20 Aug 2029
Monday
Process
159 Edition

The Borneo Post

13 Aug 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Habibi Jusuf says Borneo went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Beibit Ğalym attracts admirers

The name of Beibit Ğalym has come up in conversations Borneo were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Matthew Acton

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Mohammad Al-Husseini knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Borneo, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Match

Borneo draw a blank against Persija

The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Persija defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.

Market

Marcos Astina linked with a move away

The name of Marcos Astina keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

Back issues
158 Edition

The Borneo Post

6 Aug 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Bryn Deeley stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Bryn Deeley and Borneo agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Market

Muhammad Ubaydullayev is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Borneo is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Boardroom

The owner puts $204.0K into Borneo

This is money that keeps the lights on rather than money that buys a centre-half, and the difference is the whole story. A club funded by its owner rather than by its football has exactly one conversation left ahead of it.

Match

Borneo come up short against PSM

PSM left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Boardroom

Wages eat 130% of everything Borneo earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

Juan Felipe Villa gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Talks stall between Borneo and Mohammad Al-Husseini

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

Squad

Mohammad Al-Husseini asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

Koldo Obieta linked with a move away

The name of Koldo Obieta keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

157 Edition

The Borneo Post

30 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Ibrohimjon Muxtorov is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Borneo is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Koldo Obieta

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Borneo get the job done against Semen Padang

A 2-0 win over Semen Padang, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Boardroom

No signings allowed at Borneo

The manager may talk to whoever he likes and may pay nobody. A squad survives a window like this by borrowing, by promoting, and by hoping the injuries land somewhere else.

Squad

Marcos Astina is carrying Borneo

7 goals and a season average of 7.37. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

No place for Matthew Acton on the big day

He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Borneo pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

Squad

Mariano Peralta Bauer finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Borneo have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Market

Kaio Nunes linked with a move away

The name of Kaio Nunes keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Market

Adi Levy arrives on loan

Borneo have taken Adi Levy on loan from Hapoel Raanana — cover where cover was needed.

In brief

156 Edition

The Borneo Post

23 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Bryn Deeley has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Borneo they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Match

4 matches without a win for Borneo

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Borneo are no longer polite ones.

Boardroom

Borneo are $29.0M in the red

The borrowing is past what the bank agreed, which is the line where a debt stops being how football is financed and starts being a problem. Every phone-in in this town will quote the figure for the next five years.

Squad

Kei Hirose gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Borneo and Persijap take a point apiece

It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Squad

Matthew Acton asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Squad

Juan Felipe Villa is off the mark for Borneo

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

Market

Serge Tabékou linked with a move away

The name of Serge Tabékou keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Market

Borneo put Habibi Jusuf up for sale

The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Habibi Jusuf may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.

In brief

155 Edition

The Borneo Post

16 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Persis take the points off Borneo

Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Market

Beibit Ğalym attracts admirers

The name of Beibit Ğalym has come up in conversations Borneo were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

Marcos Astina is carrying Borneo

6 goals and a season average of 7.32. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

Mohamad Anez gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Still no signature from Bryn Deeley

1 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Borneo could get for him.

Market

Marcos Astina linked with a move away

The name of Marcos Astina keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

154 Edition

The Borneo Post

9 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Still nobody has beaten Borneo

The unbeaten run reaches 9. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Koldo Obieta signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Koldo Obieta commits to Borneo for another 2 years.

Market

Muhammad Ubaydullayev is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Borneo is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Serge Tabékou gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Boardroom

135% of the income goes out in wages at Borneo

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Market

PSBS Biak expected to open talks for Beibit Ğalym

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Borneo will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Match

Borneo and Bali United cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Bali United came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

Market

Koldo Obieta linked with a move away

The name of Koldo Obieta keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

A first senior shirt for Lautaro Martínez

Every debut is a small story about the future: Lautaro Martínez, 22 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.

In brief

153 Edition

The Borneo Post

2 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Still nobody has beaten Borneo

The unbeaten run reaches 8. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Koldo Obieta stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Koldo Obieta and Borneo agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Market

Ibrohimjon Muxtorov is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Borneo is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Boardroom

$119.9K of the owner's money at Borneo

The shortfall was covered from upstairs again. Supporters are entitled to be relieved and entitled to ask what happens the month it is not, and both feelings usually arrive together.

Boardroom

No signings allowed at Borneo

The manager may talk to whoever he likes and may pay nobody. A squad survives a window like this by borrowing, by promoting, and by hoping the injuries land somewhere else.

Squad

Marcos Astina is carrying Borneo

5 goals and a season average of 7.29. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Match

Borneo and Persib take a point apiece

It finished 2-2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Squad

Abbati Musa gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Kaio Nunes linked with a move away

The name of Kaio Nunes keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

152 Edition

The Borneo Post

25 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Bryn Deeley has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Borneo they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Match

Borneo are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 34 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Borneo

The unbeaten run reaches 7. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Matthew Acton gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Borneo find a way past Bhayangkara Presisi

Bhayangkara Presisi made Borneo work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Boardroom

Borneo are $28.3M in the red

The borrowing is past what the bank agreed, which is the line where a debt stops being how football is financed and starts being a problem. Every phone-in in this town will quote the figure for the next five years.

Market

Serge Tabékou linked with a move away

The name of Serge Tabékou keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Kaio Nunes wants a proper job in this side

Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Kaio Nunes has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Borneo know, and have known for weeks.

