 | |
| Full name | Melaka United Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nicknames | Hang Tuah Kancil |
| Short name | MUFC |
| Founded | 1921; 104 years ago (1921) (unofficial) 1924; 101 years ago (1924), asMelacca Amateur FA 2014; 11 years ago (2014), asMelacca United 2018; 7 years ago (2018), asMelaka United |
| Dissolved | 2022; 3 years ago (2022) |
| Ground | Hang Jebat Stadium |
| Capacity | 40,000 |
| Owner | Melaka Football Association |
| League | Malaysia Super League |
| 2022 | Malaysia Super League, 10th of 12 (ejected) |
Melaka United Football Club (/məˈlɑːkə/) was aMalaysian professionalfootball club based inMalacca that competed in theMalaysia Super League. They were owned by Kenteam Sdn Bhd, which is one of mainnitrile glove producers inMalaysia. The club's home ground has been theHang Tuah Stadium, before moving toHang Jebat Stadium inPaya Rumput,Krubong in 2005. The club represented the state ofMalacca in Malaysianfootball competitions. They reached the top division in Malaysian football after back-to-back promotions as champion of the2015 Malaysia FAM League and2016 Malaysia Premier League.[1][2][3]
The club was formerly referred to asMalacca or officially asMalacca Amateur FA andMalacca FA. Malacca FA biggest achievement in Malaysia football was becoming theMalaysian League champion in1983, led byAsian Football Hall of Fame,Soh Chin Ann.
The club's nickname wasHang Tuah, the name being synonymous with strength and intelligence.
Melaka United's regular kit colours were green and white for shirts, shorts and socks.
Malacca has sent a football team to play inMalaya Cup since its inaugural season in1921.[4] In 1924, the team has been registered and now managed by the newly formed governance body of Malacca football, theMalacca Amateur Football Association (MAFA).[5] Since then, the football team has been competing in Malaya Cup andFAM Cup consistently. MAFA biggest achievement when they reached the final 1957 and 1958FAM Cup led byRobert Choe.[6][7]
In 1979, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) changed the format ofPiala Malaysia when they introduced the league stage that acts as the qualifying round for the knockout stage of Piala Malaysia.[8][9] It was intended primarily as a qualifying tournament for the final knock-out stages of the Piala Malaysia where teams compete in a one-round league before advanced to the knock-out stage.[8]
The football league in Malaysia has only officially started in 1982, after the introduction of league winners trophy. The league has been known asLiga Malaysia.[10][11] Malacca football team continued to compete in the league and has become the champion of the league during its second season in 1983 which has been the only time the Malacca team become a champion of the top-tier league inMalaysian football.
Over the years, the league competition has gained important stature in its own right. From 1982 until 1988 the league has an amateur status and continues its purpose as qualifying round for Piala Malaysia. Only in 1989 it is changed to a new format asLiga Semi-Pro (MSPFL), introduced by FAM as a way towards fully professional status. The inaugural season of MSPFL consisted of nine teams in Division I and eight teams in Division II.[12] Malacca has been put in Division II from 1989 to 1992 seasons.
MSPFL was the nation's top-tier league until it was succeeded by the Liga Perdana (1994–97). In its inaugural season, 16 teams competed. The teams were based from all states in Malaysia including Malacca, Kuala Lumpur and addition of two teams fromSingapore andBrunei.[13]
In 1998, Liga Perdana was divided into two divisions consist ofLiga Perdana 1 andLiga Perdana 2.[14][15] During 1998, Liga Perdana 1 consist of 12 teams while Liga Perdana 2 had 8 teams.[14] Malacca competed in Liga Perdana 2 from 1998 until 2000, before achieving promotion to Liga Perdana 1 for 2001 season.[16]
At this time the league still consisted of semi-pro team where each team was allowed to register 25 players (minimum of 12 professionals for Liga Perdana 1 and 6 professional for Liga Perdana 2).[14]
Malacca competed in Liga Perdana 1 from 2001 until 2003.[17][18] Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) decided to privatise the league for 2004 season onwards, when theLiga Super was formed.
