Feisal Eusoff
{{short description|Bruneian footballer and manager}}
{{Malay name|Feisal|Eusoff}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Feisal Eusoff
| fullname = Haji Feisal bin Haji Mohammad Eusoff Patail
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1967}}
| birth_place = Brunei
| height =
| position = Midfielder
| currentclub =
| clubnumber =
| years1 = 1985–1993
| caps1 =
| goals1 =
| clubs1 = Brunei
| years2 =
| caps2 =
| goals2 =
| clubs2 = Armed Forces
| nationalyears1 = 1985–1993
| nationalcaps1 = 1+
| nationalgoals1 = 0+
| nationalteam1 = Brunei
| manageryears1 = 2012–2014
| managerclubs1 = Brunei U21 (team manager)
| manageryears2 = 2012
| managerclubs2 = Brunei (team manager)
| manageryears3 = 2013
| managerclubs3 = Brunei U23 (team manager)
| club-update = 18 December 2023
| ntupdate = 18 December 2023
| module = {{Infobox officeholder |embed = yes
|office = President of the Football Association of
Brunei Darussalam
|term_start = 17 December 2023
|term_end = 23 November 2024
|predecessor = Pengiran Matusin
|successor = Vacant
}}
| image = Feisal Eusoff (2024).jpg
| caption = Feisal in 2024
}}
Haji Feisal bin Haji Mohammad Eusoff Patail (born 1967) is a Bruneian former footballer who played as a midfielder.{{cite web|url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/page/newpaper19880910-1.1.38|title=Four-goal slumber|publisher=The New Paper|date=10 September 1988|accessdate=11 January 2024}} After playing for several years in the Malaysian M-League for the Brunei representative team, he was appointed team manager for the Brunei national under-21 football team that won the 2012 Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy at home soil.{{cite web |title=BRUNEI JUBILATE WITH WIN IN HBT 2012|url=https://www.aseanfootball.org/v3/brunei-jubilate-with-win-in-hbt-2012/|date=10 March 2012|publisher=ASEAN Football Federation|accessdate=11 January 2024}} He was serving as the president of the Football Association of Brunei Darussalam from 2024 until his dismissal on 23 November 2024 by order of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/president/news/brunei-darussalam-to-maintain-forward-momentum-under-new-president|title=Brunei Darussalam to maintain forward momentum under new President|publisher=FIFA.com|date=27 December 2023|accessdate=11 January 2024}}
Due to the uncommon spelling of his name, it was often miswritten as Faisal Yusof in various publications in the past.{{cite news |first=Rahman |last=Manaf |date=13 February 1985 |title=Faisal pemain harapan|trans-title=Faisal, player of expectation|url= |language=Malay |work=Pelita Brunei |access-date=}}
Career
=Playing career=
Feisal began representing Brunei in the Malaysian leagues in 1985, after BAFA instigated an overhaul of the aging players that came in second to last place and mustered only one victory out of 15 matches in the 1984 season.{{cite web|url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/beritaharian19841221-1.2.39.2|title=BRUNEI TURUNKAN SKUAD MUDA TAHUN DEPAN|publisher=Berita Harian|date=21 December 1984|accessdate=11 January 2024}} Players like Feisal, Yunos Yusof, Rosanan Samak, Majidi Ghani and Zainuddin Kassim were drafted into the team with Brazilian coach Oscar Amaro tasked to make the players gel.{{cite web|url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/singmonitor19850113-1.2.25.12|title=Little Sabah can do to dent Brunei's record|publisher=Singapore Monitor|date=13 January 1985|accessdate=11 January 2024}}
Fresh after an impressive showing at the 1985 Brunei Merdeka Games a month prior,{{cite web|url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19850327-1.2.55.28|title=Faisal and Syed prove promising|publisher=The Straits Times|date=27 March 1985|accessdate=11 January 2024}} Feisal made his international debut on 6 April 1985 in a 1–5 defeat against Hong Kong at Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium for qualification to the 1986 World Cup.{{cite web |title=Brunei 1-5 Hong Kong :: World Cup Qualifiers (AFC) 1986 :: Match Events :: playmakerstats.com|url=https://www.playmakerstats.com/match.php?id=346197|date=|publisher=playmakerstats.com|accessdate=11 January 2024}}
Feisal played for Brunei until 1993, the latter years playing in the Liga Semi-Pro Divisyen 2 where the Wasps had played since the league's formation in 1989.
