The 2025/26 Cambodian Premier League season will welcome a fresh and intriguing entrant, as Ministry of Interior FA undergoes a sweeping transformation under new ownership. Rebranded as MOI Kompong Dewa FC, the club is turning a new page in its storied history, aiming to shake off years of underachievement with fresh leadership and international investment.
Historically known as National Police Commissary FC, the club had been operated by Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior—also in charge of the nation’s police force. Though crowned top-flight champions in 2000, the team had more recently become synonymous with its struggles at the bottom end of the league table. Unusually for a top-tier side, the club built its reputation on prioritizing local talent, routinely shunning foreign signings in favor of academy-developed players.
Now, the winds of change are sweeping through the club. An Indonesian investment group—reportedly linked to Dewa United, one of Indonesia’s most rapidly growing football outfits—has taken the reins. Their ambitions were immediately signaled by the appointment of Kevin Hardiman, co-founder of the Banten Warriors, as the new president of the club.
While the rebranding has injected excitement into Cambodian football circles, it has also stirred controversy both at home and abroad.
The name “Kompong Dewa” is directly tied to a hotel, resort, and casino complex located in Sihanoukville, a once-sleepy coastal city now known as the “Las Vegas of Southeast Asia” due to the rapid rise of gambling establishments. The complex has been associated with Tommy Hermawan Lo, son of Jerry Hermawan Lo, founder of Indonesia’s JHL Group and a co-founder of Dewa United.
Tommy Lo has faced scrutiny over alleged links to the growth of online gambling operations that target the Indonesian market—despite the country’s ban on gambling. Reports have suggested he may have helped facilitate the transfer of funds from Indonesia to Cambodia, where gambling is legal, and where many of these platforms are reportedly headquartered.
Even more troubling are allegations of human trafficking tied to the gambling industry in Sihanoukville. Investigations have indicated that numerous victims—many of them Indonesian and Southeast Asian job seekers—were lured with promises of lucrative employment only to end up working under coercive conditions in these gambling operations.
Jerry Hermawan Lo, in a statement to Tempo in August 2024, acknowledged JHL Group’s role in managing the hotel and resort portions of the Kompong Dewa complex, but strongly denied any involvement by his son in gambling activities. “The casino was owned by a Cambodian,” Jerry emphasized, noting that Cambodian law permits only nationals to hold such licenses.
As part of the ownership change, MOI Kompong Dewa FC will relocate to Sihanoukville for the upcoming season. This marks a notable shift from their base in Kandal Province, where the club had been based since 2019. The move also signals a return to familiar ground, as the club temporarily played in Sihanoukville during the 2020 campaign. The team will now share the city with Life Sihanoukville, potentially igniting a new coastal rivalry.
While concerns over the ownership’s background persist, football analysts also see potential upside. Dewa United, despite being founded only in 2021, has quickly become one of Indonesia’s most professionally run clubs. With a dedicated training complex in Tangerang Regency and active community outreach across South Tangerang and Banten Province, the club has laid a strong foundation both on and off the pitch.
That level of professionalism could now be replicated in Cambodia. MOI Kompong Dewa may serve as a developmental partner for Dewa United, offering young Indonesian players a platform to gain experience in a top-tier Southeast Asian league. It could also pave the way for closer footballing collaboration between Cambodia and Indonesia, opening new opportunities for regional scouting, training exchanges, and player development pipelines.
Whether this bold venture will elevate MOI Kompong Dewa into a force in Cambodian football—or be derailed by off-field controversies—remains to be seen. But what’s clear is that a new, and potentially transformative, chapter is beginning in Sihanoukville.