 | |||
| Full name | Majlis Perbandaran Petaling Jaya Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Black Widows | ||
| Founded | 1992; 33 years ago (1992) | ||
| Dissolved | 31 August 2006; 18 years ago (2006-08-31) | ||
| Ground | MPPJ Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 25,000 | ||
| Owner | Petaling Jaya Municipal Council | ||
Majlis Perbandaran Petaling Jaya Football Club, orPetaling Jaya Municipal Council Football Club, commonly known asMPPJ FC, was a Malaysianfootball club, which was based inPetaling Jaya,Selangor. The club's home ground was the 25,000 capacityMPPJ Stadium. The club used to play in the top division of Malaysian football, theMalaysia Super League until its final season in2005–06 Malaysia Super League.
The club is known as the first club among other football team in Malaysia to win the prestigiousMalaysia Cup in 2003.[1] The club also has managed to become the champions of2004 Malaysia Premier League and won the 2004Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Cup.
The club was owned by the Petaling Jaya Municipal Council which now known asPetaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ).
The club's nickname isThe Black Widows and the club regular kit colours was blue and white for shirts, shorts and socks.
In the 1990s, MPPJ FC moved up along the ranks of the lower leagues, winning theSelangor state league in 1999.[2] From 2000 to 2002, the club played in the nationwide amateur championshipFAM Cup. MPPJ FC was promoted to the second division of Malaysian football, theMalaysia Premier League 2 for2002 season.
The pinnacle of their success was when the club won theMalaysia Cup in 2003, beatingSabah 3–0 with a hat-trick by the arrow-shooting, 50-goal a season, saint ('el Santo') of MPPJ FC,Juan Manuel Arostegui.[3][4] In doing so, they became the first club side to win the competition (all previous winners had been sides representing state football associations).
In the next year's Malaysia Cup, the club failed to defend their title when they were knocked out at the group stage.[5] But MPPJ FC continued their ascent in the league when they were promoted to the top-tier league, the newly foundedMalaysia Super League in 2005. In their first year, they finished 5th of the 8-team league.
From the top of Malaysian football, MPPJ FC suffered a startling and abrupt demise following financial problems in 2006, which were rumoured to be the result of irregularities involving the municipality.
At the start of the season, the club were nicknamed by media and fans as the 'Chelsea' of Malaysia, with big budgets towards players transfers and salaries, and also attracting big name players (local and foreign) into the team.[6] But as the season went on, the club failed to deliver on and off the pitch, with MPPJ FC only placed 5th of the 8-team league, the same as previous year. With key players deserting the team due to non-payment of salaries and bonuses, Malaysia witnessed a tumultuous end to the only club side in Malaysia which ever won theMalaysia Cup, when MPPJ FC pulled out of the league and failed to register for the 2007 season even after the extended deadline was given to confirm participation by 31 August 2006.[7][8][9][10][11] By the start of2006–07 Malaysia Super League the club has ceased to exist and has left the top-tier league to compete with odd number of 13 out of 14 clubs.[10][12]
As of 2016, the city council has only managed a youth sports development including football under the name ofMBPJ which compete mainly in youth competition across Selangor and Malaysia.[13][14]
Reduan Abdullah (1999–2003, 2005)Dollah Salleh (2003–2004)
Michael Feichtenbeiner (2005–2006)B. Sathianathan (2006)(interim)[9]
Toni Netto (2006)[10]Khan Hung Meng (2006)[11]
