Afi Aminuddin

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Aminuddin is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name: Muhammad 'Afi.
Afi Aminuddin
Afi with Kasuka in 2022
Personal information
Full name Muhammad 'Afi bin Aminuddin
Date of birth 9 October 1991
Place of birth Brunei
Height 1.61 m (5 ft 3+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Kasuka FC
Number 2
Youth career
2006–2011 Sports School
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010 DPMM 0 (0)
2010–2011 → Indera (loan)
2012–2016 Indera (4)
2017–2020 Kota Ranger (2)
2021– Kasuka 10 (0)
International career‡
2012 Brunei U21 6 (0)
2013 Brunei U23 3 (0)
2012– Brunei 16 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 August 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 September 2023

Muhammad 'Afi bin Aminuddin is a Bruneian footballer who plays as a defender for Brunei Super League club Kasuka.

Club career

Afi attended Brunei Sports School, the institution that also produced Brunei international footballers such as Azwan Ali Rahman and Hazwan Hamzah. He was drafted into professional club DPMM FC playing in the Singapore league in 2010, but due to the ban imposed by FIFA on Brunei he was sent on loan to Indera SC along with five other players.

Afi signed full terms with Indera not long after and has won two league championships with them. After four seasons, he transferred to Kota Ranger FC. He scored his first goal for the Rangers in the penultimate game of the season, a 1-1 draw with MS PDB on 18 February 2018. He was appointed club captain from the 2018-19 season, then led the team to winning the 2018-19 Brunei FA Cup on 22 April 2019 in a 2–1 victory.

Afi exited Kota Ranger after three years and signed for Kasuka FC in June 2021. In the following year, he played in the final of the FA Cup, losing 2–1 to brother Wafi's team DPMM FC. He then won the 2023 Brunei Super League with his side undefeated in 16 matches.

International career

Afi played all six games in Brunei U21s' maiden Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy victory in 2012. He also turned out for the under-23s at the 2013 SEA Games.

Afi made his international debut for Brunei on 26 September 2012 in a 0–5 loss against Indonesia. He was ever-present in the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification but did not play at all for the 2014 edition. He was called up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Chinese Taipei in March 2015, but did not take the field. A year later, he was selected for the 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification but only appeared once as a substitute.

After Kwon Oh-son was reinstated as the national team head coach, he re-utilized Afi who had played regularly for him for his first match back at the helm at the 2016 AFC Solidarity Cup held in Kuching, Malaysia. Afi became the regular centre-back for fourth-placed Brunei in the tournament, appearing in four matches overall.

Afi was again selected by Kwon for the Brunei squad contesting the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification matches against Timor-Leste in early September.

Helped by his impressive form for Kota Ranger in 2019, he was picked for the 2022 World Cup qualification matches against Mongolia in June. He subsequently made two appearances as a substitute.

On 11 September 2023, Afi was given a starting berth for the away friendly against Hong Kong and played for 70 minutes until he was substituted by Hazwan Hamzah, the hosts were cruising 7–0 at that point. He was selected for the 2026 World Cup qualification games versus Indonesia but saw no game time.

Honours

Team

Indera SC
Kota Ranger FC
Kasuka FC

International

Brunei national under-21 football team

Individual

See also: Orders, decorations, and medals of Brunei
  • Meritorius Service Medal (PJK) (2012)

Personal life

Afi has three brothers who are also footballers. Younger brother Wafi Aminuddin plays for Brunei's professional football team DPMM FC. Another brother Ulfi Aminuddin was a Brunei under-18 international and has represented the country in futsal, he is also captain of Brunei's seven-a-side football team. The youngest brother, Bazli is a Brunei youth international.