Kedah Darul Aman F.C.

History

Foundation and growth

The football club was founded in 1924 by Tunku Yaacob ibni Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah as president, though they only had limited success until the appointment of Ahmad Basri Akil as manager in 1985. Under Ahmad Basri Akil, the club qualified for six Malaysia Cup final matches in a seven-year period between 1987 and 1993; and won two Malaysia Cup titles, one league title and one FA Cup title.

Kedah became semi-professional in 1989 and fully professional in 1994, while still remaining under the KFA's purview.

Golden treble era and aftermath

The club experienced a lean period in the late 1990s but enjoyed a revival in the new millennium by achieving back-to-back domestic trebles under Azraai Khor. The club also reached 111th position in IFFHS club world ranking between 1 August 2007 to 31 July 2008. However, the club experienced a dip in performances thereafter as a result of the loss of their influential import players; including Nelson San Martín, Cornelius Huggins and Marlon James. Problems with the new management team also led to Azraai Khor's departure.

In 2010, Ahmad Yusof replaced Azraai Khor as the head coach of Kedah FA. He guided Kedah to the final of the 2010 Malaysia FA Cup, where the team lost 5–4 on penalties to Negeri Sembilan after a 1–1 draw in regular time.

On 17 March 2011, Ahmad Yusof is replaced by assistant coach, Muhamad Radhi Mat Din immediately after the

demoralised the squad slumped to a shock 1–0 defeat at the hands of Felda

United in the 2011 Malaysia FA Cup. One month later, Wan Jamak takes charge of Kedah.

Kedah were relegated to the second-tier of Malaysian football, the Malaysian Premier League, after losing 3–2 in the playoff final to Sri Pahang in a penalty shootout during the 2012 Malaysia Super League season. On 10 August 2012, Marijo Tot was hired to replace Wan Jamak in an attempt to bring the club back to Malaysia Super League during the 2013 Malaysia Premier League season. Furthermore, that season also saw the return of former Kedah's talisman, Nelson San Martín.

When the club failed to get promoted, Marijo Tot chose not to renew his contract with Kedah until the end of July 2013. In November 2013, Kedah announced that Dave Mitchell had been appointed as head coach for the 2014 Malaysia Premier League season.

Due to disagreements within the club, Dave Mitchell stepped down from his position as head coach. On 10 April 2014, Tan Cheng Hoe was appointed as the head coach of Kedah FA.

Return to prominence

The 2015 season marked a successful campaign for the club. After spending two years in the Malaysia Premier League, they won the championship and earned promotion back to the top flight. Their league success was driven by consistent performances and the goal-scoring contributions of Chidi Edeh. In the 2015 Malaysia Cup the club delivered a strong performance by reaching the final, although they ultimately fell short of winning the title when lose to Selangor 2–0.

One year later, the club went on to win the 2016 Malaysia Cup, their fifth in the club's history, by defeating the same final opponent as last year, Selangor in a dramatic final. The match ended 1–1 after extra time, with Kedah winning 6–5 on penalties. In the 2016 Malaysia Super League, Kedah finished third, marking a strong performance at the highest level of Malaysian football. The 2016 season was also their first in the top flight following promotion from the 2015 Malaysia Premier League campaign.

In 2017, they began the year by winning the 2017 Piala Sumbangsih (Charity Shield) against Johor Darul Ta'zim with a 5–4 penalty-shootout victory following a 1–1 draw. On 23 May 2017, Nidzam Adzha was officially appointed head coach of Kedah, replacing Tan Cheng Hoe, who had joined the Malaysia national football team as an assistant coach. With him incharge, Kedah finished 4th in the Super League. They also captured the 2017 Malaysia FA Cup title by defeating Pahang 3–2 in the final. In the Malaysia Cup, they ended the campaign as runners-up when they lose to Johor 0–2. Overall, the 2017 season saw Kedah maintain competitive form across multiple competitions, adding the FA Cup trophy to their honours and reinforcing their status among Malaysia's top-flight clubs.

The Spaniard, Roman Marcote, who had previously worked as the assistant coached for Tan Cheng Hoe in 2015, became Kedah's head coach with Nidzam Adzha as his assistant.

However, the team struggled under Marcote's tenure, and following poor results, he was replaced mid-season and Nidzam Adzha reappointed as head coach for the remainder of the 2018 campaign.

