KUCHING: The success of Kuching City FC (KCFC) in advancing to the ASEAN and Asian football stages proves that Sarawak is no longer merely a “village champion”, but is capable of competing at the international level.

Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg said the development of Sarawak football has shown significant improvement compared with the 2000s, when attendance at the State Stadium remained low due to the standard of play at the time not being at an impressive level.

According to him, this situation led to efforts to develop the Kuching Football League as a platform to produce a team capable of competing in Malaysian football.

“Alhamdulillah, our football has now reached a level where KCFC is able to compete against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT).

“Johor, as we know, are the champions, but we were able to reach the final against Johor and only lost in the final moments. Hopefully, something even better will come after this.

“This shows that our football team has improved in terms of performance,” he said.

He made the remarks during his speech at the Strategic Cooperation Signing Ceremony between KCFC and AFFIN Group at the AFFIN Regional and Corporate Office at Hikmah Exchange here on Friday.

Datuk Patinggi Abang Zohari added that it was even more encouraging that KCFC now has the opportunity to test its capabilities at the ASEAN and Asian levels through the ASEAN Club Shopee Cup™️ 2026/2027 and the AFC Champions League Two 2026/2027.

He said participation in both tournaments would provide KCFC with opportunities to compete against leading clubs from Southeast Asia and across Asia, while elevating Sarawak’s name to a higher level.

“I think the important thing is that our team can compete at the ASEAN level, so we are no longer a ‘kampung champion’(village champion). We play to win, and hopefully we can become ASEAN champions and even win the AFC Champions League Two 2026/2027 in the future,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Sarawak Premier added that AFFIN and KCFC share the same aspiration of achieving excellence in their respective fields.

He said KCFC has the vision of becoming champions in football, while AFFIN aims for excellence as a leader in the banking sector, with both organisations playing their respective roles in bringing Sarawak’s name to a higher level.

He added that the strategic cooperation would not only serve as a strategy to strengthen KCFC’s development but would also support AFFIN’s growth as a banking institution. -UKASnews

Prepared by: Ahmad Daniel Faiz
Photos: Ibanez Jeffery
Translator: Uilson Ng