2023 Kuching City F.C. season

Kuching City
2023 season
Chairman	Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman
CEO	Iswandi Ali Hassan
Head coach	Aidil Sharin Sahak
Stadium	Sarawak Stadium
Malaysia Super League	13th
Malaysia FA Cup	Second Round
Malaysia Cup	Round of 16
2023 MFL Challenge Cup	Runner Up
Top goalscorer	League: ; Abu Kamara (13 goals); All: ; Abu Kamara (16 goals)
	← 2022 2024-25 →

The 2023 season will be Kuching City's eighth year in existence and their first season in the top flight.^[1] The club are participating in the Malaysia Super League, Malaysia FA Cup, Malaysia Cup & MFL Challenge Cup.^[2]

The club won 2–1 over Kelantan in their first 2023 Malaysia Super League match.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Players

First-team squad

As of 25 February 2023

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	MAS	Andy Nicholas Nipen
2	DF	MAS	Jimmy Raymond
5	DF	BRA	Célio Santos
6	MF	TJK	Nuriddin Davronov
7	FW	LBR	Abu Kamara
8	MF	MAS	Joseph Kalang Tie
9	MF	MAS	Adam Shreen
10	MF	NAM	Petrus Shitembi
11	MF	MAS	Hafis Saperi
12	DF	MAS	Ramesh Lai
13	DF	MAS	Dzulazlan Ibrahim
14	MF	MAS	Amir Amri
17	MF	MAS	Rafiezan Razali
18	MF	MAS	Amirul Shafik
19	MF	MAS	Irwan Syazmin
20	GK	MAS	Shaiful Wazizi
22	MF	MAS	Zahrul Nizwan
25	MF	MAS	Azriddin Rosli


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
28	MF	MAS	Wan Faiz Sulaiman
29	DF	MAS	Arham Khusshairi
31	DF	MAS	Badrul Affendy
32	DF	SRB	Mihailo Jovanović
33	DF	BRA	Aylton Alemão
37	GK	MAS	Wan Azraie
38	MF	BRA	Bruno Dybal
40	DF	MAS	Iskandar Shah
41	DF	MAS	Aiman Joanny
44	MF	MAS	Alif Hassan (captain)
50	MF	MAS	Diego Baggio
64	DF	MAS	Badrul Hisham
77	MF	JPN	Yuki Tanigawa
79	MF	CIV	Dechi Marcel N'Guessan
89	DF	MAS	Mazwandi Zekeria
90	FW	TLS	Pedro Henrique
95	FW	MAS	Rahim Razak
99	FW	MAS	Nurshamil Abd Ghani

Transfers

Transfers in

Pre-season

Position	Player	Transferred To	Team	Ref
GK	Julian Schwarzer	Azkals DT	First Team	Free ^[6]
GK	Norazlan Razali	Melaka United	First Team	Free
DF	Célio Santos	Kasetsart	First Team	Free ^[7]
DF	Mihailo Jovanović	Dinamo Samarqand	First Team	Free ^[7]
DF	Qayyum Marjoni	PIB	First Team	Free
DF	Arham Khussyairi	UiTM	First Team	Free ^[8]
DF	Badrul Afendy	Sabah	First Team	Free
MF	Sirojiddin Kuziev	Neftchi Fergana	First Team	Free ^[7]
MF	Amirul Shafik	Kelantan United	First Team	Free
MF	Zahrul Nizwan	Sarawak United	First Team	Free
MF	Azriddin Rosli	UiTM	First Team	Free
FW	Sudi Abdallah	Muktijoddha Sangsad	First Team	Free

Mid-season

Position	Player	Transferred To	Team	Ref
MF	Dechi Marcel N'Guessan	Kedah Darul Aman F.C.	First Team	Free
MF	Petrus Shitembi	Terengganu FC	First Team	Free
MF	Nuriddin Davronov	Real Kashmir FC	First Team	Free
MF	Bruno Dybal	Persikabo 1973	First Team	Free
FW	Pedro Henrique	Persikabo 1973	First Team	Free
GK	Wan Azraie	PIB	First Team	Free
FW	Rahim Razak	Sarawak United	First Team	Free
FW	Nurshamil Abd Ghani	Kelantan	First Team	Free

Transfer Out

Pre-season

Position	Player	Transferred To	Team	Ref
DF	Sahran Abdul Samad		First Team	Free
DF	Izray Iffarul Roslan		First Team	Free
DF	Che Mat Arif		First Team	Free
DF	Nazrul Abdul Samad		First Team	Free
MF	Gabryel	SHB Da Nang	First Team	Free
MF	Hidhir Idris	Kedah Darul Aman F.C.	First Team	Loan Return
MF	Gabryel	Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz	First Team	Free
MF	Keanu Marsh-Brown	FF Jaro	First Team	Free
MF	Rafiq Shah		First Team	Free
MF	Zainuddin Bohri		First Team	Free
MF	Hafiz Abu Bakar		First Team	Free
MF	Samsu Alam Samad		First Team	Free
FW	Amirrul Iqmal		First Team	Free
FW	Wan Badzreen		First Team	Free