Revival under Aidil Sharin

Following a challenging 2018 season, in which Kedah finished mid-table in the 2018 Malaysia Super League and were eliminated early in both the Malaysia FA Cup and Malaysia Cup, the club appointed Singaporean head coach Aidil Sharin Sahak on 8 October 2018 to lead the team in the 2019 Malaysia Super League season.

On his first match as head coach on 2 February 2019, Kedah won 2–0 against PKNP with goals coming from Shakir Hamzah and Jonatan Bauman goal. On 8 March 2019, Aidil Sharin experienced his first defeat in charge of Kedah as the club fell to a 1–0 defeat at the hands of Sri Pahang. Kedah finished in fourth position in the Malaysia Super League in Aidil Sharin first season in charge, one position higher than the previous season. On 27 July 2019, Aidil Sharin led Kedah to win the 2019 Malaysia FA Cup as Fadzrul Danel scored in the dying minute in extra time securing a 1–0 win over Perak in the final. On 26 October 2019, Kedah reached the final of the 2019 Malaysia Cup following a massive 8–8 aggregate against Sri Pahang seeing Kedah through on away goals rules, However Kedah was beaten 3–0 by Johor Darul Ta'zim in the decisive game at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

Aidil Sharin Sahak also became the first Singaporean head coach to manage a non-Singaporean team in the AFC Champions League when he guided Kedah into the 2020 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs round in which they thrash Hong Kong club, Tai Po 5–1 in the preliminary round 2 and thus seeing them advance to face FC Seoul in the play-off round which subsequently ended up as a 4–1 defeat at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Privatisation and new leadership

Prior to the 2021 season, the club was rebranded from Kedah FA to Kedah Darul Aman.[1] On 25 November 2021, Tan Sri Dr. Mohd Daud Bakar was appointed chairman of Kedah Darul Aman by the President of the Kedah Football Association, Dato' Seri Haji Muhammad Sanusi Md. Nor.

An entrepreneur with experience in multiple industries, Mohd Daud Bakar has held leadership roles in several national institutions. His appointment signaled the team's focus on strengthening the club's long-term sustainability, governance, and overall professionalism.

As the majority shareholder, Mohd Daud Bakar outlined plans to establish a world-class training centre, aiming for recognition by FIFA. This project, with an estimated budget of RM20 million, was announced during a press conference on 9 February 2022 following the introduction of the club's official sponsors and partners. Beyond serving as a high-performance facility, the training centre is also intended to become a new tourist attraction in Kedah, further contributing to the state's development.

On 17 October 2022, it was announced that Kedah Darul Aman had parted ways with Aidil Sharin. He departed Kedah Darul Aman with a record of 55 wins, 20 draws, and 35 defeats in 110 games with a win percentage of 50%. During the four years tenure as head coach, Aidil Sharin guided Kedah to several highs, including emerging as 2019 Malaysia FA Cup champions, 2019 Malaysia Cup runners-up, 2020 and 2021 Malaysia Super League runners-up as well as reaching the 2022 AFC Cup ASEAN Zone semi-finals. On the same day, his assistant and also Kedah legend, Victor Andrag was named as interim coach guiding the club in the upcoming 2022 Malaysia Cup which commence on 26 October 2022.

On 6 December 2022, former Terengganu head coach, Nafuzi Zain was appointed to guide Kedah Darul Aman for the upcoming 2023 Malaysia Super League season.

In January 2023, Kedah Darul Aman started their 2023 season heading to Turkey for a week pre-season training camp in Antalya playing a couple of friendlies match against FC Nasaf, Shakhter Karagandy, FC Maktaaral and Metalist Kharkiv before returning home. On 26 August 2023, Kedah Darul Aman ended Johor Darul Ta'zim winning streak in the league with goals from Ifedayo Olusegun and Manuel Ott to take the 2–0 lead for Kedah Darul Aman before the opposition come back to take the lead to 2–3 however in the dying minute in the game, Amirbek Juraboev scored the equaliser to settled for a draw which was considered a huge upset for the away side. In 2023 Malaysia Super League, Nafuzi Zain's squad finished fourth position.

Relegation and the road to recovery

On 24 November 2024, following Nafuzi Zain's resignation, Victor Andrag was named the interim head coach. The 2024–25 season was a difficult campaign for Kedah Darul Aman, as although the club finished 11th in the 2024–25 Malaysia Super League, they were ejected and relegated to the Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League for failing to meet the MFL's financial and licensing requirements. They were also eliminated early in both the Malaysia FA Cup and Malaysia Cup, though they reached the semifinals of the 2024–25 MFL Challenge Cup. The season was further affected by a three-point deduction and a fine for unpaid salary arrears, reflecting ongoing financial and administrative challenges.