Squad

Teguh Trisnanda asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

151 Edition

The Borneo Post

18 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Yasir Al-Sinan: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Borneo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

The PSBS Biak deal is off

Everything was agreed until it was not, and Beibit Ğalym reports back to Borneo with a summer to forget. Neither club is saying who walked away from the table.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Borneo

The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Job Ochieng gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Borneo see off Maluku Utara United

Three points for Borneo, 1-0 the final word against Maluku Utara United in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Kaio Nunes is off the mark for Borneo

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

Market

Bryn Deeley runs his contract down

2 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Borneo money.

Market

Marcos Astina linked with a move away

The name of Marcos Astina keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Chris Nduwarugira has taken the shirt

At 35 he is in the side on merit and somebody else is watching from the bench. Places at Borneo are won quietly and lost loudly.

In brief

150 Edition

The Borneo Post

11 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

The manager makes an example of Bryn Deeley

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Boardroom

127% of the income goes out in wages at Borneo

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Market

PSBS Biak expected to open talks for Beibit Ğalym

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Borneo will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Match

Borneo share the spoils with Persebaya

A 1-1 draw with Persebaya leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Squad

Matthew Acton asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

Koldo Obieta linked with a move away

The name of Koldo Obieta keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

149 Edition

The Borneo Post

4 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Majid Ghashghaei asks to leave Borneo

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

Muhammad Ubaydullayev has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Borneo they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Boardroom

$64.1K of the owner's money at Borneo

The shortfall was covered from upstairs again. Supporters are entitled to be relieved and entitled to ask what happens the month it is not, and both feelings usually arrive together.

Market

Beibit Ğalym attracts admirers

The name of Beibit Ğalym has come up in conversations Borneo were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Boardroom

No signings allowed at Borneo

The manager may talk to whoever he likes and may pay nobody. A squad survives a window like this by borrowing, by promoting, and by hoping the injuries land somewhere else.

Squad

Anass Moulhami gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Talks stall between Borneo and Bryn Deeley

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

Squad

Marcos Astina is carrying Borneo

5 goals and a season average of 7.27. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Match

Borneo share the spoils with PSIM

A 2-2 draw with PSIM leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

In brief

148 Edition

The Borneo Post

28 May 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Bryn Deeley is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Borneo is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Beibit Ğalym says Borneo went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Serge Tabékou

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Boardroom

The Borneo debt reaches $27.1M

Football clubs borrow; that is not the story. Borrowing more than the facility allows is, because from here it is the owner's money or somebody else's decision, and neither of those belongs to the board.

Match

Borneo share the spoils with Arema

A 1-1 draw with Arema leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Squad

Marcos Astina is carrying Borneo

4 goals and a season average of 7.22. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

In brief

147 Edition

The Borneo Post

21 May 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Cyrus Margono decides it from twelve yards

3 kept out in the shoot-out, and a stadium that will still be describing them in twenty years. A goalkeeper only needs one of these to be remembered forever.

Match

Borneo out of the cup

Bhayangkara Presisi ended it 1-1. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.

Match

Borneo find a way past Persita

Persita made Borneo work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Kaio Nunes

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Serge Tabékou asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

The Marcos Astina talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

146 Edition

The Borneo Post

14 May 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Borneo come up short against Persik

Persik left with the points after a 1-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Boardroom

122% of the income goes out in wages at Borneo

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mohammad Al-Husseini

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Bryn Deeley is off the mark for Borneo

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

Squad

Kaio Nunes asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

The Koldo Obieta talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

145 Edition

The Borneo Post

7 May 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Boardroom

Borneo counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Borneo now.

Squad

Teguh Trisnanda says Borneo went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Matthew Acton out for 16 days

The medical room confirms 16 days on the sidelines for Matthew Acton, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Market

Muhammad Ubaydullayev is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Borneo is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Kaio Nunes signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Kaio Nunes commits to Borneo for another 3 years.

Squad

Koldo Obieta gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

PSBS Biak take the points off Borneo

Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Boardroom

Inquest at Borneo

The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.

The terraces

The spotlight tightens on Koldo Obieta

Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.

In brief

144 Edition

The Borneo Post

30 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Bryn Deeley is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Borneo is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Borneo up to position 3

22 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Match

Borneo make it 3 in a row

Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Borneo have 3 straight wins of it.

Match

Borneo get the job done against Madura United

A 1-0 win over Madura United, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Boardroom

The Borneo debt reaches $26.2M

Football clubs borrow; that is not the story. Borrowing more than the facility allows is, because from here it is the owner's money or somebody else's decision, and neither of those belongs to the board.

Market

Talks stall between Borneo and Bryn Deeley

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

Squad

Beibit Ğalym gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Kaio Nunes linked with a move away

The name of Kaio Nunes keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Habibi Jusuf asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

143 Edition

The Borneo Post

23 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Borneo get the job done against Dewa United

A 3-2 win over Dewa United, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Majid Ghashghaei

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Matthew Acton asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Squad

Mohammad Al-Husseini is off the mark for Borneo

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

Market

The Marcos Astina talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Still no signature from Bryn Deeley

4 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Borneo could get for him.

In brief

142 Edition

The Borneo Post

16 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Cyrus Margono

There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Squad

Job Ochieng out for 36 days

The medical room confirms 36 days on the sidelines for Job Ochieng, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Match

Borneo get the job done against Persija

A 2-1 win over Persija, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Boardroom

Wages eat 125% of everything Borneo earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Kei Hirose

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Matthew Acton knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Borneo, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

141 Edition

The Borneo Post

9 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Borneo counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Borneo now.