Teams in Liga Perdana 1 and Liga Perdana 2 were put through a qualification and playoffs to be promoted into the Liga Super. Malacca failed to qualify and was put into a new second-tierLiga Premier for the 2004 season.[19]
The club has been in an up and down performance in Malaysia Premier League since the league inception. They played for three seasons and were promoted to the top-tier Malaysia Super League.[20][21][22]
After a successful season in second division, the club has been promoted to the top-tier division, the Liga Super for2006-07 season.[23] The club has splurged a big budget to buy players while removing majority of squad from the previous winning season, in order to create a more competitive team.
A slump in performance has caused the club struggling and fighting for relegation in their three seasons of Malaysia Premier League, from2008 until2010, before the dark era. The club has been relegated to the Malaysia FAM League for2011 season.[24][25][26]
The club has been relegated from2010 Malaysia Premier League to the Malaysia FAM League, despite being one of the bigger clubs within it.[27][28] The club continued to compete and had been a consistent team in third-tier league for five straight seasons.[29][30][31][32][33]
The club made a comeback to second-tier league, Malaysia Premier League, in 2016 after being promoted as champions of 2015 Malaysia FAM League. Before winning the FAM League, the club had experienced a 32-year trophy drought, where the last time Melaka United won the Malaysian top-tier league was in 1983. It was the league stage that served as the qualifying round for the Malaysian Cup.[34] During that time,national footballerSoh Chin Ann was playing for Malacca[35][36]
The club has achieved promotion to Liga Super after becoming the champion of the Malaysia Premier League just one year after winning the Malaysia FAM League.[1][3]
After the promotion to the top division, Melaka United management has made a number of changes, including the new squad selection. On 14 November 2016, Melaka United has announced the appointment ofEric Williams to replaceMat Zan Mat Aris as the new head coach for the club.[37] Eric Williams has previously managed the MyanmarYangon United F.C. in the 2014 season.[37] The club has also only retained ten players from previous season and has recruited nine new players.[38][39]
The club has set a high target for 2017 season, including to reach the top five in the league standings.[40] On 18 February 2017, the club has managed to win their first match in Liga Super, almost 10 years after their last win in the top division in2006–07 season.[23][41]
Melaka United announced the decision to dissolve the club in 2022, after failing to pay the players and coaches. The debt was thought to be more than RM 3 million.Melaka F.C. become a new team to represent the state of Malacca for 2023 onwards, though they will not inherit the honours and titles won by Melaka United.
Melaka United last played at Hang Jebat Stadium. The capacity of the stadium is 40,000. In addition to the football field, the stadium also consists of arunning track.
The club has previously been using the Hang Tuah Stadium as their home ground.It was still used as a training ground and home stadium fordevelopment and youth squad, which mostly competed inPiala Presiden andPiala Belia.[42][43][44]
Melaka United has historically utilised one primary crest before the introduction of football league in Malaysia. The first, adopted when the club was founded, was the image ofA Famosa, historical remains from the colonial age in Malacca. It was used during the club's amateur era and remained for more than half-century.
Since the introduction of football league, the club has evolved from amateur years and has adopted a new crest which featured an image ofMalacca tree, which the city was named after.
Since the end of 2013, the club has had a rebranding to Melaka United, where a new version crest was introduced.
Melaka United have always worn green and white shirts as their home kit as it was an iconic colour for the club.
Melaka United's away colours were usually all white with green trim, or various combinations of blue, red, yellow and white, as it represents the colour of Malacca's flag.
Home
         2016 |    2017 |    2018 |    2019 | 2020 |
Away
    2016 |    2017 |    2018 |    2019 | 2020 |
"Ultras Taming Sari" (UTS) was mainly known for supporting Melaka United.[45] The group was one of manyultras supporters created under the branches ofUltras Malaya.[45]
Melaka United was one of the most supported clubs in Malacca. Melaka United's traditional fanbase come from all over theCentral Malacca District,Alor Gajah andJasin area.
The Malacca football team has been founded since 1921, and the management of the club has been taken over by the foundation of Malacca Amateur Football Association in 1924.[4][5] The club has been thriving with the financial backing from the state government and sponsors.