=Managerial career=
In early 2012, Feisal was appointed the team manager of the Brunei U21 squad competing at the upcoming 2012 Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy.{{cite web |title=Brunei shortlists 22-man HBT squad|url=https://bruneifootball.blogspot.com/2012/02/brunei-shortlists-22-man-hbt-squad.html|date=2 February 2012|publisher=The Brunei Times|accessdate=11 January 2024}} Coached by South Korean national Kwon Oh-son, the team clinched the trophy in the final against Indonesia on 9 March, bringing the nation its first footballing trophy since the 1999 Malaysia Cup and a year after a lengthy FIFA ban had decimated Brunei's footballing scene.{{cite web |title=Brunei are HBT champs!|url=https://bruneifootball.blogspot.com/2012/03/brunei-are-hbt-champs.html|date=10 March 2012|publisher=The Brunei Times|accessdate=11 January 2024}} The same backroom staff were handed the national team job for the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification matches held in Myanmar the following October, where they narrowly missed out on the tournament proper.{{cite web |title=So close, yet so far for Brunei|url=https://msabdbft.blogspot.com/2012/10/so-close-yet-so-far-for-brunei.html|date=15 October 2012|publisher=Borneo Bulletin|accessdate=11 January 2024}}
A year later, Feisal was assigned in a similar capacity to the Brunei under-23s competing at the 27th SEA Games in Thailand in December 2013.{{cite web |title=HBT heroes to man SEA Games team|url=https://bruneifootball.blogspot.com/2013/01/hbt-heroes-to-man-sea-games-team.html|date=27 January 2013|publisher=The Brunei Times|accessdate=11 January 2024}} Underpreparedness and injuries to key players meant the Young Wasps lost all of their matches in the tournament,{{cite web |title=SEA GAMES 2013: Thai Lessons for Brunei|url=https://bruneifootball.blogspot.com/2013/11/sea-games-2013-thai-lessons-for-brunei.html|date=29 November 2013|publisher=The Brunei Times|accessdate=11 January 2024}}{{cite web |title=Fail to prepare, then prepare to fail|url=https://bruneifootball.blogspot.com/2013/12/fail-to-prepare-then-prepare-to-fail.html|date=22 December 2013|publisher=The Brunei Times|accessdate=11 January 2024}} bringing ire to Prince Sufri Bolkiah, the president of NFABD at the time.{{cite web |title=HRH: I expected Laos win|url=https://bruneifootball.blogspot.com/2013/12/hrh-i-expected-laos-win.html|date=22 December 2013|publisher=The Brunei Times|accessdate=11 January 2024}}
Feisal then managed the Under-21s for the defense of the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy held in August 2014.{{cite web |title=Brunei strike late for draw|url=https://bruneifootball.blogspot.com/2014/08/brunei-strike-late-for-draw.html|date=3 August 2014|publisher=The Brunei Times|accessdate=11 January 2024}} Despite bringing the spine of the 2012 winning team in Najib Tarif, Hendra Azam and Adi Said,{{cite web |title=Brunei manager hails ‘magical’ Adi|url=https://bruneifootball.blogspot.com/2014/08/brunei-manager-hails-magical-adi.html|date=12 August 2014|publisher=The Brunei Times|accessdate=11 January 2024}} the team were knocked out in the group stages on goal difference despite a 2–1 victory over Malaysia in the last group game.{{cite web |title=Battling Brunei crash out|url=https://bruneifootball.blogspot.com/2014/08/battling-brunei-crash-out.html|date=19 August 2014|publisher=The Brunei Times|accessdate=11 January 2024}} Feisal tended his resignation immediately after the match.{{cite web |title=Brunei HBT team manager quits|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/147018841@N07/31706528155/in/album-72157674121981843/|date=19 August 2014|publisher=The Brunei Times|accessdate=11 January 2024}}
Presidency
On 1 December 2023, Feisal was nominated as one of four candidates for the Football Association of Brunei Darussalam presidency for the 2024–27 term, to be decided at the FABD Congress on 16 December.{{cite web |title=Nomination for the FABD Election Congress|url=https://the-fabd.com/nomination-for-the-fabd-election-congress/|date=1 December 2023|publisher=Football Association of Brunei Darussalam|accessdate=11 January 2024}} He was subsequently elected as president in a majority vote on that date.{{cite web |title=Football association elects new president|url=https://borneobulletin.com.bn/football-association-elects-new-president/|date=17 December 2023|publisher=Borneo Bulletin|accessdate=11 January 2024}}
On 23 November 2024, he was immediately dismissed as President of the Football Association of Brunei Darussalam. Following this, legal action was taken against him for challenging the authority of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam. {{cite web |title= President of the Football Association of Brunei Darussalam was dismissed|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/DCtuJsiP3Y7/?igsh=cWt6dW04OWN6bDZl/|date=23 November 2024|publisher=Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sports|accessdate=23 November 2024}}
Honours
=Team=
;Brunei
- Borneo Cup : 1987
=Manager=
;Brunei U21
=Individual=
{{See also|Orders, decorations, and medals of Brunei}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{S-start}}
{{s-sports}}
{{s-bef|before=Pengiran Matusin}}
{{s-ttl|title=President of the Football Association of Brunei Darussalam|years=2023–2024}}
{{S-vac}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feisal Eusoff}}
Category:Bruneian men's footballers
Category:Men's association football midfielders
Category:Brunei men's international footballers
Category:Bruneian football managers