This Saturday, February 27, the Klang Valley derby, arguably Malaysia's oldest football rivalry will take place and will be broadcast live by The Derby's official broadcasting partner, Astro on channel 825 at 9pm.
 
'The Derby' is the name of the official annual pre-season tournament between Selangor FC and Kuala Lumpur United FC (KLUFC) which is held to revive the excitement of the Klang Valley derby, as well as being a platform to test the strength of both teams before the new football season begins.
 
The dispute between the two giants is not a new thing because the history of the meeting between the two teams has started since 1979 over a span of 79 meetings. Of all these meetings, Selangor has won 50 and the last time The Red Giants beat The City Boys was in 2019 where Selangor beat Kuala Lumpur with a score of 2-1 at the Shah Alam Stadium for the Liga Super.
 
Around the 80s and 90s era, the Klang Valley derby was a much-anticipated match by fans due to the rivalry between the two biggest football teams in Malaysia during that time for bringing together famous local football names like Karel Stromsik, Zainal Abidin Hassan , Dollah Salleh, Azman Adnan, Mokhtar Dahari, Lim Teong Kim, K.Gunalan as well as Singapore player, Fandi Ahmad.
 
The Derby this year is also have its own attraction when the matchup between The City Boys and Red Giants will be joined by big names of national football players such as Shahrel Fikri, Syahmi Safari, Brendan Gan, Khairulazhan Khalid, Indra Putra Mahyuddin, Shukor Adan and Akram Mahinan.
 
According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Selangor FC, Dr. Johan Kamal Hamidon, this match was held to enliven the M League, especially for football enthusiasts around Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
 
"I was contacted by the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KLUFC, Stanley Bernard to hold a joint pre-seasonal annual match, and Selangor FC saw the proposal as very interesting for the team and supporters of the Malaysian football scene, especially Red Giants FC and KLUFC," explained Dr. Johan.
 
"This official annual pre-season tournament is held to celebrate the history of the Klang Valley derby which has been one of the important actions of the Malaysian League since 1979," he added.
 
"KLUFC's new management has made great changes both inside and outside the field. They have also brought in a good coach and quality players for this season. I feel KLUFC can provide a tough challenge for the top 5 Super League 2021 ," Dr Johan shared his thoughts on KLUFC.
 
"With the good changes of both teams, I hope this tournament will be a match that everyone is looking forward to and more new elements will be added to enliven this annual tournament in the years to come," Dr. Johan expressed his hopes before ending the interview.
 
Supporters who wish to watch The Derby live on Saturday can watch the match on Astro channel 825 for free for Astro Sports Pack package customers, while Astro and Njoi customers who do not subscribe to the package can purchase match passes on channel 200 for RM2.99 starting February 25.
 
Demi kebanggaan!