Squad

Job Ochieng signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Job Ochieng commits to Borneo for another 3 years.

Squad

Koldo Obieta gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Borneo come up short against PSM

PSM left with the points after a 0-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

Job Ochieng knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Borneo, and both men came out saying it was fine.

The terraces

The spotlight tightens on Serge Tabékou

Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.

In brief

140 Edition

The Borneo Post

2 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Job Ochieng stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Job Ochieng and Borneo agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Match

Borneo find a way past Semen Padang

Semen Padang made Borneo work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Boardroom

The Borneo debt reaches $25.7M

Football clubs borrow; that is not the story. Borrowing more than the facility allows is, because from here it is the owner's money or somebody else's decision, and neither of those belongs to the board.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Yasir Al-Sinan

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

The armband comes off Serge Tabékou

Borneo will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.

Squad

Serge Tabékou knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Borneo, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

139 Edition

The Borneo Post

26 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Persijap take the points off Borneo

Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Bryn Deeley

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Boardroom

Inquest at Borneo

The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.

Squad

Matthew Acton lets one through his hands

A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.

The terraces

The spotlight tightens on Matthew Acton

Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.

Squad

Abbati Musa finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Borneo have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

In brief

138 Edition

The Borneo Post

19 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Job Ochieng out for 66 days

The medical room confirms 66 days on the sidelines for Job Ochieng, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Serge Tabékou

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Persis take the points off Borneo

Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

In brief

137 Edition

The Borneo Post

12 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

16 unbeaten for Borneo

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 16 matches without defeat is a foundation Borneo did not have in the autumn.

Boardroom

Borneo counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Borneo now.

Squad

Matthew Acton gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Borneo see off Bali United

Three points for Borneo, 1-0 the final word against Bali United in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Market

Serge Tabékou linked with a move away

The name of Serge Tabékou keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Mariano Peralta Bauer unhappy with how he is being used

Asked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Mariano Peralta Bauer has let it be known that he does not like the way Borneo are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.

In brief

136 Edition

The Borneo Post

5 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

15 unbeaten for Borneo

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 15 matches without defeat is a foundation Borneo did not have in the autumn.

Squad

Mariano Peralta Bauer signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Mariano Peralta Bauer commits to Borneo for another 3 years.

Market

Giovani Numberi comes home

The shirt still fits. Giovani Numberi is back at Borneo, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Koldo Obieta

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Boardroom

The Borneo debt reaches $24.7M

Football clubs borrow; that is not the story. Borrowing more than the facility allows is, because from here it is the owner's money or somebody else's decision, and neither of those belongs to the board.

Market

Talks stall between Borneo and Bryn Deeley

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

In brief

135 Edition

The Borneo Post

26 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

14 unbeaten for Borneo

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 14 matches without defeat is a foundation Borneo did not have in the autumn.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Cyrus Margono

There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Job Ochieng

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Honours even between Borneo and Bhayangkara Presisi

1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Squad

Matthew Acton asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

The Marcos Astina talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

The terraces

Everybody has an opinion about Kaio Nunes

He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.

Squad

Hokky Caraka is off the mark for Borneo

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

Market

Still no signature from Bryn Deeley

6 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Borneo could get for him.

In brief

134 Edition

The Borneo Post

19 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

13 unbeaten for Borneo

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 13 matches without defeat is a foundation Borneo did not have in the autumn.

Squad

Job Ochieng says Borneo went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Borneo lose Job Ochieng

97 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Match

Borneo find a way past Maluku Utara United

Maluku Utara United made Borneo work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Boardroom

Wages eat 111% of everything Borneo earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Hokky Caraka

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

133 Edition

The Borneo Post

12 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

12 unbeaten for Borneo

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 12 matches without defeat is a foundation Borneo did not have in the autumn.

Boardroom

Borneo counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Borneo now.

Squad

Abdullah Al-Shammari out for 25 days

The medical room confirms 25 days on the sidelines for Abdullah Al-Shammari, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Abbati Musa

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

PSBS Biak expected to open talks for Beibit Ğalym

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Borneo will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Match

No goals between Borneo and Persebaya

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Persebaya will be the happier side with the point.

Market

Serge Tabékou linked with a move away

The name of Serge Tabékou keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Market

Talks stall between Borneo and Sani Rizki

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

Squad

Marcos Astina wants a proper job in this side

Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Marcos Astina has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Borneo know, and have known for weeks.

In brief

132 Edition

The Borneo Post

5 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

11 unbeaten for Borneo

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 11 matches without defeat is a foundation Borneo did not have in the autumn.

Market

Bimo Wardana is a Borneo player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

Firman Riyadi is a Borneo player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

Irfan Septian is a Borneo player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

Andri Pratama comes home

The shirt still fits. Andri Pratama is back at Borneo, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Koldo Obieta

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Boardroom

A promise the Borneo board did not keep

There was a commitment, there was a date, and the date went past. Trust at a football club takes years to build and one afternoon to spend.

Squad

Costly mistake from Cyrus Margono

An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Cyrus Margono knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.

Match

Honours even between Borneo and PSIM

2-2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

In brief

131 Edition

The Borneo Post

29 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Mohammed Al-Fuhaid asks to leave Borneo

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Yasir Al-Sinan out for 20 days

The medical room confirms 20 days on the sidelines for Yasir Al-Sinan, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Market

The Marcos Astina talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Bryn Deeley runs his contract down

7 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Borneo money.

Squad

Beibit Ğalym knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Borneo, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

Borneo and Toni Firmansyah are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

In brief

130 Edition

The Borneo Post

22 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Matthew Acton hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Borneo can pretend not to have heard.