Mid-season

Position	Player	Transferred To	Team	Ref
GK	Julian Schwarzer	Arema F.C.	First Team	Free ^[9]
MF	Sirojiddin Kuziev	PFK Metallurg Bekabad	First Team	Free
FW	Sudi Abdallah	Alittihad Misurata SC	First Team	Free
FW	Michael Ijezie		First Team	Free
GK	Norazlan Razali		First Team	Free
DF	Qayyum Marjoni	Kelantan United	First Team	Free

Pre-season and friendlies

2 February 2023 Friendly	Nagaworld	2–0	Kuching City	Kampong Speu
				Stadium: Kampong Speu Stadium

3 February 2023 Friendly	ISI Dangkor Senchey	0–2	Kuching City	Phnom Penh
				Stadium: AIA Stadium

4 February 2023 Friendly	Phnom Penh Crown	2–2	Kuching City	Phnom Penh
				Stadium: Smart RSN Stadium

5 February 2023 Friendly	Visakha	3–0	Kuching City	Phnom Penh
				Stadium: AIA Stadium

12 February 2023 Friendly	Kuching City	0–3	Sri Pahang	Sarawak
				Stadium: Sarawak State Stadium

13 February 2023 Friendly	Sri Pahang	1–0	Kuching City	Sarawak
				Stadium: Sarawak State Stadium

Competitions

Malaysia Super League

25 February 2023 1	Kelantan	1–2	Kuching City	Kota Bharu
	Cifu 51' Marong 45' Gerald 90+5'	Report	Célio Santos 45' Abdallah 58' Kamara 71' Adam 76'	Stadium: Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium Attendance: 5,138 Referee: Ahmad Zuhaidi Dzulkifli

2 March 2023 2	Kuching City	0–5	Selangor	Kuching
	Adam 29'	Report	Noor 4', 48' Ayron 9' Gan 65' Danial 73' Sharul 84'	Stadium: Sarawak State Stadium Attendance: 18,000 Referee: Noor Azriel Baharudin

6 March 2023 3	Kuching City	1–2	Sabah	Kuching
	Badrul 5' Kamara 45+2', 48'	Report	Saddil 24' Park 44' Castanheira 58'	Stadium: Sarawak State Stadium Attendance: 2,500 Referee: Ahmad Zuhaidi Dzulkifli

12 March 2023 4	Perak	2–0	Kuching City	Ipoh
21:00 UTC+8	Seo 42', 57' Shivan 62'	Report	Alif 62'	Stadium: Perak Stadium Attendance: 3,817 Referee: Mohd Fusser Mad Sallih

17 March 2023 5	Kedah Darul Aman	3–0	Kuching City	Alor Setar
21:00 UTC+08:00	Zahir 28' 49' Hidalgo 58'	Report		Stadium: Darul Aman Stadium Attendance: 7,662 Referee: Zamzaidi Katimin

1 April 2023 6	Kuching City	0–1	PDRM	Kuching
21:15 UTC+8	Dzulazlan 35' Amirul 83'	Report	Safiee 29' Norfiqrie 55' Suzuki 73' Aliff 81' Willfred 83'	Stadium: Sarawak State Stadium Attendance: 292 Referee: Mohd Syukri Azeman

5 April 2023 7	Kuching City	1–1	Kelantan United	Kuching
22:00 UTC+8	Kuziev 52' (pen.) Amirul 87'	Report	Fandi 56' Asraff 90+4'	Stadium: Sarawak State Stadium Attendance: 188 Referee: Firdaus Dahlan

9 April 2023 8	Terengganu	2–0	Kuching City	Kuala Terengganu
22:00 UTC+8	Mintah 22', 53' Shahrul 85'	Report	Kuziyev 29' Hidhir 89'	Stadium: Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium Attendance: 3,584 Referee: Muhammad Khairulsyahmi Ahmad Khalidi

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
10	Penang	26	6	6	14	29	50	−21	24
11	Perak	26	6	4	16	25	55	−30	22
12	Kelantan United	26	4	5	17	29	65	−36	17
13	Kuching City	26	2	6	18	24	51	−27	12
14	Kelantan^[a]	26	2	2	22	29	121	−92	8	Ejected from Malaysian Super League

Source: MFL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored.
Notes:

^ MFL officially snubs Kelantan club licensing approval.

Malaysia FA Cup

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

Players listed with no appearances have been in the matchday squad but only as unused substitutes.

