# 2021 Kedah Darul Aman F.C. season

The 2021 season was Kedah Darul Aman's 13th season in the Malaysia Super League since the league's inception in 2004.

## Management team

| Position | Name |
| Head coach | Aidil Sharin |
| Assistant head coach | Victor Andrag |
| Assistant coach | Abdul Hadi Abdul Hamid |
| Goalkeeper coach | Khairul Azman Mohamed |
| Fitness coach | Azmi Ibrahim |
| Team doctor | Dr. Jasminder Singh |
| Physiotherapist | Muhammad Nur'Illya Samsuddin |
| Medical officer | Mohd Shahrizal Mohd Nadzir |

## Players

| No. | Name | Date of birth (Age) | Last club | Contract since | Contract ends |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| 1 | Ilham Amirullah | (1994-02-26) 26 February 1994 (age 31) | Terengganu | 2021 | 2021 |
| 18 | Ifwat Akmal | (1996-08-10) 10 August 1996 (age 28) | Youth team | 2016 | |
| 55 | Shahril Saa'ri | (1990-03-07) 7 March 1990 (age 34) | PDRM | 2020 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| 3 | Rodney Celvin | (1996-11-25) 25 November 1996 (age 28) | Selangor | 2021 | 2021 |
| 13 | Fairuz Zakaria | (1997-05-25) 25 May 1997 (age 27) | Penang | 2021 | 2021 |
| 15 | Rizal Ghazali | (1992-10-01) 1 October 1992 (age 32) | Perlis | 2014 | |
| 17 | Syazwan Tajudin | (1994-01-07) 7 January 1994 (age 31) | Kuala Lumpur City | 2021 | 2021 |
| 27 | Ariff Farhan | (1996-07-14) 14 July 1996 (age 28) | FELDA United | 2021 | 2021 |
| 36 | Renan Alves | (1992-12-17) 17 December 1992 (age 32) | Borneo | 2019 | 2021 |
| 71 | Fandi Othman | (1992-04-25) 25 April 1992 (age 32) | Kuala Lumpur City | 2021 | 2021 |
| 98 | Loqman Hakim | (1998-01-22) 22 January 1998 (age 27) | Youth team | 2020 | 2021 |
| Midfielders |||||||
| 4 | Asnan Ahmad | (1993-05-03) 3 May 1993 (age 31) | Terengganu | 2021 | 2021 |
| 6 | Anumanthan Kumar | (1994-07-14) 14 July 1994 (age 30) | Hougang United | 2021 | |
| 7 | Baddrol Bakhtiar (captain) | (1988-02-01) 1 February 1988 (age 37) | Youth team | 2005 | 2021 |
| 8 | Rabih Ataya | (1989-07-16) 16 July 1989 (age 35) | UiTM | 2021 | 2021 |
| 14 | Tam Sheang Tsung | (1995-05-24) 24 May 1995 (age 29) | Sagan Tosu Youth Team | 2020 | 2021 |
| 16 | Amirul Hisyam | (1995-05-05) 5 May 1995 (age 29) | Harimau Muda B | 2015 | 2021 |
| 19 | Aiman Afif | (2001-02-18) 18 February 2001 (age 24) | Youth team | 2020 | 2021 |
| 20 | Fadzrul Danel | (1998-01-14) 14 January 1998 (age 27) | Youth team | 2019 | 2021 |
| 21 | Fayadh Zulkifli | (1998-09-14) 14 September 1998 (age 26) | Youth team | 2019 | 2021 |
| 22 | Syazwan Zainon | (1989-11-13) 13 November 1989 (age 35) | Selangor | 2021 | 2021 |
| 77 | Azamuddin Akil | (1985-04-16) 16 April 1985 (age 39) | Selangor | 2019 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| 9 | Kpah Sherman | (1992-02-03) 3 February 1992 (age 33) | PKNS | 2020 | 2021 |
| 10 | Kipré Tchétché | (1987-12-16) 16 December 1987 (age 37) | Terengganu | 2020 | 2021 |
| 45 | Fikhri Zulkiflee | (1999-01-22) 22 January 1999 (age 26) | Youth team | 2020 | 2021 |
| Players who left / loan to other club during the season |||||||
| 29 | Farhan Roslan | (1996-12-03) 3 December 1996 (age 28) | Youth team | 2014 | 2021 |
| 30 | Zulkhairi Zulkeply | (1995-05-02) 2 May 1995 (age 29) | UiTM | 2020 | 2021 |
| 11 | Rozaimi Rahman | (1992-06-11) 11 June 1992 (age 32) | Johor Darul Ta'zim II | 2021 | 2021 |