Match

Borneo are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 59 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Squad

Job Ochieng out for 126 days

The medical room confirms 126 days on the sidelines for Job Ochieng, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Boardroom

90% of the income goes out in wages at Borneo

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Market

Majid Ghashghaei told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Majid Ghashghaei has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Borneo.

Market

The Koldo Obieta talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

129 Edition

The Borneo Post

15 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

Borneo counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Borneo now.

Squad

Abdullah Al-Shammari out for 57 days

The medical room confirms 57 days on the sidelines for Abdullah Al-Shammari, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Matthew Acton gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

PSBS Biak expected to open talks for Beibit Ğalym

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Borneo will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Market

The Bryn Deeley talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Talks stall between Borneo and Cyrus Margono

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

In brief

128 Edition

The Borneo Post

8 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Matthew Acton knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Borneo, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

Mohammed Al-Fuhaid is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Borneo has been clear about where Mohammed Al-Fuhaid stands, which is more than many ever get.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Teguh Trisnanda

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

The Serge Tabékou talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Habibi Jusuf placed on the list

Borneo have made Habibi Jusuf available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

Market

Sihran Amarullah leaves Borneo for nothing

No fee, no negotiation, no argument: Sihran Amarullah moves on to another club with his contract settled and the wage bill a little lighter.

In brief

127 Edition

The Borneo Post

1 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Muhammad Ubaydullayev asks to leave Borneo

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Borneo lose Yasir Al-Sinan

51 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Market

Matthew Acton told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Matthew Acton has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Borneo.

Market

Borneo and Bryn Deeley are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

Squad

Hokky Caraka gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The Marcos Astina talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

126 Edition

The Borneo Post

25 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Borneo are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 59 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Boardroom

112% of the income goes out in wages at Borneo

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Yasir Al-Sinan

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

125 Edition

The Borneo Post

18 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

Borneo counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Borneo now.

Squad

Giovani Numberi: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Borneo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Job Ochieng

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

The Kaio Nunes talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Still no signature from Faisal Al-Sobhi

1 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Borneo could get for him.

Squad

Cyrus Margono asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

124 Edition

The Borneo Post

11 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

The Serge Tabékou talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Beibit Ğalym asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

Toni Firmansyah placed on the list

Borneo have made Toni Firmansyah available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

In brief

123 Edition

The Borneo Post

4 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Beibit Ğalym: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Borneo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Koldo Obieta signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Koldo Obieta commits to Borneo for another 2 years.

Squad

Borneo lose Yasir Al-Sinan

83 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Market

The Marcos Astina talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Borneo and Abdullah Al-Shammari are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

Squad

Eden Melikson knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Borneo, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

122 Edition

The Borneo Post

27 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Matthew Acton: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Borneo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Match

Borneo are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 59 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Boardroom

Wages eat 129% of everything Borneo earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

In brief

121 Edition

The Borneo Post

20 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

Borneo counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Borneo now.

Squad

Faisal Al-Sobhi gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Matthew Acton asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

The Kaio Nunes talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Still no signature from Faisal Al-Sobhi

1 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Borneo could get for him.

Boardroom

The Borneo production line keeps running

13 graduates out of an academy now rated 7 out of 20. Clubs this size survive on exactly that, and the town knows every name.

In brief

120 Edition

The Borneo Post

13 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Job Ochieng gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Talks stall between Borneo and Abbati Musa

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

Market

The Serge Tabékou talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Somebody is after Marcos Astina’s shirt

A new face in his position, and Marcos Astina suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Borneo have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.

Market

Borneo pick up Ibrohimjon Muxtorov for nothing

The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Ibrohimjon Muxtorov arrives at Borneo with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.

Market

Borneo pick up Abbati Musa for nothing

The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Abbati Musa arrives at Borneo with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.

In brief

119 Edition

The Borneo Post

6 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Cyrus Margono says Borneo went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Borneo lose Yasir Al-Sinan

113 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Beibit Ğalym

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

118 Edition

The Borneo Post

30 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Borneo are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 59 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Squad

Facundo Di Sibio out for 15 days

The medical room confirms 15 days on the sidelines for Facundo Di Sibio, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Boardroom

150% of the income goes out in wages at Borneo

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

In brief

117 Edition

The Borneo Post

23 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

Borneo counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Borneo now.

Squad

Yasir Al-Sinan gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The Kaio Nunes talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

116 Edition

The Borneo Post

16 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

The manager makes an example of Faisal Al-Sobhi

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

The Serge Tabékou talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Faisal Al-Sobhi runs his contract down

3 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Borneo money.

In brief

115 Edition

The Borneo Post

9 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Marcos Astina signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Marcos Astina commits to Borneo for another 3 years.

Squad

Yasir Al-Sinan out for 142 days

The medical room confirms 142 days on the sidelines for Yasir Al-Sinan, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Matthew Acton gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

114 Edition

The Borneo Post

2 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Borneo are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 59 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Squad

Marcos Astina stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Marcos Astina and Borneo agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Boardroom

Wages eat 161% of everything Borneo earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Hokky Caraka

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Matthew Acton knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Borneo, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

The Koldo Obieta talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

113 Edition

The Borneo Post

25 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

10 unbeaten for Borneo

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 10 matches without defeat is a foundation Borneo did not have in the autumn.

Boardroom

Borneo counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Borneo now.

Match

Borneo see off Arema

Three points for Borneo, 1-0 the final word against Arema in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Yasir Al-Sinan gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Job Ochieng knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Borneo, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

The Kaio Nunes talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

112 Edition

The Borneo Post

18 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

No end in sight to Borneo's wait for a win

11 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Borneo has to find a result from somewhere.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Borneo

The unbeaten run reaches 9. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mariano Peralta Bauer

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Borneo and Persita take a point apiece

It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Market

The Serge Tabékou talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Eden Melikson is off the mark for Borneo

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

In brief

111 Edition

The Borneo Post

11 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

No end in sight to Borneo's wait for a win

10 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Borneo has to find a result from somewhere.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Borneo

The unbeaten run reaches 8. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Marcos Astina is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.41 with 6 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

No place for Mariano Peralta Bauer on the big day

He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Borneo pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mohammad Al-Husseini

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Borneo share the spoils with Persik

A 1-1 draw with Persik leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Market

Marcos Astina linked with a move away

The name of Marcos Astina keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Matthew Acton has company in his position

The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Matthew Acton keeps the shirt for now, at Borneo's convenience rather than his own.

Market

Borneo pick up Job Ochieng for nothing

The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Job Ochieng arrives at Borneo with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.

In brief

110 Edition

The Borneo Post

4 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

No end in sight to Borneo's wait for a win

9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Borneo has to find a result from somewhere.

Match

Borneo are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 54 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Borneo

The unbeaten run reaches 7. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Boardroom

Wages eat 154% of everything Borneo earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

Matthew Acton gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Chris Nduwarugira has to sit this one out

A booking nobody needed, on a night the game was already won. Borneo lose a player for the most avoidable reason there is.

Match

Borneo and PSBS Biak cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. PSBS Biak came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

Market

Koldo Obieta linked with a move away

The name of Koldo Obieta keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Mohammad Al-Husseini asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

109 Edition

The Borneo Post

28 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

No end in sight to Borneo's wait for a win

8 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Borneo has to find a result from somewhere.

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Borneo

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Borneo

The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Koldo Obieta

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Honours even between Borneo and Madura United

1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Market

Talks stall between Borneo and Bryn Deeley

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

Market

Kaio Nunes linked with a move away

The name of Kaio Nunes keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

The shirt belongs to Chris Nduwarugira now

At 34 he has made the position his own, and the man he took it from has to find something to say about it. Borneo have a decision that made itself.

Boardroom

Borneo keep producing them

13 graduates from an academy now rated 7 out of 20. A club this size does not survive any other way, and every name on that list is known in the town.

In brief

108 Edition

The Borneo Post

21 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

No end in sight to Borneo's wait for a win

7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Borneo has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Marcos Astina

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Marcos Astina is carrying Borneo

5 goals and a season average of 7.38. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Match

Honours even between Borneo and Dewa United

1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Market

Serge Tabékou linked with a move away

The name of Serge Tabékou keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Kaio Nunes wants a proper job in this side

Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Kaio Nunes has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Borneo know, and have known for weeks.

In brief

107 Edition

The Borneo Post

14 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Elvis Bwomono is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Borneo is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

No end in sight to Borneo's wait for a win

6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Borneo has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Eden Melikson says Borneo went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Yasir Al-Sinan

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Matthew Acton knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Borneo, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Match

Borneo and Persija cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Persija came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

In brief

106 Edition

The Borneo Post

7 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Borneo are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 50 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Match

No end in sight to Borneo's wait for a win

5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Borneo has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Anass Moulhami stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Anass Moulhami and Borneo agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Boardroom

155% of the income goes out in wages at Borneo

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Squad

Chris Nduwarugira gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Borneo share the spoils with PSM

A 1-1 draw with PSM leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Market

Elvis Bwomono runs his contract down

1 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Borneo money.

Squad

Kaio Nunes knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Borneo, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

Koldo Obieta linked with a move away

The name of Koldo Obieta keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

105 Edition

The Borneo Post

31 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

The cup run ends for Borneo

0-0 against Semen Padang, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.

Squad

Facundo Di Sibio decides it from twelve yards

1 kept out in the shoot-out, and a stadium that will still be describing them in twenty years. A goalkeeper only needs one of these to be remembered forever.

Squad

Mohamad Anez says Borneo went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Match

No end in sight to Borneo's wait for a win

4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Borneo has to find a result from somewhere.

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Borneo

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Matthew Acton

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

104 Edition

The Borneo Post

24 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Borneo taken apart

1-4 to Persijap, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.

Squad

Beibit Ğalym: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Borneo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Elvis Bwomono

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Marcos Astina is carrying Borneo

5 goals and a season average of 7.42. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

Matthew Acton left out for the big one

A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Matthew Acton will call it something else in private.

Boardroom

Inquest at Borneo

The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.

In brief

103 Edition

The Borneo Post

17 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Facundo Di Sibio

There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Market

Elvis Bwomono is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Borneo is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Yasir Al-Sinan: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Borneo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Borneo

The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Kaio Nunes gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

No goals between Borneo and Persis

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Persis will be the happier side with the point.

In brief

102 Edition

The Borneo Post

10 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Borneo up to position 3

47 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Match

Borneo find a way past Bali United

Bali United made Borneo work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Boardroom

Wages eat 168% of everything Borneo earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

Koldo Obieta gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Pratama Pratama out for 44 days

The medical room confirms 44 days on the sidelines for Pratama Pratama, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Marcos Astina is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.38 with 4 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Market

Elvis Bwomono runs his contract down

1 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Borneo money.

