Afi Aminuddin Explained

Afi Aminuddin
Fullname:Muhammad 'Afi bin Aminuddin
Birth Date:1991 10, df=yes
Birth Place:Brunei
Years1:2010
Years2:2010–2011
Years3:2012–2016
Years4:2017–2020
Clubs1:DPMM
Clubs2:Indera (loan)
Clubs3:Indera
Clubs4:Kota Ranger
Caps1:0
Goals1:0
Goals3:4
Goals4:2
Years5:2021–
Clubs5:Kasuka
Caps5:10
Goals5:0
Currentclub:Kasuka FC
Clubnumber:2
Position:Defender
Youthyears1:2006–2011
Youthclubs1:Sports School
Nationalyears1:2012
Nationalteam1:Brunei U21
Nationalcaps1:6
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:2013
Nationalteam2:Brunei U23
Nationalcaps2:3
Nationalgoals2:0
Nationalyears3:2012–
Nationalteam3:Brunei
Nationalcaps3:18
Nationalgoals3:0
Pcupdate:27 August 2023
Ntupdate:11 June 2024

Muhammad 'Afi bin Aminuddin is a Bruneian footballer who plays as a defender for Brunei Super League club Kasuka.[1]

Club career

Afi attended Brunei Sports School, the institution that also produced Brunei international footballers such as Azwan Ali Rahman and Hazwan Hamzah.[2] He was drafted into professional club DPMM FC playing in the Singapore league in 2010, but due to the ban imposed by FIFA on Brunei he was sent on loan to Indera SC along with five other players.[3]

Afi signed full terms with Indera not long after and has won two league championships with them.[4] After four seasons, he transferred to Kota Ranger FC. He scored his first goal for the Rangers in the penultimate game of the season, a 1–1 draw with MS PDB on 18 February 2018. He was appointed club captain from the 2018-19 season, then led the team to winning the 2018-19 Brunei FA Cup on 22 April 2019 in a 2–1 victory.[5]

Afi exited Kota Ranger after three years and signed for Kasuka FC in June 2021. In the following year, he played in the final of the FA Cup, losing 2–1 to brother Wafi's team DPMM FC.[6] He then won the 2023 Brunei Super League with his side undefeated in 16 matches.[7]

International career

Afi played all six games in Brunei U21s' maiden Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy victory in 2012.[8] He also turned out for the under-23s at the 2013 SEA Games.[9]

Afi made his international debut for Brunei on 26 September 2012 in a 0–5 loss against Indonesia.[10] He was ever-present in the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification but did not play at all for the 2014 edition. He was called up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Chinese Taipei in March 2015, but did not take the field.[11] A year later, he was selected for the 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification but only appeared once as a substitute.[12]

After Kwon Oh-son was reinstated as the national team head coach, he re-utilized Afi who had played regularly for him for his first match back at the helm at the 2016 AFC Solidarity Cup held in Kuching, Malaysia.[13] Afi became the regular centre-back for fourth-placed Brunei in the tournament, appearing in four matches overall.

Afi was again selected by Kwon for the Brunei squad contesting the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification matches against Timor-Leste in early September.[14]

Helped by his impressive form for Kota Ranger in 2019, he was picked for the 2022 World Cup qualification matches against Mongolia in June.[15] He subsequently made two appearances as a substitute.

On 11 September 2023, Afi was given a starting berth for the away friendly against Hong Kong and played for 70 minutes until he was substituted by Hazwan Hamzah, the hosts were cruising 7–0 at that point.[16] He was selected for the 2026 World Cup qualification games versus Indonesia but saw no game time.[17]

