This article documents the history of Negeri Sembilan Football Club, a Malaysian association football team.
The club was established in 1923, according to a passage in the football history books of Malaysia based on an interview with Austin Senevirathe, who was 93 years old when interviewed. He spoke about a match that happened between PBNS and Singapore for the Malaya Cup in that particular year. Negeri Sembilan is one of the oldest football clubs in Malaysia. Other older teams are Penang and Perak, which were each formed in 1921. In 2023, Negeri Sembilan celebrated the 100th anniversary of its establishment.Gambar jersi Negeri Sembilan 2017 (In Malay) – Berita viral terkini at Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 3 January 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
The club is one of the top competing teams in the history of football since its establishment. They have won many top competitions in Malaysia, starting in the early 1940s. The club also gave rise to many Malaysian football stars who brought success to both club and country such as Kwan Soon Teck, Mok Wai Hong, B. Rajinikandh, N. Thanabalan, B. Sathianathan, Ching Hong Aik, Shukor Adan, Norhafiz Zamani Misbah, Aidil Zafuan, Zaquan Adha, Farizal Marlias, S. Kunanlan, Shahurain Abu Samah and many more.
Throughout 2003–2011 there was a "golden generation" for the Negeri Sembilan team because, throughout the year, the team achieved a lot of success in competitions at the domestic level. Starting with winning the FA Cup in 2003, the team managed to win the Super League in 2005–06. The most proud performance was when Negeri Sembilan successfully made it through the Malaysia Cup final stage three years in a row from 2009 to 2011. The team won two finals in 2009 and 2011, and in 2010, the team became runners-up when they had to accept a defeat, but they managed to win the FA Cup in the same year (2010). In addition, this golden era also saw the emergence of several big names who were with the Negeri Sembilan team in the Malaysian football scene, including Ching Hong Aik, Shukor Adan, Norhafiz Zamani, Khairul Anuar Baharom, Bekamenga Bekamengo, Sani Anuar, Rezal Zambery, Zaquan Adha, Aidil Zafuan, Farizal Marlias, S. Kunanlan and Shahurain.
20s (1923–1929) The club was established in 1923, according to a passage in the football history books of Malaysia based on an interview with Austin Senevirathe, who was 93 years old when interviewed. He stated that the Malaya Cup match between Negeri Sembilan and Singapore took place in that particular year. The book provides only an approximate year of establishment without specifying the exact date.
However, according to football historian Muhammad Fitrie in his dissertation, the Negeri Sembilan Football Association, NSFA, was officially established on 6 May 1926. The precise date of its formation was documented in The Straits Times.Muhammad Fitrie bin Mohd Fudzi. A Socio-Cultural History of Football in Malaya, 1880–1950. Master’s diss., International Islamic University Malaysia, 2025. pp. 34. This finding contributes to a more accurate reconstruction of Negeri Sembilan’s football history.
In 1926 the Football Associations of Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Selangor, Malacca and the Singapore Amateur Football Association, came together to form the Malayan Football Association (MFA), to field a Malayan team against an Australia side that visited Singapore that year.
In 1927 PBNS started organising league matches. Among the trophies that were up for grabs at that time were the Annex Shield, the British Resident's Cup, and the Hose Cup. The earliest football clubs that existed and competed in the league were Negri Sembilan Chinese "A," Negri Sembilan Club, Port Dickson Recreation Club, Sungei Ujong Club, Negri Sembilan Chinese "B," and St. Paul's Old Boys Association."A Malayan Sporting Diary" by The Straits Times, 7 August 1932 edition.
40s (1940–1949) In 1942–1947 all football competitions in Malaya were suspended due to World War II and the Japanese occupation of Malaya. This also caused the Negeri Sembilan team to stop participating in league and cup competitions until 1948, when the team was able to compete again.
In 1948 they won the first HMS Malaya Cup, led by skipper Kwan Soon Teck .
50s (1950–1959) In 1953 Negeri Sembilan finished as runners-up in the Kings Gold Cup after being defeated by Kedah in the final with a 4–1 score.
80s (1980–1989) In 1982 Tan Sri Dato' Seri Utama Mohd Isa bin Dato' Haji Abdul Samad was appointed president of the Negeri Sembilan Football Association (PBNS) as well as the Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan. Also in 1982, the Perbandaran Seremban Field was upgraded, and throughout that period, the team used the Kuala Pilah Stadium (a contemporary stadium) as their home ground where they had previously used the Perbandaran Seremban Field. Later, the field was renamed the Perbandaran Seremban Stadium and began to be used until 1991.
Negeri Sembilan played in the Liga Malaysia (English: Malaysia League) throughout the years 1982–1988, Liga Malaysia was an amateur football league run by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM). Since 1982, Negeri Sembilan has only been a middle tier team and is not very prominent when compared to Selangor, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Pahang, and Penang.
In 1989 Liga Malaysia changed its status from amateur to semi-pro. The Semi-Pro League was introduced and divided into two tiers: the Division 1 League for the first tier and the Division 2 League for the second tier. Negeri Sembilan was placed in Division 2 according to their current performance. The team is only in an average position in Division 2 despite having used the services of Singapore international player R. Suriamurthy and Thailand import player Likit Sanatong.
90s (1990–1999) 1991 was the year of the revival of the Negeri Sembilan team, which in previous years had been an underdog. That was also the last year the Negeri Sembilan team used the Majlis Perbandaran Seremban Stadium, before the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi. On 18 August 1991, the team met Sarawak in the final match of the Division 2 League at the Majlis Perbandaran Seremban Stadium. With a result of 2–2, and they managed to collect one point. It was the last year that led to winning the Semi-Pro League Division 2, then qualifying for Division 1 in 1992. Among the star players at that time were the import trio, the Bozik Brothers (Miroslav and Robert), and the powerful striker Marian Valach. Local players included Richard Scully, Mansor Sulaiman, and Nazari Hussein.
In 1992, the construction of Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium was completed. The stadium initially held a capacity of 20,000 people.Read: Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium Read: Liga Semi-Pro Divisyen 1 On 12 April 1992, Negeri Sembilan team won the 1992 Kings' Gold Cup after beating Terengganu FA, 2–1. The coaches and players shared a cash reward of RM20,000 from the Negeri Sembilan Malay Football Association. Negeri Sembilan's coach at that time was Haji Mohd Zaki Shaikh Ahmad. Earlier, the last time Negeri Sembilan FA participated in the final of the trophy was in 1953, when they lost 1–2 to Pulau Pinang.
In the 1996 season Negeri Sembilan became one of the contenders for the league title. Even though it was not given much attention at first, the team starring two former import players from Argentina, Gus Cerro and Jose Iriarte, surprised many when they gave great competition. Othman Katmon, Faizal Zainal, Khairil Zainal, Rosli Omar, B. Rajinikandh, A. Ganeson, V. Arumugham, Idris Kadir, Azmi Mohamed, and Ching Hong Aik were finally overtaken by Sabah FA, who emerged as the Premier League champion, as well as Kedah FA, who became the runner-up.
2000s (2000–2009) On 31 May 2003, Negeri Sembilan met Perlis in the FA Cup final. Played at Perak Stadium, the club was surprised by the opponent's early goal in the 11th minute. The club managed to close the gap in the 56th minute thanks to a goal by Effendi Malek. The game remained 1–1 until the 90th minute, and in extra time, victory was decided on a golden goal. In the 95th minute, the club managed to win as a result of Everson Martinelli's goal, and was crowned the cup champion.
In 2004, the capacity of Negeri Sembilan's Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium was upgraded to 45,000 people for the hosting of the 2004 Sukma Games. Negeri Sembilan made its first appearance in the AFC Cup competition in the 2004 season. The club debuted against Island FC with a big 6–0 win on 10 February 2004. However, the club had to settle for being 3rd in the group after losing matches against Geylang United, East Bengal, and Island FC. All teams played at home and away for a total of six games.
In March 2004 Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan was appointed as the president of the Negeri Sembilan Football Association (PBNS). He successfully held the position as the 10th Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan and replaced Isa Samad. Hasan was the first Menteri Besar who had ever been a local football player and then became the president of PBNS.
In the 2005–06 season, the team won the Malaysia Super League by finishing first out of eight clubs that competed. The newly promoted club from the Malaysian Premier League in the 2005 season managed to become the league champion in their first appearance.
On 7 November 2009, they ended their 61-year loss streak in the Malaysia Cup after posting a convincing 3–1 victory over Kelantan in the final at the National Stadium. The team also won all the matches in the Malaysia Cup tournament, starting from the group stage until the final.
The repeat final of 2009 between the club and Kelantan happened on 30 October 2010. However, this time the club lost 1–2, despite having taken an early lead through a penalty by Shahurain Abu Samah.
2010s (2010–2019) On 10 April 2010, Negeri Sembilan needed the luck of the penalty shootout to win the FA Cup championship, again by beating Kedah 5–4 in the final of the 21st edition at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil. This continues to confirm them as the new powerhouse of national football after winning the Malaysia Cup last season. Both teams were tied at 1–1 after the end of the 90 minutes of the actual game, even after the referee, R. Krishnan, dragged it into extra time in front of about 70,000 spectators, the majority of whom were "Hijau Kuning" supporters.
In 2011, the club again qualified for the Malaysia Cup Final for the third time in a row, this time with their new coach, Mohd Azraai Khor Abdullah. They won the trophy after defeating Terengganu FA with an epic comeback. The first goal was scored by Mohd Ashaari Shamsuddin for Terengganu in the 59th minute. Negeri Sembilan used the last 10 minutes of the game to make a comeback. S. Kunanlan equalised the score in the 81st minute before Hairuddin Omar, the veteran striker, hit the winning goal for Negeri Sembilan with a beautiful volley in the 85th minute.
In the early part of the 2011 season, one of the team's all-time best coaches, Wan Jamak Wan Hassan, resigned from the club. He sees no excuses for the team's disappointing run in the Malaysia Super League and Malaysia FA Cup competitions for that season.
In 2012 Negeri Sembilan signed nine new faces, including two import players, to cover the "Hoben Jang Hoben" squad challenged in the Super League 2012 season. Two import players, a striker Jean-Emmanuel Effa Owona and a defender Gonçalves Ferreira Marquen, were offered a one-year contract as the latest additions to the backup squad to help the Jangs form a strong team.
On 7 January, Negeri Sembilan lifted the 2012 Malaysian season's opening Charity Shield when they beat Kelantan 2–1 in the match played at the National Stadium. Cameroonian striker Jean-Emmanuel Effa Owona emerged as the hero for Negeri with a brace of goals in the 31st and 63rd minutes, to erase Kelantan's earlier goal off Norshahrul Idlan.