Fadhil Yunus
Futsal has always been considered a mainstream sport among Bruneians and serves as the most popular choice for a recreational activity, as has been evident with scenes of intriguing contests at numerous public courts and indoor facilities across the country.
Whether it is for a jovial kick-about or a competition against friends or colleagues, there is no denying that such facilities are usually frequented by futsal enthusiasts of various abilities.
At the national level, the sport’s hierarchy revived the futsal league after a four-year hiatus with the return of the Brunei Futsal League (BFL) 2021 on June 4.
Plans of reviving the league emerged after a friendly tournament entitled ‘Four Corner Futsal Match’ was organised at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) Sports Complex on April 11 this year.
A proposal to establish a two-week long qualifying tournament in June was tabled for registered teams with the qualified teams taking their place in the league. The draw for the qualifying round was only determined if the number of teams have been confirmed necessary to proceed with the tournament. Instead, an idea of arranging a qualifying tournament was scrapped as the sport’s hierarchy announced that 17 teams including a number of debutants would usher in a new era of futsal in the country during a team’s manager meeting in late May.
Nevertheless, a tier two futsal pyramid has been planned in 2022 though further details would only be known closer to the new season.
Returning teams such as Shah United, Arbisyam FC and MS ABDB will make use of their experience but the new teams such as Kasuka and Rawda, Creativol and BIBD RSC added elements of mystery and excitement to the league.
Multiple winners Kota Junior, who won the league in 2015 and 2016, were the notable absentee, thus paving the crowning of a new champion at the end of the season.
The Brunei Futsal League was one of the major competitions which were planned following an announcement that all sport events including team sports were allowed to be carried out as part of the implementation of the Level 5 de-escalation plan last March. This year’s edition also saw a new venue being introduced at the Bolkiah Garrison Multi-Purpose Hall to complement with the existing venue at the Multi-Purpose Hall of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex.
Traditionally, the Indoor Stadium would have been the preferred venue but it currently serves as a vaccination centre as part of efforts to inoculate the population amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the group draw was revealed, the league initially witnessed the commencement of group stages as teams battled it out to advance to the knock-out phase of the competition.
Two months later, all sport activities including futsal were postponed indefinitely on August 7 after a surge of coronavirus infections were reported in the country’s first community transmissions for more than a year. Before the league went to an enforced break, teams such as Kota Ranger, debutants Almerez Ranger and title contenders MS ABDB and Arbisyam appeared to be in prime position to advance to the next round.
As of July 28, statistics compiled by the BFL organisers showed that the trio of Kota Ranger’s talisman Abdul BadriIzdihar, Kasuka and Rawda Awangku Md Naqib and MS ABDB’s Awangku Md Jumatatul shared the lead in the race for the top scorer award with 11 goals each.
Meanwhile, a team of the week has also been announced in recognition of the individual’s stellar performance each weekend.
In the final weekend of play, the top five players featured Abdul Mutalib behind the sticks flanked by Kasuka and Rawda’s Nur Azizam and Arbisyam’s Mohd Rifdi, while Kota Ranger’s Muhammad Faiq and MS ABDB’s frontman Awangku Md Jumatatul led the line in attack.
One of the inspiring stories during the league was the rapid progress of newcomers BIBD RSC after recording three successive wins on the bounce after a loss in their opening match.
The league also welcomed a regionally-experienced local player Radhi Raduan, who resumed his career in the country following his brief stint with Sarawak United in the Malaysia Premier Futsal League (MPFL) in March last year.
The Almerez Ranger star had been due to spend the season with the Sarawak outfit in the 2020 season but the league was postponed and subsequently cancelled due to the pandemic.
