Kelantan Red Warrior F.C.

This article is about Kelantan Red Warrior Football Club. For Kelantan The Real Warriors, see Kelantan The Real Warriors F.C. For Kelantan, see Kelantan F.C.
Kelantan Red Warrior
Full nameKelantan Red Warrior Football Club
NicknameThe Red Warrior
Short nameKRW
Founded21 December 2024 (21 December 2024)
StadiumSultan Muhammad IV Stadium
Capacity30,000
Coordinates6°7′26″N 102°14′36″E / 6.12389°N 102.24333°E / 6.12389; 102.24333
PresidentZaki Harun
CEOWan Mohd Fajarul Ekram
Head coachIrfan Bakti Abu Salim
LeagueMalaysia A1 Semi-Pro League
2025–26Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League, 9th of 16
Websitekelantanredwarrior.com

Kelantan Red Warrior Football Club is a Malaysian professional football club based in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. They play in the second division of the Malaysian football league system, the Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League.[1]

History

Formation and early years

The club was founded on 21 December 2024 by the chairman of the Gerakan Selamatkan Kelantan FC (GSK) Nik Hafiz Naim Nik Hassan in a joint venture with the Football Association of Kelantan.[1] On 16 January 2025, Irfan Bakti Abu Salim has been appointed as the club's head coach.[2] On 5 June, the club has been accepted to join the Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League.[3][4][5][6][7]

FIFA investigation, new ownership

In July 2025, FIFA issued a notice to Kelantan Red Warrior Football Club, requesting clarification on whether it is the “sporting successor” of Kelantan Football Club, due to outstanding wages and debts from the old club.[8] The club denied any legal or structural ties with Kelantan and stated it was an entirely new club.[9] In August 2025, Nik Hafiz stepped down as the club president and relinquished all interests to facilitate the league registration.[10][11][12] Zaki Harun, the former Kelantan chief police officer, was appointed as the new president of the club.[13]

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Since 2025, the club had a kit deal with Warrix worth RM 1 million for two seasons.[14]

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor (chest)
2025–2027 Warrix[15] Nasken Coffee

Stadium and location

Coordinates Location Stadium Capacity Year
6°7′26″N 102°14′36″E / 6.12389°N 102.24333°E / 6.12389; 102.24333 Kota Bharu Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium 30,000 2025–present

Players

First-team squad

As of 26 September 2025

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  MAS Amin Faisal
3 DF  MAS Muhammad Faudzi
4 MF  MAS Arham Khussyairi (third-captain)
6 MF  MAS Fariz Zaidi
7 FW  PAK Otis Khan (captain)
8 MF  MAS Azraf Azam
9 FW  MAS Norshahrul Idlan (vice-captain)
11 FW  MAS Fazli Ghazali
12 FW  MAS Rafie Yaacob
13 MF  MAS Latiff Suhaimi
18 MF  MAS Faiz Nasir
19 DF  MAS Syafiq Izzudin
22 GK  MAS Shafiq Afifi
24 MF  CMR Emmanuel Mbarga
No. Pos. Nation Player
27 DF  MAS Aikal Daniel
29 DF  MAS Nazmi Cik Ani
31 MF  MAS Zuasyraf Zulkiefle
32 FW  MAS Nik Azli
33 GK  MAS Harif Hazli
41 MF  MAS Niam' Mulhassan
44 DF  MAS Iskandar Shah
47 FW  MAS Adib Aiman
49 FW  MAS Rizuan Muda
66 DF  MAS Fahrin Azizuddin
72 DF  MAS Mikhail Zakaria
77 DF  MAS Aiman Joanny
88 MF  MAS Muhaimin Izuddin
94 FW  MAS Mazwan Che Mat

Club staff

As of 23 August 2025
Position Name
Head coach Irfan Bakti Abu Salim[16]
Assistant coach Kamarudin Anuar
Mohd Sideek Samsudin
Goalkeeper coach Ismail Chawalit
Fitness coach Ghazali Husin
Physiotherapist Wan Muhammad Farid
Team doctor Mohd Azaad A. Hamid
Kitman Muhammad Ridhuwan Mansor

Management

Position Name
President Zaki Harun
Chief executive officer Wan Mohd Fajarul Ekram
Chief operating officer Nik Khuzaimi Nudin
Head of delegate Nazif Ab Aziz

Coaches

As of match played 26 October 2025
List of Kelantan Red Warrior coaches
Name Nationality From To M W D L GF GA Win % Ref
Irfan Bakti Abu Salim Malaysia 16 January 2025 present 9 3 4 2 16 5 033.33

Presidents

The following have been the presidents of the club's board of directors:

Period Name
21 December 2024–2 August 2025 Nik Hafiz Naim Nik Hassan[17]
18 August 2025– Zaki Harun[18]

Seasons

As of match played 26 October 2025
Season League FA Cup Malaysia
Cup 		Top goalscorer
Division Tier P W D L F A Pts Pos Name Goals
2025–26 A1 2 Ongoing – – Emmanuel Mbarga 8
Champions Runners-up Third Place Promoted Relegated

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "RM2 juta hidupkan KRW, sah mohon bertanding Liga A1". Harian Metro. 21 December 2024.
  2. ^ "Irfan Bakti kemudi KRW". Berita Harian. 16 January 2025.
  3. ^ "Kelantan Red Warrior sah 'kembali' Sabtu ini". Berita Harian. 15 December 2024.
  4. ^ "Kelantan Red Warriors mahu ganti TRW". Utusan Malaysia. 21 December 2024.
  5. ^ "Kelantan Red Warriors ganti The Red Warriors". Sinar Harian. 21 December 2024.
  6. ^ "Kelantan Red Warriors sedia ganti TRW". Berita RTM. 21 December 2024.
  7. ^ "Kelantan Red Warriors mahu ganti TRW". Kosmo!. 21 December 2024.
  8. ^ "Confusion over Kelantan team's rebranding draws FIFA's attention". The Star. 27 July 2025.
  9. ^ "KRW tak salin kulit nafi dakwaan FIFA". Kosmo. 28 July 2025.
  10. ^ "Hafiz steps down as president to keep Warriors in A1 Semi Pro League". The Star. 4 August 2025.
  11. ^ "Liga A1: Nasken Coffee ambil alih KRW FC, usaha selamat daripada sekatan". malaysiagazette.com. 4 August 2025.
  12. ^ "KRW FC kini milik Nasken Coffee". sinarharian.com. 2 August 2025.
  13. ^ "Ex-Kelantan Police Chief Appointed KRW FC President". bernama. August 18, 2025.
  14. ^ "Warrix Umum Taja Kelantan RW RM1 Juta". MakanBola. 6 May 2025.
  15. ^ "New Era Begins: Warrix to Power Kelantan Red Warriors FC Until 2027". Universal Sports. 7 May 2025.
  16. ^ "Irfan Bakti dilantik ketua jurulatih Kelantan Red Warrior". Astro Awani. 17 January 2025.
  17. ^ "Presiden letak jawatan, Kelantan Red Warrior kini milik syarikat kedai kopi tempatan". stadiumastro.com. Stadium Astro. 2 August 2025.
  18. ^ "Bekas Ketua Polis Kelantan dilantik Presiden KRW FC". kosmo.com.my. Kosmo!. 18 August 2025.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Kelantan Red Warrior F.C..
Wikinews has news related to:
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.