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
MFL Challenge Cup	Runner-up
Top goalscorer	League: Abu Kamara (13 goals) All: Abu Kamara (16 goals)
Average home league attendance	2,423
←  2022 2024–25  →

The 2023 season was 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, the Malaysia FA Cup, the Malaysia Cup and the MFL Challenge Cup. ^[2]

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

Coaching staff

• Head coach: Aidil Sharin Sahak
• Assistant head coach: Firdaus Morshidi
• Assistant coach: Zulkarnien Mohd Poasa
• Goalkeeper coach: Mohd Azley Abdullah

Players

First-team squad

As of 25 February 2023

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   MAS Andy Nicholas 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 Faiz Wan Sulaiman 29 DF   MAS Arham Khussyairi 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

Nagaworld v Kuching City

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

ISI Dangkor Senchey v Kuching City

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

Phnom Penh Crown v Kuching City

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

Visakha v Kuching City

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

Kuching City v Sri Pahang

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

Sri Pahang v Kuching City

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

Competitions

Malaysia Super League

Main article: 2023 Malaysia Super League

Kelantan v Kuching City

25 February 20231	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

Kuching City v Selangor

2 March 20232	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

Kuching City v Sabah

6 March 20233	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

Perak v Kuching City

12 March 20234	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

Kedah Darul Aman v Kuching City

17 March 20235	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

Kuching City v PDRM

1 April 20236	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

Kuching City v Kelantan United

5 April 20237	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

Terengganu v Kuching City

9 April 20238	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

Kuching City v Sri Pahang

18 April 20239	Kuching City	0–1	Sri Pahang
		Report

Penang v Kuching City

27 April 202310	Penang	2–1	Kuching City
		Report

Kuching City v Johor Darul Ta'zim

19 May 202311	Kuching City	0–4	Johor Darul Ta'zim
		Report

Kuala Lumpur City v Kuching City

24 May 202312	Kuala Lumpur City	1–1	Kuching City
		Report

Kuching City v Negeri Sembilan

4 June 202313	Kuching City	1–1	Negeri Sembilan
		Report

Selangor v Kuching City

3 July 202314	Selangor	2–1	Kuching City
		Report

Sabah v Kuching City

8 July 202315	Sabah	4–3	Kuching City
		Report

Kuching City v Perak

16 July 202316	Kuching City	1–2	Perak
		Report

Kuching City v Kelantan

21 July 202317	Kuching City	2–2	Kelantan
		Report

Kuching City v Kedah Darul Aman

29 July 202318	Kuching City	0–1	Kedah Darul Aman
		Report

Kuching City v Terengganu

26 August 202319	Kuching City	0–2	Terengganu
		Report

Kelantan Darul Naim v Kuching City

4 September 202320	Kelantan Darul Naim	2–1	Kuching City
		Report

Sri Pahang v Kuching City

30 September 202321	Sri Pahang	3–2	Kuching City
		Report

PDRM v Kuching City

8 October 202322	PDRM	1–1	Kuching City
		Report

Kuching City v Penang

28 October 202323	Kuching City	0–0	Penang
		Report

Johor Darul Ta'zim v Kuching City

23 November 202324	Johor Darul Ta'zim	2–0	Kuching City
		Report

Kuching City v Kuala Lumpur City

10 December 202325	Kuching City	2–3	Kuala Lumpur City
		Report

Negeri Sembilan v Kuching City

17 December 202326	Negeri Sembilan	1–4	Kuching City
		Report

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:

