Yunos Yusof

Haji Mohammad Yunos bin Haji Mohammad Yusof is a Bruneian former national football player and current futsal coach.[1] He was once a goalkeeper renowned for his superb agility and dexterity at his time with the Brunei representative team playing in the Malaysia leagues, and ended his career on a high by winning the 1999 Malaysia Cup.[2]

In this Malay name, there is no family name. The name Yusof is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Yunos.
Yunos Yusof
Personal information
Full name Haji Mohammad Yunos bin Haji Mohammad Yusof
Date of birth 1965 (age 55–56)
Place of birth Brunei
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1999 Brunei
National team‡
1981 Brunei U16 2+ (0)
1985–1999 Brunei 2+ (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 25 October 2017
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 25 October 2017

Playing career

National career

Yunos joined the national representative team in 1985, replacing Ali Ismail who had retired from football at the age of 25.[3] He began a 15-year rivalry with the much taller goalie Ibrahim Abu Bakar, frequently trading places in the well-supported Brunei team for many years to come in the M-League.[4]

After helping Brunei to a record highest position of third in 1998,[5] Yunos lost his place to Ibrahim after Mick Jones took over from David Booth midway through the 1999 season. Nevertheless, he is remembered today as a member of the Brunei team that won the Malaysia Cup of the same year, and it was the perfect opportunity to end what was a long and arduous career.

International career

Yunos was already playing for Brunei as early as 1981, when he donned the gloves for Brunei's under-16 team at the 1981 Lion City Cup.[6][7] He would have appeared in approximately six editions of the Southeast Asian Games from 1987 to 1997,[8] losing in all but one game in the period mentioned (the one game being a 2–2 draw against Singapore at the 18th SEA Games).

However, on a brighter note, Yusof was in goal for Brunei's 1–0 victory over the Philippines at the 1996 Tiger Cup held in Singapore on 8 September.[9] This game marked Brunei's first ever clean sheet in an international fixture, as well as the first win for the Wasps in nine years.

Coaching career

After his retirement, Yusof went into coaching for futsal, namely the national futsal team of Brunei which starred some of his old teammates like Sabtu Lupat and Azmanuddin Gillen. His first assignment was the 2003 AFF Futsal Championship held in Malaysia. In a pulsating match against the hosts on 3 July that finished 4–5, Yunos was sent off to the stands for dissent.[10]

Yunos replaced Rosanan Samak for the national coach position after a disastrous 2007 AFF Futsal Championship, and prepared a team which won gold at the 2nd Borneo Games later in December.[11] He then led Brunei to a fourth-place finish at the 2008 AFF Futsal Championship.[12]

Yunos could not replicate his success at the 2013 and 2014 editions of the AFF Futsal Championship where he lost every match,[13] but in his coaching comeback in the 2017 tournament, Brunei managed to win 5–0 against the Philippines.[14]

References
  1. "Coach heartened by second-half display despite heavy loss". Borneo Bulletin. 27 October 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  2. "Locals leave for Futsal Championship in Vietnam". Borneo Bulletin. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  3. "A pair of safe hands in Yunnos". Singapore Monitor. 3 January 1985. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  4. "FACTSHEET... BRUNEI". Singapore Monitor. 3 January 1985. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  5. "Bujang Senang lega selepas seri". Utusan Malaysia. 21 October 1998. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  6. "No excuse ..." New Nation. 1 September 1981. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  7. "So easy for Bahrain..." New Nation. 8 September 1981. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  8. "A winning start". New Starits Times. 10 June 1993. Retrieved 16 January 2018 – via Google News Archive Search.
  9. "Brunei pips Pinoy booters". Manila Standard. 10 September 1996. Retrieved 16 January 2018 – via Google News Archive Search.
  10. "Coaches see red as Malaysia edge Brunei". The Star. 4 July 2003. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  11. "Brunei won the 2nd Borneo Games in Kuching". Borneo Bulletin. 8 December 2007. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  12. "BRAVE BRUNEI CREATE HISTORY; THAIS TO PLAY MALAYSIA IN LAST FOUR". ASEAN Football Federation. 29 August 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  13. "Nat'l coach rues missed chances". The Brunei Times. 27 October 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  14. "Coach stresses importance of Philippines win". Borneo Bulletin. 2 November 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
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