Squad

Anass Moulhami finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Borneo have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Market

Koldo Obieta linked with a move away

The name of Koldo Obieta keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

101 Edition

The Borneo Post

3 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Cyrus Margono: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Borneo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Borneo

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Matthew Acton

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

The month belongs to Serge Tabékou

The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Borneo have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.

Match

Borneo and Persib cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Persib came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

Squad

Chris Nduwarugira knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Borneo, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

  • Market Kaio Nunes linked with a move away
  • Boardroom Borneo keep producing them
100 Edition

The Borneo Post

26 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Serge Tabékou takes the match ball home

3 goals in one afternoon from one man. The other players were also present, a witness confirmed.

Match

Borneo cannot stop winning

3 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.

Match

Borneo find a way past Bhayangkara Presisi

Bhayangkara Presisi made Borneo work for it, but the scoreboard read 3-2 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Bryn Deeley

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Matthew Acton asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

Serge Tabékou linked with a move away

The name of Serge Tabékou keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

99 Edition

The Borneo Post

19 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Elvis Bwomono is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Borneo is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Hokky Caraka: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Borneo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Match

Borneo see off Maluku Utara United

Three points for Borneo, 1-0 the final word against Maluku Utara United in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Marcos Astina is carrying Borneo

3 goals and a season average of 7.31. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Faisal Al-Sobhi

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Marcos Astina linked with a move away

The name of Marcos Astina keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

98 Edition

The Borneo Post

12 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Borneo up to position 3

37 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

Matthew Acton keeps Borneo in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Koldo Obieta out for 14 days

The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Koldo Obieta, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Boardroom

Wages eat 148% of everything Borneo earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Match

Borneo get the job done against Persebaya

A 1-0 win over Persebaya, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mohamad Anez

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Still no signature from Elvis Bwomono

2 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Borneo could get for him.

Market

Koldo Obieta linked with a move away

The name of Koldo Obieta keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

International call for Fidel Origa

Fidel Origa joins up with his country. Borneo lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.

In brief

97 Edition

The Borneo Post

5 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Faisal Al-Sobhi hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Borneo can pretend not to have heard.

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Borneo

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Match

PSIM take the points off Borneo

Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Serge Tabékou

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

The terraces

Everybody has an opinion about Matthew Acton

He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.

Squad

Mariano Peralta Bauer finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Borneo have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

In brief

96 Edition

The Borneo Post

29 May 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Borneo get the job done against Arema

A 1-0 win over Arema, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

Kei Hirose gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Yasir Al-Sinan asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

95 Edition

The Borneo Post

22 May 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Borneo march on in the cup

Persik are out and Borneo go through, 1-0 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.

Market

Elvis Bwomono is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Borneo is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Matthew Acton

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Marcos Astina is carrying Borneo

3 goals and a season average of 7.31. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Match

Honours even between Borneo and Persita

1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Squad

Kaio Nunes is off the mark for Borneo

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

In brief

94 Edition

The Borneo Post

15 May 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Borneo are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 30 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Boardroom

Wages eat 154% of everything Borneo earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

Koldo Obieta gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

A bad afternoon for Borneo against Persik

0-1 to Persik, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Kurniawan Beckham out for 22 days

The medical room confirms 22 days on the sidelines for Kurniawan Beckham, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Koldo Obieta has to sit this one out

A booking nobody needed, on a night the game was already won. Borneo lose a player for the most avoidable reason there is.

In brief

93 Edition

The Borneo Post

8 May 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Borneo cannot stop winning

4 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.

Squad

Koldo Obieta stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Koldo Obieta and Borneo agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Borneo

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Match

Borneo see off PSBS Biak

Three points for Borneo, 1-0 the final word against PSBS Biak in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Faisal Al-Sobhi

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Serge Tabékou finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Borneo have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

In brief

92 Edition

The Borneo Post

1 May 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Faisal Al-Sobhi asks to leave Borneo

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Borneo lose Abdou Sissoko

19 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Match

Borneo cannot stop winning

3 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.

Match

Borneo find a way past Madura United

Madura United made Borneo work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Kei Hirose gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Anass Moulhami knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Borneo, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

Serge Tabékou linked with a move away

The name of Serge Tabékou keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Market

Talks stall between Borneo and Nur Diansyah

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

Squad

Anass Moulhami has taken the shirt

At 27 he is in the side on merit and somebody else is watching from the bench. Places at Borneo are won quietly and lost loudly.

In brief

91 Edition

The Borneo Post

24 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Elvis Bwomono is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Borneo is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Teguh Trisnanda: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Borneo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Match

Borneo get the job done against Dewa United

A 1-0 win over Dewa United, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

In brief

90 Edition

The Borneo Post

17 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Borneo up to position 3

21 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Match

Borneo find a way past Persija

Persija made Borneo work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Boardroom

Wages eat 128% of everything Borneo earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

Borneo lose Kurniawan Beckham

53 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Yasir Al-Sinan gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Koldo Obieta linked with a move away

The name of Koldo Obieta keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

89 Edition

The Borneo Post

10 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Borneo

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Match

Borneo come up short against PSM

PSM left with the points after a 1-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mariano Peralta Bauer

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Hokky Caraka finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Borneo have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Market

Kaio Nunes linked with a move away

The name of Kaio Nunes keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Mohammad Al-Husseini knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Borneo, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

88 Edition

The Borneo Post

3 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Faisal Al-Sobhi asks to leave Borneo

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Borneo lose Abdou Sissoko

51 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Match

A bad afternoon for Borneo against Semen Padang

1-2 to Semen Padang, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Koldo Obieta gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Borneo and Anass Moulhami are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

The terraces

The spotlight tightens on Abdou Sissoko

Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.