### Under-22s registered with first team

| N | Pos. | Name | Age |
| 19 | MF | Aiman Afif | 20 |
| 40 | MF | Zhafir Yusoff | 22 |
| 41 | GK | Wan Syazmin Ruzaimi | 22 |
| 42 | DF | Kamil Akmal | 22 |
| 43 | DF | Heshamudin Ahmad | 22 |
| 44 | FW | Afeeq Iqmal | 22 |
| 45 | FW | Fikhri Zulkiflee | 22 |
| 46 | DF | Fareez Amirul | 21 |
| 47 | MF | Akhmall Alias | 22 |

## Transfers and contracts
### Transfers in

Pre-season
| No. | Pos | Player | Transferred from | Source |
| 1 | GK | Ilham Amirullah | Terengganu | Free |
| | DF | Asri Mardzuki | Police | Loan return |
| 13 | DF | Fairuz Zakaria | Penang | Free |
| 71 | DF | Fandi Othman | Kuala Lumpur City | Free |
| 17 | DF | Syazwan Tajudin | Kuala Lumpur City | Free |
| 27 | MF | Ariff Farhan | FELDA United | Free |
| | MF | Hidhir Idris | Police | Loan return |
| 22 | MF | Syazwan Zainon | Selangor | Free |
| 6 | MF | Anumanthan Kumar | Hougang United | Free |
| | FW | Thanabalan Nadarajah | Perak II | Free |
| 11 | FW | Rozaimi Rahman | Johor Darul Ta'zim II | Free |
| 3 | DF | Rodney Celvin | Selangor | Season loan |
| 8 | MF | Rabih Ataya | Ahed | Season loan |
Mid-season
| No. | Pos | Player | Transferred from | Source |
| 4 | MF | Asnan Ahmad | Terengganu | Undisclosed |

### Transfers out

Pre-season
| No. | Pos | Player | Transferred to | Source |
| 1 | GK | Azri Ghani | Perak | Free |
| 33 | GK | Asri Muhamad | Police | Free |
| 17 | DF | Irfan Zakaria | Kuala Lumpur City | Free |
| 13 | DF | Khairul Helmi | Melaka United | Free |
| 27 | DF | Hadin Azman | Kuala Lumpur City | Free |
| 5 | DF | Norfiqrie Talib | Released | Released |
| 11 | DF | Shakir Hamzah | Perak | Free |
| 14 | DF | Alif Yusof | Released | Released |
| 93 | MF | Amin Nazari | United City | Free |
| 6 | MF | David Rowley | Penang | Free |
| 8 | FW | Zaquan Adha | Negeri Sembilan | Free |
| 14 | FW | Thanabalan Nadarajah | | Free |
| 99 | FW | Aminuddin Abu Bakar | Released | Released |
| 29 | MF | Farhan Roslan | Perak | Season loan |
Mid-season
| No. | Pos | Player | Transferred to | Source |
| 30 | MF | Zulkhairi Zulkeply | Released | Released |
| 11 | FW | Rozaimi Rahman | | Free |

#### Extension of contract

| Pos | Player | Source |
| Head coach | Aidil Sharin | 2 years contract signed in 2020 until 2022 |

#### Retained

| Pos | Player | Source |
| GK | Shahril Saa'ri | |
| GK | Ifwat Akmal | |
| DF | Renan Alves | 3 years contract signed in 2019 |
| DF | Rizal Ghazali | |
| DF | Loqman Hakim | |
| DF | Zulkhairi Zulkeply | |
| MF | Fadzrul Danel | 3 years contract signed in 2019 |
| MF | Fayadh Zulkifli | 3 years contract signed in 2019 |
| MF | Azamuddin Akil | |
| MF | Aiman Afif | |
| MF | Amirul Hisyam | |
| MF | Baddrol Bakhtiar | |
| MF | Farhan Roslan | |
| MF | Tam Sheang Tsung | |
| FW | Kpah Sherman | 1 year contract signed in 2020 |
| FW | Kipré Tchétché | 1 year contract signed in 2020 |
| FW | Faizat Ghazli | |

