Malaysia
Sabah Football Club is a Malaysian professional football club founded in the 1950s as the North Borneo football team, representing the state of Sabah in Borneo. The club competes in the Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football, with their home matches played at the 35,000-capacity Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu. Notable achievements in their history include winning the Malaysia FA Cup in 1995, the Malaysian Premier League in 1996, and the Malaysia Premier League in 2019. The club also made history by advancing to the second round of the Asian Cup Winners' Cup in 1995.
History
Overview
General information about the club
Sabah Football Club (Malay: Kelab Bolasepak Sabah) is owned by the Sabah Football Club Sdn Bhd and represents the state of Sabah in the Malaysian football system. Until 2021, the club operated as Sabah FA, one of the 14 state teams funded and managed by the SAFA. However, the Malaysian football league mandated that all top two leagues must be professional, leading to the privatisation of SAFA and the formation of the current club structure.
Most recent season and achievements
In preparation for the 2025–26 season, Sabah signed New Zealand national team player Dane Ingham from Newcastle Jets and Dean Pelekanos from Western Sydney Wanderers. The club also returned to partnership with Adidas as their apparel sponsor since 2016. The team finished third in the 2022 Malaysia Super League, which qualified them for continental competition.
History
Early years
From the 1950s until 1963, Sabah competed as the North Borneo football team in the Borneo Cup alongside Sarawak and Brunei. Following the formation of the Federation of Malaysia, the North Borneo Football Association changed its name to Sabah Football Association. The club qualified for the Malaysia Cup for the first time in 1977 and entered the competition in 1978.
Successful period
During the amateur and semi-pro era, Sabah was well known for producing quality players, notably the trio of James Wong, Hassan Sani, and Peter Rajah. These players led Sabah to become one of Malaysian football's most feared teams during the 1980s. A notable example was the 1979 Malaysian League where Sabah finished as runners-up behind Singapore and became the highest scoring team with 49 goals in 12 games, including impressive victories such as an 8–0 thrashing of Sarawak, 11–0 hammering of Perak, and 6–1 beating of Terengganu. In 1991, striker Matlan Marjan became the first Malaysian to score a double against England in 'A' international matches.
When professional football was introduced, Sabah won their first professional trophy, the FA Cup in 1995. In 1996, they won their first league title and reached the Cup final but were beaten by Selangor on penalties. The club also advanced to the second round of the Asian Cup Winners' Cup in 1995 after defeating An Giang 3–1 on aggregate, though they lost to Bellmare Hiratsuka 1–7 on aggregate.
Crisis and recovery
The positive results were cut short by a match-fixing scandal in 1994, which resulted in several players, including Matlan, being banned for life by FIFA. After the scandal, Sabah began rebuilding. Despite reaching finals in 1998, 2002, and 2003, they struggled with consistency. When the Malaysia Super League was introduced in 2004, Sabah only managed to stay for two seasons before being relegated in 2005.
After six years in the second tier, Australian head coach Gary Phillips guided Sabah to promotion in 2010. However, they were relegated again in 2012. The club went through various coaching changes, including David McCreery and Milomir Šešlija, and signed notable players like El Hadji Diouf and Abdoulaye Faye in 2015, though results remained inconsistent.
Current period
Following reorganization, Sabah was crowned champion of the 2019 Malaysia Premier League, securing promotion back to the Malaysia Super League for 2020. Starting from 2021, the club was privatized as required by FAM, with Sabah Football Club Sdn Bhd formed and Verdon Bahanda appointed as CEO. The club returned to continental competition in 2023–24, participating in the AFC Cup where they reached the ASEAN Zonal semi-finals before losing 0–3 to Macarthur FC.
Achievements and Honors
Domestic competitions
Sabah has achieved significant success in domestic competitions, winning the Malaysia FA Cup in 1995, the Malaysian Premier League (top tier) in 1996, and the Malaysia Premier League (second tier) in 2019. The club also finished as runners-up in the Malaysia FA Cup in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2002, and 2003.
Continental and global competitions
In continental competition, Sabah advanced to the second round of the Asian Cup Winners' Cup in 1995 after defeating An Giang of V. League 3–1 on aggregate, though they lost to Bellmare Hiratsuka 1–7 on aggregate. In the 2023–24 AFC Cup, they reached the ASEAN Zonal semi-finals.
Symbols and Colors
Current logo and logo history
In November 2020, following the privatisation of the club, Sabah displayed a new official logo chosen through a competition. The logo was created by Firzaruddin Zainal Abiddin and was selected based on design requirements and fan preference.
Traditional home and away kits colors
The club has maintained partnerships with various kit manufacturers throughout its history, with Adidas returning as the apparel partner since 2016.
Traditional Rivals
Sarawak United and Kuching City
Sabah FC's neighboring rivals are Sarawak United and Kuching City, with matches referred to as the Borneo Derby.
Club Traditions and Behind the Scenes
Sponsors
The club has had various sponsorship arrangements throughout its history. In 2014, local brand Carino was signed as their kit supplier, with Ararat Sports and BSA as sponsors.
Nicknames
Sabah's mascot has evolved over time. The club's first mascot was the rhino since the mid-1990s. In 2010, SAFA rebranded the mascot to hawk, which was controversial as Kuala Lumpur FA was also known as the Hawks. The Rhino mascot was reinstated in 2015, then rebranded as Tambadau in 2019. During the 2021 privatisation process, the rhino once again became the official mascot.
Ownership and finances
Sabah Football Club is owned by Sabah Football Club Sdn Bhd, formed as part of the privatisation process required by FAM for all Malaysia Super League clubs starting from the 2021 season.
Traditions and culture
The club has numerous supporter groups including Bola Sepak Sabah, Football Fans of Sabah, Kelab Penyokong Sabah Rhino, North Borneo Ultras (NBU), Sabah Football Fans Club, SabahRhinos.com since 1997, Tawau City Hoodlum (TCH), The Rhinos Troops, Sabah Diehard, The Voice of Rhinos#12, RedBois City (RBC), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), and Bola Rhinos Fans Club.
Stadium
Likas Stadium serves as the current official main home ground for Sabah, with a capacity of 22,000, making it the 8th largest football stadium in Malaysia. It has been the home stadium since its opening in 1983. The club also occasionally uses Penampang Stadium, Keningau Stadium, Sandakan Stadium, and Tawau Stadium.