Another season of feats for Singaporean coach Aidil Sharin, who leads Kuching City to Malaysia Cup final

SINGAPORE – Eight years since leaving Singapore to coach overseas, Aidil Sharin has continued to enhance his resume with a series of achievements.

On May 23, the Singaporean will lead unfancied Kuching City out against Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) in the Sarawakian side’s first Malaysia Cup final, having already helped them secure a continental berth for the first time.

They will play in next season’s AFC Champions League Two after finishing just behind JDT in the 13-team Malaysia Super League (MSL).

Aidil, who was named Coach of the Year at last season’s Malaysia Football Awards after helping Kuching finish fourth in the 2024-25 MSL, says he is motivated to add to his curriculum vitae.

The 48-year-old added: “I am not surprised by what I have been able to achieve overseas because I have learnt a lot along the way and I know that I work very hard for it. It is not easy to go from one country to another.

“The most important thing I have had is the self-belief that I’m good enough to work anywhere. The results speak for themselves.

“And I think you can ask any player who’s worked under me about what kind of coach I am, and I am proud of that. I still feel that I can gain a lot more knowledge and work well here. I still have that drive and desire.”

This will be Aidil’s second Malaysia Cup final as coach, having also achieved the feat with Kedah in 2019, when he led them to Malaysian FA Cup glory as well.

After helping the north Malaysian club to runner-up finishes in the MSL in 2020 and 2021, he left in 2022.

That was followed by a six-month stint in 2023 with Indonesian side Persikabo 1973, who were in the top tier then. Aidil won just six of 21 matches before he was replaced.

He admitted the experience made him “stronger as a coach and as a person”.

That renewed resolve has since benefited Kuching, who he joined in August 2023.

After helping them stave off relegation that season, he embarked on a squad overhaul, laying the foundation which allowed the team to grow from strength to strength.

Malaysian daily New Straits Times said Aidil’s tactical adaptability – notably in squad rotation and mid-game adjustments – is a key reason behind Kuching achieving their most successful season in the club’s history.

But he is under no illusion about the task at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium against JDT, who ended their MSL campaign with a 14-1 thrashing of Kelantan The Real Warriors on May 10.

In the process, the Southern Tigers equalled the world record of 108 consecutive domestic league matches unbeaten held by Ivorian club ASEC Mimosas.

JDT, who are also looking to make it four consecutive Malaysia Cup triumphs, have not lost a league match since April 2021.

Across their four meetings in this season’s MSL and Malaysian FA Cup, Kuching have lost all four matches but remained competitive, with only one defeat by more than a single goal.

Aidil said: “It will be a tough game, no doubt. I can’t promise anything other than the fact that my team will play their hearts out. We don’t want to let our fans down. We want them to come, enjoy good football and win or lose, the most important thing is to give them a performance to be proud of.”

His contract expires at the end of this 2025-26 season, but Aidil said he has been talking to the club on next season’s plans, with a contract extension on the table.

While there have been offers to return to the Singapore Premier League, the former Home United coach, whose ultimate goal is to manage the Singapore national team one day, is not in a hurry to come back.

He said: “To be a national team coach, you need a lot of experience and context of what is out there. To come back to Singapore is not in my plans in the next few years.

“For me, it is a big honour to go outside of Singapore and put the country on the map, football-wise. People know I am Singaporean.

“I receive messages of support from Singaporeans all the time too and that drives me as well.”