In 2014 the management went through a restructuring process to become the Melaka United Soccer Association[46]
| Season | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Admiral | None |
| 1980 | Umbro | None |
| 1981 | Schwarzenbach | None |
| 1982–84 | Schwarzenbach | |
| 1985 | Gold Flake | |
| 1985 | Diadora | None |
| 1986 | Topper | Topper |
| 1987 | RW | None |
| 1988 | Dunhill | |
| 1989 | Asics | Dunhill /EON |
| 1990 | Lotto | |
| 1991–92 | Cheetah | |
| 1993 | Cheetah &Umbro | |
| 1994–97 | Mizuno | Dunhill |
| 1998 | Dunhill / Gibca Holdings | |
| 1999–00 | J-King | Dunhill |
| 2001 | Mikasa | Dunhill /Mikasa |
| 2002–03 | Kronos | Dunhill / Kronos |
| 2004 | Admiral | Dunhill /Admiral |
| 2005 | Admiral & Garoos | Celcom |
| 2005 | Lotto | TM Net /Creative |
| 2006 | Figos | TM / Cubic |
| 2006 | Joma | TM |
| 2007 | Ambros | Celcom / Metaforce |
| 2009 | Kika & Shemsy | Streamyx |
| 2010 | Shemsy | TM |
| 2011 | Kappa | Interpacific |
| 2012 | Ambros | Ambros |
| 2013 | Arora | None |
| 2014 | Kronos | Mamee / KAJ |
| 2015 | Mamee | |
| 2016 | Edra /Mamee | |
| 2017 | Edra CGN / Tag Marine | |
| 2018 | Warrix Sports | EDRACGN |
| 2019 | EDRACGN /KLIP | |
| 2020 | Al-Ikhsan[47] | Olympex |
| 2021 | EDRACGN/Mamee | |
| 2022 | Ken Team |
| Coach | Years | Honours |
|---|---|---|
| Marco Bilic | 1992 | |
| Remeli Junit | 1996 | |
| Mahathir Taha | 1997 | |
| Mohd Shah Alias Norbit | 1998 | |
| G. Torairaju | 1999 | |
| Remeli Junit | 2000–01 | Runner up 2000Liga Perdana 2 |
| Ong Kim Swee | 2005 | |
| E. Elavarasan | 2005–06 | Runner up2005–06 Liga Premier |
| K. Devan | 2007 | |
| Ramli Junit | 2007–08 | |
| Mohd Nick Sham Abdullah | 2008–09 | |
| Abdul Rahim Abdullah | 2009–10 | |
| Mahathir Taha | 2010 | |
| Manja Man | 2011 | |
| G. Selvamohan | 2012 | |
| Mohd Asri Ninggal | January 2013 – April 2013 | |
| Hashim Abdullah | April 2013 | |
| Ladislav Totkovič | November 2013 – April 2014 | |
| Mat Zan Mat Aris | September 2014 – October 2016 | Winner2015 Liga FAM Winner2016 Liga Premier |
| Eric Williams[37] | November 2016 – June 2017 | |
| Eduardo Almeida | June 2017 – May 2018 | |
| E. Elavarasan | May 2018 – November 2018 | |
| Zainal Abidin Hassan[48] | 14 November 2018 – 17 January 2022 | |
| Risto Vidaković | 22 January 2022 – 12 April 2022 |
| Name | Period | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA | GD | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mat Zan Mat Aris | Sept 2014 – Oct 2016 | 46 | 30 | 9 | 7 | 92 | 51 | +41 | 065.22 |
| Eric Williams | November 2016 – June 2017 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 26 | −14 | 021.43 |
| Eduardo Almeida | June 2017 – May 2018 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 15 | 59 | −44 | 041.18 |
| E. Elavarasan | May 2018 – November 2018 | 19 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 42 | 26 | +16 | 042.11 |
| Zainal Abidin Hassan | 14 November 2018 – 2022 | 21 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 34 | 28 | +6 | 042.86 |
| Year | Manager |
|---|---|
| 1999–2002 | DatukIbrahim Durum |
| 2005 | DatukChua Peng Song |
| 2006–2008 | Karim Yaacob |
| 2008–2009 | Mohd Yazid Khamis |
| 2009–2010 | Abdul Malik Kassim |
| 2011–2013 | Datuk Mohd Yunos Husin |
| April 2013–November 2013 | Datuk WiraIdris Haron |
| November 2013 – 2022 | DatukMohd Yusoff Bin Hj Mahadi |
Winners (1): 2022[49]| Season | Competition | Round | Club | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–86 | Asian Club Championship | Qualifying Round / Southeast Asia (ASEAN Champions Cup) |  Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian | 2–0 (Loss) | 4th place | |
 ADP FC | 1–0 (Win) | |||||
 Bangkok Bank F.C. | 5–1 (Loss) | |||||
 Tiong Bahru CSC | 0–0 (Draw) | |||||
1st or Champions Runner-up 3rd place Promotion Relegation
