# Kota Ranger FC

Kota Ranger Football Club (Malay: Kelab Bola Sepak Kota Ranger; abbrev: KRFC), formerly Perkota, is a Bruneian football club, playing in the Brunei Super League. It was formed in 1978 and was successful in the late eighties and early nineties, winning the national championships twice. Kota Ranger directly translates to City Ranger in English.
Having won two national championship playoffs, a competition that pitted the four district champions against one another; in 1987 and 1993, Kota Ranger is regarded as one of the most successful clubs from that era. Kota Ranger FC, a dominant force in Brunei football in the 1980s and 1990s, and AM Gunners FC are two club names that may hint at some British influence on the local game.

## History
### Early days

In the 1970s, Perkota was created by Alidon Laidin and his siblings of Kota Batu on the outskirts of Bandar Seri Begawan, overlooking the Brunei Bay. Before focusing on football and changing their name to Kota Ranger FC in 1978, the main sports were perahu racing, badminton, and sepak takraw. This was a result of their accepting players from outside the Kota Batu region as well. They participated in the national championships run by the Brunei Football Association and claimed silverware first in 1987, then secondly in a league championship in 1992.
Regionally, they participated in the 1987 Asian Club Championship and the 1992 Borneo Inter-Club Cup, winning the latter outright. A penalty scored by Momin Ahmad on the 22nd minute of the match between Kota Ranger and Persiba Balikpapan, brought the club to victory. They failed to qualify for the 1992–93 edition of the Asian Club Championship, despite having beaten PKNK F.C. from Malaysia in the first round. A few national players, including Liew Chuan Fue and Rosanan Samak of the 1999 Malaysia Cup team, were from Kota Ranger.

### Decline

Kota Ranger was one of the founding clubs of the B-League in 2002. They were relegated after being in the last place with only one win during the 2004 Premier League, and spent time in the second tier of Brunei football until 2015, when they became league champions and promoted to the Brunei Super League. Norsillmy Taha scored the winning penalty which resulted in a 1–0 victory over Tabuan Muda.

### Revival

Currently their best record in the competition is in the 2017–18 season when they finished runners-up to MS ABDB. In 2019, Kota Ranger claimed their first ever FA Cup triumph, beating MS PDB 2–1, the winner coming in the 89th minute via Nur Asyraffahmi Norsamri after Amir Bujang for the policemen cancelled out an earlier Amalul Said goal. During the 2020 Super Cup, the club went as far as winning the final match 3–1 against MS ABDB at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium. Adi Said's debut followed by him scoring a hat-trick; on the 3rd, 44th and 90th minutes of the match.
The club was leading 1st place in the 2020 Super League when it was unexpectedly postponed and eventually cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the country, ending the tournament with only two matches completed. That following year, the restrictions were lifted and the club would participate in the 2022 FA Cup, Kota Ranger made it into the semi finals of the 2022 FA Cup after winning against KB FC in the quarter-finals. However, they would be defeated by DPMM FC with an aggregated score of 3–0.

## Current squad

    As of 12 January 2025
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 |
| 1 | GK | BRU | Hendra Putera Idris |
| 2 | DF | BRU | Hanif Omar Ali |
| 3 | DF | BRU | Safwan Amaluddin Sabli |
| 4 | DF | BRU | Abdul Aziz Tamit |
| 5 | DF | BRU | Ahmad Hasbullah Alfiandiy |
| 6 | MF | BRU | Amirul Zafrey Norshaney |
| 7 | FW | BRU | Aminuddin Masri |
| 8 | MF | BRU | Habibullah Adanan |
| 9 | MF | BRU | Hazmi Salleh |
| 10 | MF | BRU | Asnawi Syazni Abdul Aziz |
| 11 | FW | BRU | Noorsherzaman Hasan Ahmad |
| 12 | FW | BRU | Qusyairi Arabimulfhasal |
| 13 | FW | BRU | Nasy'rul Wafiy Hassan (on loan from Almerez FC) |
| 14 | MF | BRU | Hafis Mahari |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 15 | FW | BRU | Syazwan Sahrin |
| 16 | MF | BRU | Azim Izamuddin Suhaimi |
| 17 | DF | BRU | Syaherrul Affendy Syahmirul Nizam |
| 18 | FW | BRU | Nur Hidayat Abbas |
| 19 | MF | BRU | Izzat Arif Shahrul Zaman |
| 20 | MF | BRU | Fawzan Abu Kassim |
| 21 | MF | BRU | Abdul Afiq Roslan |
| 22 | DF | BRU | Sholihuddin Jamaludin |
| 23 | MF | BRU | Badrul Anak Bujang (Captain) |
| 24 | DF | BRU | Shah Azahar Abdullah Ahar |
| 25 | GK | BRU | Hasdattul Anirull Rizam |
| 28 | MF | JPN | Shun Kamino |
| 30 | GK | BRU | Ridzuan Muqayyad Mohammad |

## Club officials

| Position | Staff |
| Owner | Abdul Razak Ibrahim |
| Team manager | Mesli Dullah |
| Head coach | Zulkefly Duraman |
| Goalkeeping coach | Ibrahim Abu Bakar |

## Continental record

| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
| 1987 | Asian Club Championship | Group Stage | Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian | 5–1 | 5–1 | 4th |
| 1987 | Asian Club Championship | Group Stage | Federal Territory | 1–8 | 1–8 | | 4th |
| 1987 | Asian Club Championship | Group Stage | Tiong Bahru CSC | 3–2 | 3–2 | | 4th |
| 1992–93 | Asian Club Championship | First Round | PKNK | 1–1 | 5–1 | 6–2 |
| 1992–93 | Asian Club Championship | Second Round | Arseto Solo | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 |
| 1994–95 | Asian Club Championship | Preliminary Round | Negro Rubro | advanced | advanced | advanced |
| 1994–95 | Asian Club Championship | Preliminary Round | Davao City | advanced | advanced | advanced |
| 1994–95 | Asian Club Championship | First Round | Eastern AA | 1–6 | 1–6 | 2–12 |

## Honours

* Brunei Premier League
** Champions (1): 2015
* Brunei Super League
** Runners-up (1): 2017–2018
* National Championship play-off
** Champions (2): 1987, 1993
* Brunei FA Cup
** Champions (1): 2018–2019
** Runners-up (1): 2003
* Piala Sumbangsih
** Champions (1): 2020
* Brunei National Championship
** Champions (1): 1987
* Jasra Trophy League
** Champions (1): 1988–89
* BAFA-Standard Chartered Football League
** Champions (1): 1992
* Borneo Inter-Club Cup
** Champions (1): 1992
* Piza Cup
** Champions (1): 2005
* Piza Cup Charity Shield
** Champions (1): 2006
* Joint Cup Championship
** Champions (1): 2019