For 2025–26 Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League, the club began playing their home matches at the Stadium Mini Majlis Perbandaran Kubang Pasu (MPKP) in Jitra, Kedah, as part of the club's restructuring and road to recovery following administrative and financial challenges that affected their 2024–25 campaign.

Club culture

The song 'Biar Jasa Jadi Kenangan', written by Ahmad Basri Akil and recorded by a Malaysian musician Freddie Fernandez, is the anthem of the club, and has been sung by the crowd since 1987.

Criticism

Kedah Darul Aman faced heavy criticism surrounding its treatment of Chilean technical director Nelson San Martin amid the club's financial crisis. The controversy intensified after reports that San Martin had gone unpaid for several months, despite remaining under contract with the club. San Martin publicly expressed his disappointment with the management, claiming that the lack of salary payments had severely affected his personal life. He also criticized the club for poor communication and failing to resolve contractual issues.

Rivalries

Penang are the biggest rivals of the club. Kedah's fans considered their main rivalries to be with (in order) Penang, Perlis and Perak. Matches against fellow northern region sides Tambun Tulang, Kuala Muda Naza, Kedah United, Sungai Ara, PBAPP, SDMS Kepala Batas, Perak YBU and Kedah FA state football team have only taken place intermittently, due to the clubs often being in separate divisions.

Northern Region Derby

Northern Region Derby is the name given to football matches that involves Kedah Darul Aman and Penang.

Stadium

Kedah Darul Aman has been mostly based at the Darul Aman Stadium. Opened by the Sultan of Kedah, Dziaddin Mukarram Shah I in 1962, it has a capacity of 32,387 spectators.

Crest and colours

Kedah Darul Aman's traditional colours are red and black, but the home kit's colours have been green and yellow since 1988. The colours were the result of the former Kedah Football Association deputy president Ahmad Basri Akil's request. The colours of green and yellow were chosen as they referenced the state's nickname of Jelapang padi or Paddy field.

The club crest was announced by Ahmad Basri Akil alongside the club's official colours of green and yellow in 1988. Green dominates the background; the side of the crest shows 11 joint bordered lines which signify the 11 districts of the Kedah state. At the centre of the crest is a ball and Allamanda flowers; as the flower is green and yellow in colour, with the team motto (Malay: Biar Jasa Jadi Kenangan) written in yellow.

Players

Current squad

As of 1 August 2025

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Source:

Staff and management

Senior officials

As of 1 August 2025

Club records

As of 2025–26 season

Note:

Pld = Played, W = Won, D = Drawn, L = Lost, F = Goals for, A = Goals against, D = Goal difference, Pts= Points, Pos = Position

1st or Champions

2nd or Runner-up

3rd place

Promotion

Relegation

Source:

Honours

Domestic

Division 1/Premier 1/Super League (3): 1993, 2006–07, 2007–08

Runners-up (6): 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2020, 2021

Division 2/Premier 2/Premier League (4): 1992, 2002, 2005–06, 2015

Runners-up (1): 2005

Malaysia FA Cup (5): 1996, 2007, 2008, 2017, 2019

Runners-up (1): 2010

Malaysia Cup (5): 1990, 1993, 2007, 2008, 2016

Runners-up (9): 1940, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 2004, 2015, 2017, 2019

Piala Sumbangsih (3): 1991, 1994, 2017

Runners-up (6): 1997, 2008, 2009, 2018, 2020, 2021

Malaysian President's Cup (3): 1991, 2000, 2003

Runners-up (1): 2018

Malaysian Youth Cup (1): 2017

Treble

Kedah Darul Aman's former assistant coach Muhamad Radhi Mat Din said To achieve the treble in two consecutive seasons will take another 100 years or more to come by! It takes a Herculean effort to achieve a double treble. The path to the pinnacle required a lot of sacrifices and commitment from the players, team management and the club.

Continental record

All results (home and away) list Kedah Darul Aman's goal tally first.

Performance in AFC competitions

AFC Champions League: 1 appearance

2020: Play-off round

AFC Cup: 2 appearances

2008: Quarter-final

2009: Round of 16