## Friendlies

Pre-season
Mid-season

## Competitions
### Malaysia Super League
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Johor Darul Ta'zim (C) | 22 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 50 | 9 | +41 | 57 | Qualification for AFC Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Kedah Darul Aman | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 44 | 28 | +16 | 43 | Qualification for AFC Cup group stage |
| 3 | Penang | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 37 | 30 | +7 | 41 | |
| 4 | Terengganu | 22 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 33 | 20 | +13 | 38 | |
| 5 | Selangor | 22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 45 | 30 | +15 | 36 | |

#### Fixtures and results

Win  Draw  Loss

### Malaysia Cup
#### Group stage

The draw for the group stage was held on 15 September 2021.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MEL | KED | KLU | NSE |
| 1 | Melaka United | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 5 | +10 | 16 | Quarter-finals | — | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 |
| 2 | Kedah Darul Aman | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 6 | +7 | 12 | Quarter-finals | 1–3 | — | 3–0 | 3–0 |
| 3 | Kelantan United | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 12 | −4 | 4 | | 3–3 | 1–3 | — | 0–1 |
| 4 | Negeri Sembilan | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 14 | −13 | 3 | Withdrew | 0–3 | 0–3 | 0–3 | — |
* 1 2 3 4 5 Negeri Sembilan withdrew from the tournament on 22 October 2021, after 20 players and 4 staff members had caught the Coronavirus, this prompted them to withdraw for the safety of all parties and were advised by the team's medical doctor. As according to MFL's rule book, all of Negeri Sembilan's remaining matches will be awarded a 3–0 win to the opposing team.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000195-QINU`"'

#### Quarter-finals

Johor Darul Ta'zim won 1–0 on aggregate.

### AFC Cup

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | KED | LIO | SGN | PPR |
| 1 | Kedah Darul Aman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | Cancelled | — | Cancelled |
| 2 | Lion City Sailors | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | Cancelled | — |
| 3 | Saigon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Cancelled | — | — | Cancelled |
| 4 | Persipura Jayapura | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | Cancelled | — | — |
Win  Draw  Loss

#### Group stage
## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

Players with no appearances not included in the list.
    As of match played 23 Nov 2021
| No. | Pos. | Name | League | League | Malaysia Cup | Malaysia Cup | Total | Total |
| No. | Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1 | GK | Ilham Amirullah | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | Rodney Celvin | 14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | Asnan Ahmad | 2(2) | 0 | 4(2) | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | Anumanthan Kumar | 18(3) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 1 |
| 7 | MF | Baddrol Bakhtiar | 21 | 7 | 5(1) | 1 | 27 | 8 |
| 8 | MF | Rabih Ataya | 18 | 2 | 3(1) | 0 | 22 | 2 |
| 9 | FW | Kpah Sherman | 17 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 22 | 14 |
| 10 | FW | Kipré Tchétché | 21 | 10 | 4(1) | 1 | 26 | 11 |
| 13 | DF | Fairuz Zakaria | 7(5) | 0 | 2(2) | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | Tam Sheang Tsung | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | Rizal Ghazali | 20 | 0 | 5(1) | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | Amirul Hisyam | 15(5) | 1 | 2(3) | 0 | 25 | 1 |
| 17 | DF | Syazwan Tajudin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | GK | Ifwat Akmal | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | Aiman Afif | 0(3) | 0 | 1(3) | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | Fadzrul Danel | 3(12) | 0 | 4(2) | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | Fayadh Zulkifli | 1(20) | 4 | 2(4) | 0 | 27 | 4 |
| 22 | MF | Syazwan Zainon | 10(4) | 2 | 6 | 2 | 20 | 4 |
| 23 | MF | Faizat Ghazli | 10(6) | 1 | 0(1) | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| 27 | MF | Ariff Farhan | 14(1) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| 36 | DF | Renan Alves | 12 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| 44 | FW | Afeeq Iqmal | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 45 | FW | Fikhri Zulkiflee | 0(2) | 1 | 0(2) | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 55 | GK | Shahril Saa'ri | 15(2) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| 71 | DF | Fandi Othman | 4(3) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 77 | MF | Azamuddin Akil | 2(15) | 0 | 0(2) | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| 98 | DF | Loqman Hakim | 8(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Players transferred out during the season |||||||||
| 11 | FW | Rozaimi Rahman | 2(7) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 30 | DF | Zulkhairi Zulkeply | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |