The historical Nigel Dabinyaba’s stint in Malaysia

Papua New Guinean football is growing fast. The PNG National Soccer League is becoming an interesting tournament while some players are having some success overseas. David Browne is currently in Europe playing for HJK from Finland and Gimale Essacu – who recently graduated at college – spent two years playing in the United States while Terry Stephenson is a good prospect of Middlesbrough’s youth teams.

However there is an important story involving a football player from Papua New Guinea in the Asian football and it seems that it was forgotten by people and it must be remembered. Nigel Dabinyaba‘s stint in Malaysia during 2017.

On 8 June 2016 the Papua New Guinea has beaten Malaysia by 2-0 in an international friendly and Dabinyaba called the attention in that match. A few months later he travelled to the Asian country for trials with FA Penang a football club that was playing in the top-tier of Malaysian football at that time.

The trials were successful and he signed with the Malaysian team, becoming the first Papua New Guinean to play at the professional level since Manis Lamond graced the Australian National Soccer League in the 1980s and 1990s.

SEE ALSO
David Browne signs with HJK
Gimale Essacu graduates in US university of Western Illinois
Terry Stephenson: a Papua New Guinean in England

The Papua New Guinean forward quickly became one of the most important players in the team. He was in Penang’s starting eleven week in week out and he helped the team by scoring four goals in twenty matches. Despite his good level of performance things were not so good at all.

Dabinyaba started to face lots of problems in his new club including lack of payment – Penang FA did not keep the promise and the Oceanian player spent some months in Malaysia without receiving his salary

The season’s outcome was a huge disaster for FA Penang. They were relegated to the second tier of Malaysian football after an awful campaign in the 2017 Malaysian Super League with only twelve points in 22 matches.

Dabinyaba officialy left the club in December 2017 and he was surely good enough to keep his path in Asia and move to a better club, but he did not. Currently a Free Agent, it would be nice if we could see him playing outside Oceania again.