By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Aug 14: Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg wants Kuching City FC to go all the way and win the AFC Champions League Two (ACL2) 2026/2027 after securing a historic place in the continental competition.
He said the team’s progress was evident from its ability to challenge Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), including reaching the 2025-26 Malaysia Cup final against the southern powerhouse.
He further said the performance showed how much Kuching City FC had improved in terms of its playing standard.
“But I think what is important is that the team can now compete at the ASEAN level. We are no longer just a ‘kampung champion’. We can genuinely aspire to become champions at the ASEAN level.
“I hope we can win the AFC Champions League Two in the 2026/2027 season,” he said during the Strategic Partnership Signing Ceremony between Affin Bank Berhad and Kuching City FC at Affin Bank Hikmah Exchange here today.
Kuching City FC secured a historic place in the 2026/2027 AFC Champions League Two after finishing second in the 2025/2026 Malaysia Super League.
Abang Johari recalled that when Sarawak played in the Malaysia League in the early 2000s, crowds at Stadium Negeri could be counted because the standard of football was then very low.
“This was how we came up with the idea of organising the Kuching Football League, with the hope of developing a credible team capable of competing in Malaysian football,” he said.
From those efforts, he said, Sarawak football had progressed to the point where Kuching City FC could now challenge JDT and compete on the continental stage.
Abang Johari said the same ambition should drive the strategic partnership between Affin Bank and Kuching City FC, with both organisations seeking to become champions in their respective fields.
“Kuching FC want to be champions in football. Otherwise, there is no point participating if you do not have that ambition. Affin also wants to be a champion in banking,” he said.
He said the partnership would help both organisations elevate Sarawak’s name beyond the State, likening their ambitions to AirBorneo carrying Sarawak’s colours into the wider region.
“I hope they will soar just like AirBorneo in the sky, carrying the colours of Sarawak,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kuching City FC Executive Chairman Dato Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman said the club’s journey to the regional stage had been more than a decade in the making, with its foundations laid through grassroots football development in Kuching.
He recalled that the journey began in 2012 with the Piala Abang Jo, which helped develop a pool of local players before Kuching went on to win the national Liga Bola Sepak Rakyat in 2015.
He said Abang Johari subsequently urged the team to take the next step and build a side capable of reaching the highest level of Malaysian football.
From competing at the lower levels, Kuching City FC eventually earned promotion to the Super League and began challenging the country’s biggest clubs.
Fazzrudin said the club would now carry the name of Kuching and Sarawak into the regional arena, with its first appearance in the ASEAN Club Championship (Shopee Cup).
At the same time, Affin Group Chief Executive Officer and President Datuk Wan Razly Abdullah said Affin’s partnership with Kuching City FC went beyond conventional sponsorship, with the bank looking to create new opportunities for the club’s supporters, communities and young talents.
As the club’s official banking partner, he said Affin would bring together its financial capabilities and digital expertise with Kuching City FC’s sporting platform to create customer experiences, privileges and community initiatives.
The partnership between Affin and Kuching City FC was formalised today with the signing between Wan Razly and Kuching City FC chief executive officer Iswandi Ali Hassan, witnessed by Abang Johari.
Also present were Sarawak Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah; Affin Bank Berhad independent non-executive director Tan Sri Datuk Amar Abang Iskandar Abang Hasim; and non-independent non-executive director Datu Elean Masa’at. — DayakDaily
