Southeast Asia

SEA Club Focus – ‘Ghost Clubs’ and Their Over-Performance

By: , July 25, 2019 3:12 pm
Credit – Football Tribe Indonesia

Southeast Asian football can sometimes be considered as a volatile environment for clubs. Teams in this region are known to spring up and disappear at the drop of a hat, making it hard for them to cultivate roots in a particular community and develop a fan culture. However, that hasn’t stopped some of them from performing incredibly well, particularly this season. Today, we will look at four of these recently relocated ‘Ghost Clubs’ and discuss their successes in this campaign.

Thailand

Name: Samut Prakan City FC

League: Thai League 1

At the end of the 2018 season, Pattaya United left the resort city and renamed themselves Samut Prakan City, relocating to the province in the south of greater Bangkok. There were changes at the senior management level, but the coaching staff and majority of the playing squad remain the same. Thus keeping the team's continuity, something that has become their biggest strength. The Sea Fang had a stop-start first few games but finally picked up the pace on matchday 6 with a late home win over Ratchaburi FC. That was the turning point that kicked off their run of six unbeaten games which saw them climb from 8th to 4th position. Long-time head coach Surapong Kongthep has since been replaced by technical director Tetsuya Murayama but the club is still going strong. Samut Prakan City now found themselves second, equal on points with leaders Buriram United, and is set to challenge for Thai League top spot when they host the Thunder Castle this Saturday.

Indonesia

Name: TIRA-Persikabo

League: Indonesia Liga 1

The army team went back to Bogor this season and merge with historical team Persikabo, who played in Liga 3. Under new coach and army general Rahmad Darmawan, TIRA-Persikabo now sit on top of the table as they have earned five wins and five draws from their first ten games of the season. The team also has good attackers such as Ciro Alves, who has already scored 7 goals and registered 5 assists in his first year in Liga 1. Their best performance so far was several weeks ago when they crushed title holders Persija Jakarta 5-3, setting a new record for the league for the highest-scoring game of the season. Interestingly, coach RD said to the media that he is not chasing the league trophy but rather the Fair Play Award to show the characteristic of the army, with sportsmanship and discipline.

Malaysia

Name: Petaling Jaya City FC

League: Malaysia Super League

PJ City FC managed to finish the Super League season in mid-table with 26 points from 22 league games. They managed to win eight games, with two draws and eight defeats. Despite technically being a newcomer to the Super League this season, PJ City has proven their ability to compete at the highest level. The success of breaking JDT's unbeaten record is one of the sweet memories for K Devan's crew and a 1-0 win over PKNP on the final day of the match has given them a comfortable place to stay in the Super League for next season.

Vietnam

Name: Hong Linh Ha Tinh

League: V.League 2

Hong Linh Ha Tinh FC were known as Hanoi B at the 2018 season. This team original was the feeder team for Hanoi FC with so many young players at age 20-22. Before starting the 2018 season, Hanoi FC announced that they will sell this team to Ha Tinh, a province which currently doesn't have a team in domestic professional competitions. With the new owners, Ha Tinh FC have invested a lot and become one of the richest clubs in V.League 2. They are leading the league, five points clear over the second-placed team. If the team can maintain their form, they will be promoted to V.League 1 next season.