football team's calendar.

The club moved back to the Shah Alam Stadium in the middle of the 2018 season after the new president Tengku Amir Shah was appointed. In early 2020, the Shah Alam Stadium was closed due to major renovation. In the middle of the 2020 season, Selangor played at the UiTM Stadium as an interim home ground following Shah Alam Stadium's temporary closure. For the 2021 season until present, the club's interim home ground venue is at the MBPJ Stadium. On 15 July 2022, Amirudin Shari stated that the Selangor government appointed the Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) to refurbish the stadium and its surrounding facilities with a cost of up to RM 787 million.

Social media, esports

The online presence is believed to be one of the strongest amongst the clubs in Malaysia. On 19 January 2023, Selangor has made history by becoming the first football team in Malaysia to have their own '' Mobile Legends: Bang Bang'' (''MLBB'') team (known as the Yoodo Red Giants) to compete in the ''Mobile Legends: Bang Bang'' Professional League Malaysia (MPL-Malaysia) for the 11th season. The announcement ceremony was held at the Selangor FC Training Center, Shah Alam. As Selangor Red Giants, the team won MPL-Malaysia Season 13 in spring 2024 with an unbeaten season. They then won MSC 2024, defeating Falcons AP Bren in 7 games at the Grand Final. The MSC win gave Selangor US$1,000,000 in prize money.

Ownership and finances

The holding company of Selangor football club, Red Giants FC Sdn. Bhd. is a private limited company, with approximately RM10 million in shares issued by the state government of Selangor as paid-up capital. The club was privatized at the end of the 2019 season. Among the shareholders for management are the current Crown Prince of Selangor, Tengku Amir Shah as majority shareholder, Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor (PKNS), Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) and the Football Association of Selangor (FAS).

Players

First-team squad

Development Squad and Academy

List of Development Squad and Academy players with first team appearances.

Club captains

Management & coaching staff

Management

Current technical staff

Notable managers

Managerial/coaching history

Records

List of seasons

This is a partial list of the last seven seasons completed by the Red Giants. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Selangor F.C. seasons.

Player records

''As of 31 May 2023''

Top goalscorers

Honours

*
* shared record
*(** ''runner-up'')

Doubles and trebles

* Doubles
** Malaysia Amateur League and Malaysia Cup (1): 1984
**FA Cup and Malaysia Cup (1): 1997
** League and FA Cup (1): 2009
* Trebles
**Premier League 2, FA Cup and Malaysia Cup (1): 2005

Continental record

Supporters

Since their inception in 1936, Selangor have developed a loyal, passionate and dedicated following.

Ultrasel Curva's most frequently sung song are the rendition of Red Yellow (), "Kami Datang Lagi", "Kau & Aku Selamanya", ''"Selangor Sampai Mati"'', ''“Ale ale, Selangor ale"'', ''"Kaulah Kebanggaan"'' and ''"Tentang Perjuangan"'', ''"Come on Selangor"'', ''"Inilah Barisan Kita"'', ''"You're Obsessed"'', ''"Slaughter your enemy"'', among many.

Selangor has collaborated with several local artists to produce songs such as in 1997 with KRU - ''Viva Selangor''. On 28 May 2022, Selangor collaborated with Altimet in the production of the third jersey and produced a special album ''Langgam Gendang Perang'', as a sign of Altimet's support for his beloved team.

Rivalries

Selangor has a historical derby with Perak and earlier Singapore FA known as the '' Malayan El Clasico'', while matches with Kuala Lumpur are known as the Klang Valley Derby. More recently, Selangor developed a rivalry with Johor Darul Ta'zim due to the latter's run of success in the 2010s, as well as with PKNS before Selangor took over the former.

Singapore FA

The rivalry with Singapore was a football rivalry that occurred between 1921 and 1994. It was the oldest football derby in Malaysia. The rivalry arose from the numerous times the two clubs have battled for the Malaysia Cup title. This fixture has become known as one of the finest Malaysia Cup match-ups in history. The rivalry ended in 1994 after the Football Association of Singapore decided to pull out its representative side in the Malaysian football league system. The last meeting between the two teams was on 10 December 1994, which Singapore narrowly won 3–2 on aggregate, before going on to win the Malaysia Cup. In terms of head-to-head Singapore edge out Selangor with 22 to 19.

Kuala Lumpur City

The rivalry occurred due to the two states' geographical locations. Selangor enjoyed success with triumphs in the league in 1984 and the cup in 1981, 1982, 1984 and 1986, before Kuala Lumpur became a force with three consecutive Malaysia Cup triumphs from 1987 to 1989, winning the league in 1986.

The rekindled rivalry came to a head in the 2021 Malaysia Cup quarter-finals when the renamed Kuala Lumpur City FC beat Selangor which resulted in a pitch invasion from the Kuala Lumpur supporters. Kuala Lumpur then went on to win the 2021 Malaysia Cup.

See also

* Selangor F.C. Women
* Selangor F.C. Futsal

Footnotes

References

External links

*

{{Football in Malaysia

Selangor F.C.
Malaysia Super League clubs
Football clubs in Malaysia
Football clubs in Selangor
1936 establishments in British Malaya
Association football clubs established in 1936