WITH a Scotsman in charge, Brunei club DPMM FC have promised fierce competition by boldly targeting a top-six finish in the 2025/2026 Super League season, which begins in August.
DPMM FC general manager Md Ali Momin said discussions are underway to ensure the team, under the leadership of head coach James McAllister of Scotland, are well-prepared, including the signing of Malaysian footballers.
He said so far, based on the plan, the club will register about seven imports and 15 Brunei players.
“With the agreement of the Malaysian Football League (MFL), Malaysian players can feature for Brunei (as local players), which is an advantage.
“There may be some key positions that we need to fill, perhaps two or three (Malaysian) players that we must secure,“ he told a press conference after the signing ceremony of DPMM FC’s participation agreement in the 2025-2028 Malaysia League (M-League) here today.
Also present were MFL president Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan, MFL acting chief executive officer Mohd Shazli Shaik Mohd and FIFA (International Football Federation) Council member Tan Sri Hamidin Mohd Amin.
Md Ali said DPMM FC are excited to compete in the M-League which has a big brand and a large fan base in the country.
“We will try to compete with the likes of Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) and Selangor, maybe in the beginning we will struggle a little, because we have long left the M-League, (however) we will try to give fierce competition to all the clubs (in the league),“ he said.
As such, he hopes that the quality of players could be further improved and the bilateral relationship between the two countries strengthened through DPMM FC’s participation in the M-League.
Meanwhile, Mohd Shazli said that the participation of DPMM FC thus makes it a total of 14 clubs that will play in the 2025-2026 Super League season so far.
“For the MFL, the presence of DPMM FC is an added value to the M-League and all local fans are aware of the football history that Brunei has etched.
“... certainly with Brunei’s presence it will make the M-League more competitive and have more commercial value,“ he said.
The MFL was previously quoted as saying that DPMM FC would play as an invited club after receiving approval from FIFA.
According to MFL, the club is no stranger to local football competitions and once participated in the Malaysia Cup in 1979 before joining the Semi-Pro League in 1989.
The team also won the 1999 Malaysia Cup after beating Sarawak 2-1 at the Merdeka Stadium and finished third in the 2005-2006 Super League.