In brief

87 Edition

The Borneo Post

27 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Elvis Bwomono is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Borneo is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Borneo

The unbeaten run reaches 10. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Match

Borneo get the job done against Persijap

A 1-0 win over Persijap, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

Mohamad Anez gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Marcos Astina linked with a move away

The name of Marcos Astina keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Fidel Origa called up by his country

A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Borneo that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.

In brief

86 Edition

The Borneo Post

20 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Still nobody has beaten Borneo

The unbeaten run reaches 9. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Kurniawan Beckham out for 82 days

The medical room confirms 82 days on the sidelines for Kurniawan Beckham, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Anass Moulhami

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Boardroom

111% of the income goes out in wages at Borneo

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Match

Borneo and Persis take a point apiece

It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Squad

Mariano Peralta Bauer asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

85 Edition

The Borneo Post

13 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Still nobody has beaten Borneo

The unbeaten run reaches 8. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Borneo

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Match

Borneo find a way past Bali United

Bali United made Borneo work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mohammed Al-Fuhaid

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Mariano Peralta Bauer knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Borneo, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

Kaio Nunes linked with a move away

The name of Kaio Nunes keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

84 Edition

The Borneo Post

6 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Faisal Al-Sobhi asks to leave Borneo

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Borneo

The unbeaten run reaches 7. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Ahmad Firmansyah out for 17 days

The medical room confirms 17 days on the sidelines for Ahmad Firmansyah, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Fidel Origa gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Borneo share the spoils with Persib

A 2-2 draw with Persib leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Squad

Juan Felipe Villa is off the mark for Borneo

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

In brief

83 Edition

The Borneo Post

28 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Triumph

Market

Elvis Bwomono is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Borneo is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Borneo make it 3 in a row

Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Borneo have 3 straight wins of it.

Match

Borneo see off Bhayangkara Presisi

Three points for Borneo, 1-0 the final word against Bhayangkara Presisi in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Yasir Al-Sinan

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Marcos Astina linked with a move away

The name of Marcos Astina keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

The shirt belongs to Matthew Acton now

At 36 he has made the position his own, and the man he took it from has to find something to say about it. Borneo have a decision that made itself.

In brief

82 Edition

The Borneo Post

21 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Yasir Al-Sinan says Borneo went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Match

Borneo see off Maluku Utara United

Three points for Borneo, 2-0 the final word against Maluku Utara United in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Borneo lose Kurniawan Beckham

113 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Anass Moulhami

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Boardroom

105% of the income goes out in wages at Borneo

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Squad

Marcos Astina finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Borneo have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

In brief

81 Edition

The Borneo Post

14 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Borneo

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Match

Borneo find a way past Persebaya

Persebaya made Borneo work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Matthew Acton

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

The terraces

Everybody has an opinion about Matthew Acton

He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.

Squad

Koldo Obieta finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Borneo have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Market

Elvis Bwomono linked with a move away

The name of Elvis Bwomono keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Serge Tabékou has taken the shirt

At 31 he is in the side on merit and somebody else is watching from the bench. Places at Borneo are won quietly and lost loudly.

Market

Window shut, Elvis Bwomono still here

Borneo spent the window trying to move Elvis Bwomono on and nobody came. He trains with a squad that has already told him he is not part of it, and both sides now wait for the next one.

Market

Borneo pick up Sani Rizki for nothing

The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Sani Rizki arrives at Borneo with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.

In brief

  • Squad Kaio Nunes unhappy with how he is being used
  • The terraces The press cannot get enough of Koldo Obieta
  • Boardroom Borneo keep producing them
80 Edition

The Borneo Post

7 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Giovani Numberi hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Borneo can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Kurniawan Putra comes home

The shirt still fits. Kurniawan Putra is back at Borneo, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Market

Ahmad Firmansyah comes home

The shirt still fits. Ahmad Firmansyah is back at Borneo, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Market

Muhammad Jaya comes home

The shirt still fits. Muhammad Jaya is back at Borneo, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Boardroom

Borneo board go back on their word

Something was promised, a deadline passed, and it did not arrive. Trust inside a football club is built over years and spent in an afternoon.

Squad

Ahmad Firmansyah out for 45 days

The medical room confirms 45 days on the sidelines for Ahmad Firmansyah, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

In brief

79 Edition

The Borneo Post

31 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Gavin Kwan Adsit hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Borneo can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Marcos Astina linked with a move away

The name of Marcos Astina keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Koldo Obieta keeps his manager's vote

The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Koldo Obieta plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.

78 Edition

The Borneo Post

24 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Sihran Amarullah hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Borneo can pretend not to have heard.

Boardroom

Wages eat 96% of everything Borneo earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

Hokky Caraka gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Koldo Obieta linked with a move away

The name of Koldo Obieta keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Market

Elvis Bwomono runs his contract down

7 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Borneo money.

Market

Gavin Kwan Adsit placed on the list

Borneo have made Gavin Kwan Adsit available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

In brief

77 Edition

The Borneo Post

17 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Borneo lose Mariano Peralta Bauer

34 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Borneo

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Squad

Serge Tabékou knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Borneo, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Cyrus Margono

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Elvis Bwomono linked with a move away

The name of Elvis Bwomono keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

Market

Borneo and Nur Diansyah are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

In brief

76 Edition

The Borneo Post

10 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Borneo turn down Team Wellington for Kei Hirose

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Borneo lose Gavin Kwan Adsit

37 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Serge Tabékou asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

Gavin Kwan Adsit told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Gavin Kwan Adsit has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Borneo.

