BY Fadhil Yunus
The Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (FABD) has appointed Paul Christopher Munster as the new technical director following a contract signing ceremony at the FABD House Multi-Purpose Hall in Jalan Pusat Persidangan on Wednesday.
The Northern Irishman, who already has an extensive knowledge in Asian football, took over the role which was last occupied by Sivaji Narayanan. Munster said in an interview with the Bulletin, “I’m excited to be here. I’m happy that the President, the Executive Committee and everybody wanted me to come.”
He continued, “I’m relishing the challenge to come here to help everyone, the players, the coaches and to make FABD stronger on and off the pitch.
“There’s a lot of work to be done but I’m excited to start,” said the former professional football player.
Munster, who enjoyed spells in Indonesia and India, said that he was approached by the association having taken a break from management.
“It was a period where I was looking for a new challenge. I did really well when I was in Indonesia and I was out of work for awhile. It was nice to take a break because I haven’t been out of work for five years,” said Munster who had a coaching stint in Indonesian top flight outfit Bhayangkara FC from 2019 to 2022.
“The challenge came up and it was perfect timing.”
It will be the Belfast-born’s second assignment in a national team setup having previously served as the head coach of the Vanuatu national team. He highlighted that FABD has shown ambition of aspiring to be better and their desire for improvement evident with the latest facilities and infrastructure.
Munster, who played as a striker during his time with London City in Canada, also shared his plans of getting more kids to play football and create a bigger database of players.
Meanwhile, FABD President Pengiran Haji Matusin bin Pengiran Haji Matasan said, “Paul was brought in to provide expertise so that the quality of football in the country will be enhanced as what we had envisioned.”
-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin