Johor Darul Ta'zim reach 113 league games unbeaten, target Asian breakthrough | OneFootball

Johor Darul Ta'zim Football Club have set a world league unbeaten record, now 113 matches since April 2021. According to L'Équipe, the Southern Tigers are now chasing Asian success, having secured 12 successive domestic titles.

On 21 August they beat Kuching City 3-0 at the Malaysian Super League restart. That win marked their 109th straight league game without defeat, eclipsing ASEC Mimosas' 1989-1994 mark. The sequence began after a 0-1 loss to Terengganu FC in April 2021 and now stands at 113 with 104 wins.

Based in Johor Bahru, JDT were a middling side until a 2012 shake-up. Tunku Ismail Idris, crown prince and regent of Johor, took control of the federation, then became the club's majority shareholder and overhauled its structure. He is the son of Ibrahim Iskandar, crowned king of Malaysia in January 2024.

Heavy investment followed, including the 40,000-capacity Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in 2020 and facilities that coach Xisco compares with European and Premier League standards. ESPN values the royal family's wealth at $5.7bn. Critics argue the spending creates an uneven field, and the volume of foreign players, some naturalised and in the national team, has drawn suspicion, including from FIFA.

A strong Spanish strand runs through the project. Luis Garcia, a 2005 Champions League winner with Liverpool, is general manager, Javier Ribera leads the academy, and signings have included Jesé, Alvaro Gonzalez and Samu Castillejo.

JDT won the AFC Cup in 2015 and now hope to better last year's first Champions League quarter-final.

Source: L'Équipe

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