Cambodian Premier League giants Nagaworld FC have secured the services of former Persija Jakarta striker Rafli Mursalim to fill in their ASEAN slot for the upcoming 2023/24 season.
Rafli, who last played for Gresik United in the 2022/23 Liga 2 Indonesia, is currently in Cambodia and have completed a trial with 3-time league winners Nagaworld. He was seen on an Instagram Story picture posted by Nagaworld’s Brazilian striker Cristian Roque, himself having been at the club since 2022. Along with Rafli and Cristian, several other Nagaworld players were also seen in the picture – Lim Aarun Raymond, Seng Saravuthy, and new Kyrgyz signing Bektur Amangeldiev.
Having failed his trial at PSM Makassar in the run-up towards the current Liga 1 Indonesia season, Rafli has decided to seek his fortunes outside of Indonesia, and with the CPL following in the leads of the Thai League, the Liga Super Malaysia, and the Liga 1 in implementing an ASEAN slot, the former Indonesia U-23 international would surely fancy himself a new challenge over in Cambodia.
Kampong Speu-based Nagaworld is one of Cambodia’s most successful clubs, having won the Cambodian top-flight as recently as 2018. Bankrolled by the wealthy Hong Kong hotel, gaming, and leisure company NagaCorp, Nagaworld also won the 2013 Hun Sen Cup and appeared in AFC competitions four times, most recently in the 2019 AFC Cup.
Rafli won’t be the first Indonesian to play in Cambodia, though.
That distinction would go to Papua trio Tenius Trukna, Yuspen Uopdana, and Faisal Rizal Samberbori, who were signed from Liga 2 clubs PSBS Biak and Persigubin Pegunungan Bintang by league minnows Western Phnom Penh FC for the second half of the 2018 Cambodian League season. Their short stint in Cambodia ended in disaster, as Western Phnom Penh were that season’s whipping boys, finishing dead last with only one point to their name.