| Season | League | Cup | Asia | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | D | Pts | Pos | Sumbangsih | Malaysia | FA | Competition | Result | |
| 2001 | Liga Perdana 1 | 22 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 25 | 38 | –13 | 22 | 11th | — | — | 2nd round | — | — |
| 2002 | Liga Perdana 1 | 26 | 8 | 3 | 15 | 28 | 48 | –20 | 27 | 11th | — | Group stage | 1st round | — | — |
| 2003 | Liga Perdana 1 | 24 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 24 | 53 | –29 | 20 | 11th | — | Group stage | 1st round | — | — |
| 2004 | Liga Premier | 24 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 32 | 38 | –6 | 27 | 7th | — | — | 3rd round | — | — |
| 2005 | Liga Premier | 21 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 17 | 50 | –33 | 10 | 8th | — | — | 1st round | — | — |
| 2005–06 | Liga Premier | 21 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 48 | 24 | +24 | 43 | 1st | — | Group stage | 1st round | — | — |
| 2006–07 | Liga Super | 24 | 2 | 3 | 19 | 24 | 72 | –48 | 9 | 13th | — | Quarter-finals | — | — | — |
| 2007–08 | Liga Premier | 24 | 8 | 2 | 14 | 29 | 43 | –14 | 26 | 9th | — | Group stage | Quarter-finals | — | — |
| 2009 | Liga Premier | 24 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 32 | –15 | 18 | 11th | — | Group stage | 1st round | — | — |
| 2010 | Liga Premier | 22 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 31 | 68 | –37 | 15 | 11th | — | Not qualified | 1st round | — | — |
| 2011 | Liga FAM | 20 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 45 | 40 | +5 | 26 | 6th | — | Not qualified | 1st round | — | — |
| 2012 | Liga FAM | 16 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 20 | 25 | –5 | 16 | 7th | — | Not qualified | 1st round | — | — |
| 2013 | Liga FAM | 20 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30 | 30 | 0 | 33 | 6th | — | Not qualified | 1st round | — | — |
| 2014 | Liga FAM | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 34 | 37 | –3 | 28 | 6th | — | Not qualified | 1st round | — | — |
| 2015 | Liga FAM | 16 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 30 | 13 | +17 | 36 | 1st | — | Not qualified | 1st round | — | — |
| 2016 | Liga Premier | 22 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 48 | 25 | +23 | 50 | 1st | — | Group stage | 2nd round | — | — |
| 2017 | Liga Super | 22 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 33 | 46 | –13 | 24 | 8th | — | Quarter-finals | 3rd round | — | — |
| 2018 | Liga Super | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 33 | 38 | –5 | 31 | 7th | — | Group Stage | 3rd round | — | — |
| 2019 | Liga Super | 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 34 | 30 | +4 | 33 | 6th | — | Quarter-finals | 2nd round | — | — |
| 2020 | Liga Super | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 16 | –3 | 11 | 9th | — | Round of 16 | 2nd round | — | — |
| Season | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Ilija Spasojević | 24 |
| Season | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 |  Norizam Ali Hassan | 11 |
| 2003 | Sufian Shamsubari | 8 |
| 2004 |  Emir Dzafic | 10 |
| 2009 | Fauzzi Kassim | 7 |
| 2015 | Nurshamil Abd Ghani | 15 |
| 2016 | Ilija Spasojević | 24 |
| 2017 |  Marko Šimić | 12 |
| 2018 |  Yahor Zubovich | 12 |
| 2019 |  Patrick Reichelt | 11 |
| 2020 |  Uche Agba | 6 |
This list of prominent former players includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contribution in terms of appearances or goals, or to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is not complete or all inclusive, additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.
Robert ChoeSoh Chin AnnDollah SallehLim Teong KimV. MuruganLim Teong KimOng Kim SweeShamsurin Abdul RahmanShukor AdanAmri YahyahSafiq RahimAzizan BabaNurshamil Abd GhaniIlija SpasojevićMarko Šimić
