Abdul Rahman Ibrahim

Abdul Rahman Ibrahim
Born	(1946-04-13) April 13, 1946 Terengganu, Malaysia
Occupation(s)	Football coach, former footballer
Years active	1972–2015
Known for	Coaching Malaysia national football team and various Malaysian football clubs

Abdul Rahman Ibrahim (born 13 April 1946) is a former Malaysian footballer and a seasoned coach.

Early Years

Following an early retirement from playing at age 20 due to injury setbacks, Abdul Rahman embarked on his coaching journey with Terengganu FA's under-20 squad in 1972. Under his guidance, the team secured the 1974 Burnley Cup, the forerunner to the Malaysia President Cup. By 1976, he advanced to serve as assistant coach for the Malaysia national football team, managing the Malaysia 'B' squad during the Thailand King's Cup tournaments until 1982.

Terengganu Leadership

In 1983, Abdul Rahman assumed the role of head coach at Terengganu, taking charge of a side that had recently reached the Malaysia Cup final.

Return to National Team

He resumed duties as Malaysia’s assistant coach in 1984 and was elevated to head coach in 1987. During his tenure, he led the national team to a silver medal at the 1987 Southeast Asian Games. From 1988 onward, he spent eight years as Terengganu FA’s general manager.

Tenure at Perlis

In 1996, Abdul Rahman was appointed head coach of Perlis FA. He steered the team to reach the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Cup that year and progressed further to the semi-finals in 1997.

Second Spell at Terengganu

Abdul Rahman returned as Terengganu’s head coach in 1998, guiding them to their first Malaysia Cup final appearance since 1982. The team finished as runners-up in that tournament.

Third Term with Malaysia National Team

In October 1998, following Malaysia’s disappointing performance at the 1998 Tiger Cup, Abdul Rahman replaced Hatem Souissi as head coach. He led Malaysia to a third-place finish in the 2000 Tiger Cup. However, under his leadership, the team was eliminated during the group stage of the 1999 Southeast Asian Games and failed to qualify for the 2000 AFC Asian Cup. He stepped down after the 2000 Tiger Cup, with Allan Harris succeeding him.

Selangor, Kelantan TNB, and Return to Perlis

Abdul Rahman took charge of Selangor FA in 2001 and secured the Malaysia FA Cup title within that year. After his contract concluded in June 2002, he returned to Terengganu as director of football in 2003 before resuming coaching duties with Kelantan TNB FC in 2004.

He rejoined Perlis FA in 2005 and achieved notable success: winning the 2005 Super League Malaysia, capturing the 2006 Malaysia Cup, claiming the 2007 Malaysia Charity Shield, finishing as runners-up in the 2005 Malaysia Cup, and twice ending as FA Cup finalists in both 2006 and 2007.

International Experience with Deltras

In early 2008, Abdul Rahman ventured abroad by signing with Indonesian Liga club Deltras Sidoarjo.

PKNS FC and Third Stint at Terengganu

Returning to Malaysia in 2009, he was appointed head coach of PKNS FC. Under his leadership, PKNS won the 2011 Malaysia Premier League, earning promotion to the 2012 Super League Malaysia. He successfully maintained their position in the Super League for two seasons and guided them to back-to-back quarter-final appearances in the Malaysia Cup.

At the close of 2013, Abdul Rahman accepted an offer to once again lead Terengganu starting from the 2014 Malaysia Super League season. However, he resigned in May 2015 amid disappointing league performances and internal management conflicts.

Since departing from Terengganu, he has not resumed any coaching roles within football.

External links

• Coaching career beginning at age 25