Ali Mustafa (footballer)

Ali Mustafa is a Bruneian former national football player who is currently head coach of the Brunei national under-17 football team.[1]

Ali Mustafa
Ali Mustafa in 2024
Personal information
Full name Muhammad Ali bin Haji Mustafa
Date of birth (1976-05-24) 24 May 1976 (age 48)
Place of birth Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–1999 Brunei
International career
Brunei
Managerial career
2003 Wijaya FC
2004–2014 QAF FC
2006 Brunei
2009 Brunei
2015 Brunei U15
2016 Brunei U17
2016–2017 Brunei (assistant coach)
2018–2023 Kasuka FC
2020 Brunei
2024– Brunei U17
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ali was a midfielder for the Bruneian representative team than played in the Malaysian leagues in the mid-90s. He served as backup to the likes of Said Abdullah, Rosli Liman and Rosaidi Kamis.

After earning his coaching badges, Ali became head coach of Wijaya FC in 2003, then QAF FC in 2004. His tenure lasted more than a decade until his team left the Brunei Super League in 2015, but not before lifting three straight titles from 2005-06 to 2009-10. He subsequently found work with Brunei's governing body of football, NFABD, as the coach of the national under-15s in 2015.[2]

For the 2016 season, Ali coached the Tabuan U17 team in the Brunei Premier League. They replaced the Tabuan U18s led by Kwon Oh-son which became Tabuan U21 in the Brunei Super League. He became assistant coach to Mike Wong in the full national team after the completion of the Premier League season.[3]

In 2020, he was re-appointed as head coach of the Brunei national football team, while still coaching Kasuka FC at club level.[4] He finished his club-level assignment after winning the 2023 Brunei Super League.

International career

edit

As was practice for Brunei's football association to send a club side for international tournaments at the time, due to QAF winning the domestic title in 2006 and 2010 Ali was appointed head coach of the Brunei national football team for the two AFC Challenge Cup campaigns of 2006 and 2009.[5] (Brunei sent DPMM FC for games held in 2008 but the club declined in 2009 due to the hectic S.League schedule.[6]) He only managed one win in 6 matches for the Wasps.

Personal life

edit

His son Khairul Alimin is a former football player who had represented Brunei at youth level.[7][8]

References

edit
  1. ^ "ASEAN Cup U-16 2024 - Pelatih Brunei Beberkan Kondisi Pemainnya yang Masuk UGD Setelah Lawan Vietnam". BolaSport. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Nat'l Under-15 side learn valuable lessons". The Brunei Times. 7 August 2015. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  3. ^ "Brunei lose first friendly". The Brunei Times. 6 October 2016. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  4. ^ "NFABD begins search for players to form national team". Borneo Bulletin. 5 September 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  5. ^ "MS ABDB eyeing revenge against QAF FC". The Brunei Times. 12 November 2009. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  6. ^ "Brunei get green light to play". The Brunei Times. 10 March 2009. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  7. ^ @khairulalimin_ (19 June 2016). "Happy Father's Day". Retrieved 21 June 2021 – via Instagram.
  8. ^ "Brunei U-18 slip to 5-0 defeat to Indonesia". Borneo Bulletin. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2022.