“Vamos Romel, vamos!”
Exclaimed Mr. Raúl Sánchez, of the Colombian Embassy in Malaysia, from the stands of the Kuala Lumpur FA Cheras Stadium, rallying for his compatriot Romel Morales, KL City FC’s canny midfielder, during the AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal Final match against PSM Makassar on a sweltering Wednesday evening last week.
Mr. Sánchez, along with other foreign diplomatic corps in attendance, were part of a star-studded crowd, cheering for the club as they made history that evening by emerging as the first ever Malaysian victors in the ASEAN Zonal Final, showcasing the divergent fortunes (and misfortunes) the club had experienced in recent years.
Similar as to how Malaysia’s visionary leaders transformed the old backwater of Kuala Lumpur into a dream metropolis renowned the world over, the same could be said for KL City FC; from the management, coaches, players and faithfuls alike.
The club’s incredible rise was first witnessed in November 2021 when they brought home the coveted Malaysia Cup, defying all odds to beat Malaysian football goliaths Johor Darul Ta’zim in the final and securing their berth in the AFC Cup competition this year.
But despite ending the year on a high note, many continued to rank them as outsiders, never a contender in the league. Making huge strides in the AFC Cup would have been a utopian dream, if not entering a Gehenna from which they may never recover.
Yet they were triumphant and won the hearts of Malaysians during the AFC Cup group stage; avid fans, neutrals and today, foreign government representatives, all loving and rooting for the underdogs.
Many had presumed that the other Malaysian side in the competition, Kedah, was better placed for success, given their reputation and overall experience.
For KL City, it was the prosaic “learn from the experience” excursion as far as their own supporters were concerned. But where Kedah failed, KL City succeeded in showing the Southeast Asian football fraternity which club owned the ASEAN region.
Like the city in which it resides, KL City FC is an amalgamation of people who wanted to showcase their talents – people looking for a fresh start, and people who “never stood a chance”.
That itself symbolizes the club, a collection of players and coaches that came from many other teams in Malaysia, seeking another shot to rebuild their careers, hoping for a lucky break and possibly silverware.
As the saying goes, life is not determined by the cards you are dealt with but rather how you play them.
Stanley Bernard, the CEO of KL City FC, had his football career cruelly truncated by injuries, but like a deft card player, he turned a bad hand into a pile of high-denominated chips.
He kept himself as close as he can to the game without actually stepping onto the field, donning different hats ranging from television analyst and commentator to working with the Malaysian Football League (MFL).
In late 2020, he landed his current gig which has a poetic symmetry to it as KL was the club where he started his playing career. He then gathered and bandied together a group of different people, coaches and players alike, and just like himself, provided them with the second chance they longed for.
He made them believe in themselves again, placing his faith in an unemployed coach whose wife had enough of him staying at home, and in the process, helped the Malaysian players earn stints with the national team.
All this, in addition to a domestic title, achieved in the same year he took charge of running the club.
Stanley Bernard may have not brought success to KL City as a player, but as its CEO, he has only propelled them further.
The same could be said for Bojan Hodak, their Croatian head coach, regarded as the most forthright coach in the Malaysian league. Despite his sparkling resume, mostly accomplishments during his initial years in Malaysia, the successful streak somehow deserted him as he moved elsewhere. But together with Stanley, he made the “unfashionable” side of Kuala Lumpur dapper again, just like the bustling city.
With Stanley and Bojan came the tailor-made players that made their ascend remarkable.
If asked to define loyalty, a search in the club’s lexicon would point towards Paulo Josue, the club captain and loyal servant from Brazil who had stayed the course through thick and thin since 2017, withstanding the challenges and eventual relegation they had to endure in 2019. From their darkest days to their best of times, Paulo had always been there to experience it all.
The club’s most recent installation, Jordan Mintah, was a proven AFC Cup goalscorer with Kaya Futbol Club of the Philippines but was not even a first-team contender for the club that he joined after, Terengganu FC.
But the Ghanaian was willing to be loaned out from a bigger club, wanting to prove his worth again in a competition where his shooting boots once reigned. In the match against PSM Makassar, he showed that he was back again in Godzone.
The Malaysian players in Akram Mahinan, Kamal Azizi, Zhafri Yahya and the rest completes the legion of hopefuls. From being disregarded and unrecognizable to most, they are now mainstream stars, ready for their moment to don the hallowed jersey of Malaysia’s national team.
Finally, its fans. For its residents Kuala Lumpur is a city of contrasts; from living in its ultra-modern milieu to savouring its humble offerings. Walk a few blocks away from the city’s glistening skyscrapers and you’ll see people reveling in street food by antiquated roadside stalls.
Yet, despite their embrace of those contrasts, their taste in football remains divided.
While Kuala Lumpur’s highly affluent society has steered clear of local football – preferring the European variety – it’s the exceptional support of its working class that has helped a modest club like KL City punch above their weight. But judging from their success in the Malaysia Cup last year and now, a prolonged run in the AFC Cup, that “football gap” is about to be reduced.
With the continuation of their AFC Cup journey, KL City will be enjoying support that transcends beyond the city they represent. Their successful outing is a testament of how far Malaysian club football has come. No longer the region’s “bashing boys” or treating regional competitions as mere sideshows, KL City has shown that they have come to conquer it.
But like any underdog story, the ultimate question is whether they will have a fairy tale ending, with Paulo Josue jubilantly hoisting the AFC Cup later this year. One thing is for sure, the motley crew that is KL City FC will not roll over and surrender.
PHOTO: twitter/KLCityFootball
Listen to Episode 91 of The Asian Game Podcast as we talk in-depth with KL City FC defender Giancarlo Gallifuoco