Honours

Team

Indera SC
Kota Ranger FC

2018-19

Kasuka FC

2023

International

Brunei national under-21 football team

2012

Individual

Personal life

Afi has three brothers who are also footballers.[19] Younger brother Wafi Aminuddin has eight caps for the national team.[20] Another brother Ulfi Aminuddin was a Brunei under-18 international and has represented the country in futsal, he is also captain of Brunei's seven-a-side football team.[21] [22] [23] The youngest brother, Bazli is a Brunei youth international.[24]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: A. Aminuddin. Soccerway. 9 November 2015.
  2. Web site: Sports School students for HBT challenge . 23 February 2012 . . 9 November 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150521061802/http://www.brusearch.com/news/106533 . 21 May 2015 .
  3. Web site: BPL under watchful eyes of DPMM FC. 3 March 2011. The Brunei Times. 9 November 2015.
  4. Web site: Indera win DST Sumbangsih Cup. 25 January 2015. The Brunei Times. 9 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160307212024/http://www.bt.com.bn/sports-national/2015/01/25/indera-win-dst-sumbangsih-cup. 7 March 2016. dead. dmy-all.
  5. Web site: KOTA RANGER CROWNED DST FA CUP CHAMPIONS. 23 April 2019. BruSports News. 23 April 2019.
  6. Web site: DPMM FC sink Kasuka FC to win Brunei FA Cup. 5 December 2022. Borneo Bulletin. 5 December 2022.
  7. Web site: 18/11/2023 Brunei Super League. Radio Television Brunei. 18 November 2023. 20 November 2023.
  8. Web site: Confident despite pressure. 3 July 2012. The Brunei Times. 9 November 2015.
  9. Web site: HBT heroes to man SEA Games team. 27 January 2013. The Brunei Times. 9 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304132414/http://www.bt.com.bn/2013/01/27/hbt-heroes-man-sea-games-team. 4 March 2016. dead. dmy-all.
  10. Web site: Garuda stung the Wasps. 26 September 2012. Ranoadidas. 9 November 2015.
  11. Web site: Brunei name World Cup Qualifiers players. 6 March 2015. The Brunei Times. 9 November 2015. 23 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160623221056/http://www.bt.com.bn/sports-national/2015/03/06/brunei-name-world-cup-qualifiers-players. dead.
  12. Web site: Brunei thrill in defeat, suffer painful exit. 22 October 2016. Borneo Bulletin. 24 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161023190515/http://borneobulletin.com.bn/brunei-thrill-defeat-suffer-painful-exit/. 23 October 2016. dead. dmy-all.
  13. Web site: Helmi, Azwan join team for AFC Solidarity Cup. 1 November 2016. The Brunei Times. 3 November 2016.
  14. Web site: Minister urges national team to make impact at AFF Suzuki Cup qualifier. 30 August 2018. Borneo Bulletin. 31 August 2018.
  15. Web site: Brunei football team in China for training camp. 29 May 2019. Borneo Bulletin. 13 June 2019. 16 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190616105447/https://borneobulletin.com.bn/brunei-football-team-in-china-for-training-camp-2/. dead.
  16. Web site: Result: Hong Kong, China 10 - 0 Brunei. HKFA. 11 September 2023. 19 October 2023.
  17. fa.bruneidarussalam. 9 October 2023. CyLmRFKBmAI. Here's the 25 players that will be representing Brunei Darussalam in the World Cup Qualifiers. 19 October 2023.
  18. Web site: Sultan sees HBT stars as nucleus of national team. 6 April 2012. Borneo Bulletin. 21 September 2022.
  19. Web site: KNOW YOUR ATHLETE: WAFI AMINUDDIN. 29 April 2020. BruSports News. 22 August 2022.
  20. Web site: Under-16s' Record Opening Game Win. 28 July 2015. Khmer Times. 9 November 2015.
  21. Web site: 20th Lion City Cup (2005). 7 September 2006. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 9 May 2016.
  22. Web site: Brunei futsal squad all set for AFF challenge in Malaysia. 17 September 2014. Borneo Bulletin. 9 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160605084713/http://borneobulletin.com.bn/brunei-futsal-squad-set-aff-challenge-malaysia/. 5 June 2016. dead.
  23. Web site: Brunei leave for 7-a-side meet in Manila. 24 April 2023. Borneo Bulletin. 27 April 2023.
  24. Web site: Young Wasps in Saudi Arabia for training camp. 12 June 2023. Borneo Bulletin. 12 June 2023.