Red Warriors roar into Super League new season after Police pull out

PETALING JAYA: Kelantan the Red Warriors are gearing up for their return to the Super League after Police’s withdrawal from the 2026-2027 season.

The Malaysian Football League (MFL) confirmed it had received an official letter from Police notifying the league of the club’s decision to pull out of the upcoming campaign.

No reason was given for the withdrawal.

The development paves the way for Kelantan, who finished fourth in the A1 Semi-Pro League last season, to be promoted. Third-placed Kedah had the option to move up but chose to remain in the second tier.

Kelantan coach Irfan Bakti said the club, though grateful for the opportunity, believed they had already done enough to merit promotion on their own.

“I’m delighted to bring this team to the Super League. We want to thank MFL for giving us this chance, although we feel we deserved it on merit,” he said.

“We have been training for two weeks now, and we will certainly need some new players to complete the squad — whether local or foreign — to boost our depth. We have already started identifying possible targets.”

Irfan pointed to the strong following the team enjoyed in the second tier as reason for optimism at the higher level.

“In our last A1 league game against Bunga Raya, we had 10,000 fans in the stands. That was incredible, and we hope to see the same kind of support in the Super League,” he said.

Captain and defender Arham Khusyairi said the promotion was a dream come true for the squad’s local players.

“As a player, this is news you really want to hear. As we all know, every player wants to compete on the biggest stage, and that is the Super League.

“Now we have been given that chance by MFL,” he said. “The players we have right now are 100 per cent ready for the league. This is the time for us as locals to show what we’ve got.

“I know there are some technical issues, but the management is working on them, so we are confident in what they are doing.”

Arham added that while the team were not setting lofty targets for their top-flight return, effort would never be in question.

“I’m not placing high expectations on us, but what we can promise is 100 per cent in every game we play,” he said.