KUALA LUMPUR – Can Bunga Raya Damansara FC replicate Petaling Jaya City FC’s success by toppling some of the top clubs in the Super League?
Currently competing in the A1 Semi-Pro League (previously known as the M3 League), Bunga Raya Damansara have been the talk of the town with their sudden entry into the local football scene.
Founded in 2021, Bunga Raya Damansara debuted in the third-tier M5 League in 2022 and earned promotion to the M4 League (A2 League) within a year, with an average squad age of 22-23 years.
The meteoric rise of Bunga Raya Damansara to the A1 League, sporting a unique jersey resembling a hybrid of the kits of Inter Miami CF and Palermo FC, has seen the club capturing former PJ City players who once instilled fear in their Super League opponents.
These players include Kannan Kalaiselvan, Tamilmaran Manimaran, Kugan Dhevarajan, Sunil Chandran, Kogileswaran Raj, K. Gurusamy, Thivandaran Karnan, Khyril Muhymeen and Prabakaran Kanadasan.
These players now form the core of Bunga Raya Damansara, and their inclusion proved fruitful with a 4-0 victory over Harini FT in their A1 League opener on June 2.
For the record, PJ City, once regarded as one of the best-run teams in the Super League, have been absent from the local football scene since their disbandment in 2022.
The club’s decision to withdraw was not due to financial reasons but rather over concerns about the direction of the restructured Malaysian Football League (MFL), which did not align with the club’s goals.
This restructure involved increasing the foreign import quota from five to nine players, as set by the MFL in 2022.
Bunga Raya Damansara’s new signing, Kogileswaran, told Scoop that he was happy to reunite with his former PJ City teammates and was impressed by the club’s objectives, which convinced him to sign for them.
Kogileswaran has a total of eight caps for Malaysia between 2018 and 2022, scoring two goals.
“The core players of the club were formed this year, and we are still new with a long-term project. When I got a call from the club owner and the management about three to four months back, I liked the way they approached me about the project of this club.
“The objective and the project of the club are basically to be well known among the community in Damansara and also to become a hub for grassroots football development in the area.
“For now, the atmosphere within the club has been brilliant, and I love finally getting a chance to team up with most of the players who were once my teammates at PJ City. On top of that, I’m happy to be under the guidance of P. Gunalan and the coaching staff, and I believe that they can bring the best out of me.
“I also love wearing the club’s jersey; for me, it’s by far one of the best jerseys that I have ever worn in my football career. It gives an international look to our club, and I look really good in it,” said Kogileswaran when contacted.
Kogileswaran, who has also plied his trade at both Sri Pahang FC and Penang FC in the Super League, expressed his happiness in scoring his first goal for the club on his debut against Harini FT.
The 26-year-old attacking midfielder also had a brief six-month stint in South Korea playing for Chungbuk Cheongju, thus becoming the first Malaysian to play in the Korean league.
“It was a fantastic start for my team as we managed to get our first win of the season, but more than that, I’m happy that I managed to score on my debut for my new club.
“I hope to continue this momentum and hopefully finish as the top scorer and guide this club all the way to the Super League and see more successes,” Kogileswaran added.
Bunga Raya Damansara, with their home ground being the UM Arena Stadium, currently rank top in the A1 League, which has a total of 15 teams vying for promotion to next season’s Super League.
The top two teams will make the the play-offs to determine which teams will qualify for promotion to the 2025-26 Super League season, while the bottom two teams will be relegated to the A2 League. – June 4, 2024