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		League		FA Cup		Malaysia Cup
No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	GK	PHI	Julian Schwarzer	5	0	5	0	0	0	0	0
20	GK	MAS	Shaiful Wazizi	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
21	GK	MAS	Norazlan Razali	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
Defenders
2	DF	MAS	Jimmy Raymond	2	0	1+1	0	0	0	0	0
5	DF	BRA	Célio Santos	3	0	3	0	0	0	0	0
12	DF	MAS	Rames Lai	8	0	4+4	0	0	0	0	0
13	DF	MAS	Dzulazlan Ibrahim	3	0	3	0	0	0	0	0
23	DF	MAS	Qayyum Marjoni	3	0	3	0	0	0	0	0
31	DF	MAS	Badrul Afendy	4	0	2+2	0	0	0	0	0
32	DF	SRB	Mihailo Jovanović	3	0	3	0	0	0	0	0
33	DF	BRA	Aylton Alemão	8	0	8	0	0	0	0	0
64	DF	MAS	Badrul Hisham	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Midfielders
6	MF	UZB	Sirojiddin Kuziev	8	1	6+2	1	0	0	0	0
9	MF	MAS	Adam Shreen	7	0	5+2	0	0	0	0	0
8	MF	MAS	Joseph Kalang Tie	4	0	0+4	0	0	0	0	0
11	MF	MAS	Hidhir Idris	6	0	3+3	0	0	0	0	0
14	MF	MAS	Amir Amri	4	0	2+2	0	0	0	0	0
17	MF	MAS	Rafiezan Razali	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0
18	MF	MAS	Amirul Shafik	7	0	3+4	0	0	0	0	0
22	MF	MAS	Zahrul Nizwan	8	0	6+2	0	0	0	0	0
28	MF	MAS	Wan Faiz	6	0	4+2	0	0	0	0	0
29	MF	MAS	Arham Khussyairi	6	0	4+2	0	0	0	0	0
44	MF	MAS	Alif Hassan	8	0	4+4	0	0	0	0	0
77	MF	JPN	Yuki Tanigawa	6	0	6	0	0	0	0	0
Forwards
7	FW	LBR	Abu Kamara	8	2	6+2	2	0	0	0	0
10	FW	NGA	Michael Ijezie	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0
70	FW	BDI	Sudi Abdallah	4	1	3+1	1	0	0	0	0
Out on Loan
Left the Club during the Season

Last updated: 9 April 2023
Source: Competitions, Soccerway.com

References

^ "Team player". FAM-CMS. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
^ "Kuching City FC pilih berlatih di Kemboja". bharian.com.my. Berita Harian. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
^ "Irfan Bakti Tak Sangka Tewaskan Kelantan". makanbola.com. Makan Bola. 26 February 2023.
^ "Hilang fokus, belum serasi punca Kelantan tewas". bharian.com.my. Berita Harian. 26 February 2023.
^ "'Gelombang merah' gagal bangkitkan semangat Kelantan FC". utusan.com.my. Utusan Malaysia. 25 February 2023.
^ "'Tak Cukup Tinggi Untuk Berkarier Di Eropah' – Anak Mark Schwarzer, Julian Kini Pemain Kuching City". semuanyabola.com. Semuanya BOLA. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "New imports set to bolster Kuching City's Super League 2023 campaign". theborneopost.com. Borneo Post Online. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
^ "Arham Khussyairi joins The Cats". sarawakcrocs.com. SarawakCrocs. 8 January 2023.
^ "Arema FC Resmikan Julian Schwarzer". Arema F.C. 20 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.

[table_note_KEL0.75407134450696-10] MFL officially snubs Kelantan club licensing approval.

[1] "Team player". FAM-CMS. Retrieved 7 February 2023.

[2] "Kuching City FC pilih berlatih di Kemboja". bharian.com.my. Berita Harian. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.

[3] "Irfan Bakti Tak Sangka Tewaskan Kelantan". makanbola.com. Makan Bola. 26 February 2023.

[4] "Hilang fokus, belum serasi punca Kelantan tewas". bharian.com.my. Berita Harian. 26 February 2023.

[5] "'Gelombang merah' gagal bangkitkan semangat Kelantan FC". utusan.com.my. Utusan Malaysia. 25 February 2023.

[6] "'Tak Cukup Tinggi Untuk Berkarier Di Eropah' – Anak Mark Schwarzer, Julian Kini Pemain Kuching City". semuanyabola.com. Semuanya BOLA. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.

[3_Imports-7] "New imports set to bolster Kuching City's Super League 2023 campaign". theborneopost.com. Borneo Post Online. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.

[8] "Arham Khussyairi joins The Cats". sarawakcrocs.com. SarawakCrocs. 8 January 2023.

[9] "Arema FC Resmikan Julian Schwarzer". Arema F.C. 20 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.

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