Market

Experience through the door at Borneo

Mohammed Al-Fuhaid arrives at 38 with nothing left to prove and plenty left to pass on. Legs are a young man's currency; knowing where to stand never ages.

Market

Serge Tabékou linked with a move away

The name of Serge Tabékou keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Borneo say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

75 Edition

The Borneo Post

3 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Elvis Bwomono hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Borneo can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Sihran Amarullah is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Borneo has been clear about where Sihran Amarullah stands, which is more than many ever get.

Market

The Marcos Astina talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

74 Edition

The Borneo Post

27 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Abdou Sissoko out for 15 days

The medical room confirms 15 days on the sidelines for Abdou Sissoko, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Boardroom

114% of the income goes out in wages at Borneo

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Market

The Koldo Obieta talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

73 Edition

The Borneo Post

20 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Mariano Peralta Bauer out for 64 days

The medical room confirms 64 days on the sidelines for Mariano Peralta Bauer, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Boardroom

Borneo counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Borneo now.

Market

The Elvis Bwomono talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

72 Edition

The Borneo Post

13 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Boardroom

Borneo have won it

This is the season the town will measure the next twenty against. The trophy travels home with the squad, and the route through the streets was agreed days ago.

Match

Cup progress for Borneo

A 1-0 win over Bali United, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?

Squad

Borneo lose Chris Nduwarugira

28 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Marcos Astina is carrying Borneo

7 goals and a season average of 7.39. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

Beibit Ğalym gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The Serge Tabékou talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

71 Edition

The Borneo Post

6 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Hokky Caraka gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The Marcos Astina talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Marcos Astina keeps his manager's vote

The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Marcos Astina plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.

70 Edition

The Borneo Post

29 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Boardroom

Wages eat 131% of everything Borneo earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

Serge Tabékou knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Borneo, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Cyrus Margono

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

69 Edition

The Borneo Post

22 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Serge Tabékou says Borneo went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Mariano Peralta Bauer out for 92 days

The medical room confirms 92 days on the sidelines for Mariano Peralta Bauer, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Rachmat Maulana out for 44 days

The medical room confirms 44 days on the sidelines for Rachmat Maulana, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Cyrus Margono out for 16 days

The medical room confirms 16 days on the sidelines for Cyrus Margono, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Boardroom

Borneo counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Borneo now.

Market

The Elvis Bwomono talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

68 Edition

The Borneo Post

15 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Chris Nduwarugira out for 59 days

The medical room confirms 59 days on the sidelines for Chris Nduwarugira, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Market

The Serge Tabékou talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Caxambu knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Borneo, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

67 Edition

The Borneo Post

8 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Elvis Bwomono hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Borneo can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Caxambu says Borneo went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Matthew Acton gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The Marcos Astina talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Ousmane Camara leaves Borneo for nothing

No fee, no negotiation, no argument: Ousmane Camara moves on to another club with his contract settled and the wage bill a little lighter.

Market

Dika Nurdiansyah leaves for nothing

Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Dika Nurdiansyah leaves Borneo the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.

In brief

66 Edition

The Borneo Post

1 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Matthew Acton: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Borneo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Thiago Perruisset gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Loan watch

Sihran Amarullah: I did not sign for Borneo to play for other people

“Every summer it is another club, another set of team-mates, another manager to convince. I have done all that. Now I want a pre-season at Borneo and a proper look at me.” He remains PSBS Biak’s player until the spell runs out — but the argument is with the club that owns him.

In brief

65 Edition

The Borneo Post

25 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Thiago Perruisset: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Borneo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Borneo lose Mariano Peralta Bauer

123 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Boardroom

Borneo counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Borneo now.

In brief

64 Edition

The Borneo Post

18 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Hokky Caraka: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Borneo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

The Serge Tabékou talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Elvis Bwomono placed on the list

Borneo have made Elvis Bwomono available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

In brief

63 Edition

The Borneo Post

11 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Cyrus Margono says Borneo went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Gavin Kwan Adsit gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The Marcos Astina talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

62 Edition

The Borneo Post

4 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Borneo march on in the cup

Persija are out and Borneo go through, 2-1 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Thiago Perruisset

There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Squad

Koldo Obieta stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Koldo Obieta and Borneo agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Boardroom

144% of the income goes out in wages at Borneo

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Loan watch

Ousmane Camara has seen enough of Semen Padang

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Borneo, and 5 appearances in 38 say he has earned the hearing.

Squad

Beibit Ğalym gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The Koldo Obieta talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Mariano Peralta Bauer wants a proper job in this side

Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Mariano Peralta Bauer has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Borneo know, and have known for weeks.

The terraces

The press cannot get enough of Kei Hirose

Praise is not points and never has been. It is, however, the fastest way for a valuation to move, and everybody in the game reads the same pages.

In brief

61 Edition

The Borneo Post

27 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

4 matches without a win for Borneo

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Borneo are no longer polite ones.

Match

Arema take the points off Borneo

Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

Marcos Astina is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.39 with 7 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

Fidel Origa gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Boardroom

Borneo counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Borneo now.

Market

The Elvis Bwomono talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Borneo know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

60 Edition

The Borneo Post

20 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Elvis Bwomono asks to leave Borneo

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mariano Peralta Bauer

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Borneo and Persita cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Persita came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

In brief