1. MFL officially snubs Kelantan club licensing approval.

Malaysia FA Cup

Main article: 2023 Malaysia FA Cup

Kuching City v Penang

15 April 2023Second round	Kuching City	0–4	Penang
		Report

Malaysia Cup

Main article: 2023 Malaysia Cup

Round of 16

Kuching City v Sabah

5 August 2023First leg	Kuching City	0–3	Sabah
		Report

Sabah v Kuching City

19 August 2023Second leg	Sabah	1–1 (4–1 agg.)	Kuching City
		Report

MFL Challenge Cup

Main article: 2023 MFL Challenge Cup

Quarter-finals

Kuching City v Kedah Darul Aman

19 September 2023First leg	Kuching City	1–0	Kedah Darul Aman
		Report

Kedah Darul Aman v Kuching City

4 October 2023Second leg	Kedah Darul Aman	0–3 (0–4 agg.)	Kuching City
		Report

Semi-finals

Kuching City v Kelantan Darul Naim

22 October 2023First leg	Kuching City	1–1	Kelantan Darul Naim
		Report

Kelantan Darul Naim v Kuching City

4 November 2023Second round	Kelantan Darul Naim	0–2 (1–3 agg.)	Kuching City
		Report

Final

PDRM v Kuching City

29 November 2023First leg	PDRM	3–0	Kuching City
		Report

Kuching City v PDRM

3 December 2023Second leg	Kuching City	1–1 (1–4 agg.)	PDRM
		Report

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		Challenge Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Goalkeepers
20	GK	MAS	Shaiful Wazizi	13	0	10+1	0	0	0	2	0	0	0
21	GK	MAS	Norazlan Razali	5	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
37	GK	MAS	Wan Azraie	13	0	6	0	1	0	0	0	6	0
Defenders
2	DF	MAS	Jimmy Raymond	26	0	17+1	0	0	0	2	0	6	0
5	DF	BRA	Célio Santos	14	0	11+2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
12	DF	MAS	Rames Lai	28	1	15+7	0	1	0	2	1	1+2	0
13	DF	MAS	Dzulazlan Ibrahim	10	0	4+4	0	0	0	0	0	0+2	0
23	DF	MAS	Qayyum Marjoni	5	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
31	DF	MAS	Badrul Afendy	10	0	6+3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
32	DF	SRB	Mihailo Jovanović	18	0	14+1	0	0	0	2	0	1	0
33	DF	BRA	Aylton Alemão	23	0	17+1	0	1	0	0	0	3+1	0
40	DF	MAS	Iskandar Shah	11	0	3+3	0	0	0	1	0	1+3	0
41	DF	MAS	Aiman Joanny	11	0	4+1	0	0	0	0+1	0	5	0
64	DF	MAS	Badrul Hisham	3	0	1+2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Midfielders
6	MF	TJK	Nuriddin Davronov	8	0	4+1	0	0	0	0	0	1+2	0
8	MF	MAS	Joseph Kalang Tie	7	0	1+6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	MF	MAS	Adam Shreen	13	0	10+2	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0
10	MF	NAM	Petrus Shitembi	13	1	7	0	0	0	0	0	6	1
11	MF	MAS	Hidhir Idris	11	0	6+4	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
14	MF	MAS	Amir Amri	27	2	9+9	2	0+1	0	2	0	4+2	0
17	MF	MAS	Rafiezan Razali	3	0	0+2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
18	MF	MAS	Amirul Shafik	15	0	6+7	0	0	0	0	0	1+1	0
22	MF	MAS	Zahrul Nizwan	30	1	9+13	1	1	0	1	0	0+6	0
25	MF	MAS	Azriddin Rosli	5	0	3+2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
28	MF	MAS	Wan Faiz	11	0	5+5	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
29	MF	MAS	Arham Khussyairi	17	0	9+2	0	1	0	0	0	3+2	0
38	MF	BRA	Bruno Dybal	11	4	4+2	2	0	0	0	0	3+2	2
42	MF	MAS	Abang Azri Fikri	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
43	MF	MAS	Alauddin Farid Atan	2	0	0+2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
44	MF	MAS	Alif Hassan	31	0	17+6	0	0+1	0	2	0	5	0
45	MF	MAS	Azuanie Jasman	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
50	MF	MAS	Diego Baggio	17	0	5+7	0	0	0	0+1	0	2+2	0
77	MF	JPN	Yuki Tanigawa	33	2	23+1	2	1	0	2	0	6	0
79	MF	CIV	Dechi Marcel N'Guessan	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
95	MF	MAS	Rahim Razak	6	0	2+1	0	0	0	0+1	0	1+1	0
Forwards
7	FW	LBR	Abu Kamara	30	16	19+3	13	1	0	1+1	0	5	3
70	FW	BDI	Sudi Abdallah	8	1	4+3	1	0+1	0	0	0	0	0
90	FW	TLS	Pedro Henrique	18	4	9+1	2	0	0	1+1	0	6	2
99	FW	MAS	Nurshamil Abd Ghani	11	0	2+5	0	0	0	0+2	0	1+1	0
Left the Club during the Season
1	GK	PHI	Julian Schwarzer	5	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	MF	UZB	Sirojiddin Kuziev	14	1	7+4	1	1	0	1+1	0	0	0
10	FW	NGA	Michael Ijezie	3	0	0+1	0	0+1	0	1	0	0	0

Last updated: 17 December 2023
Source: Competitions, Soccerway.com

References

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.
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.