Khairul Fahmi Che Mat

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Che Mat is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Khairul Fahmi.

Khairul Fahmi bin Che Mat P.B.^[4] (born 7 January 1989 in Kota Bharu, Kelantan) is a Malaysian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Malaysia Super League club Sabah.^[5][6] He is also a former member of Malaysia national team.

Khairul Fahmi

Personal information
Full name	Khairul Fahmi bin Che Mat
Date of birth	(1989-01-07) 7 January 1989 (age 36)[1]
Place of birth	Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia[2]
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Sabah
Number	19
Youth career
2002–2004	Sekolah Sukan Bandar Penawar
2005–2006	Sekolah Sukan Bukit Jalil
2007–2008	Harimau Muda
2008	PKNS U-21
2008–2009	Kelantan U-21
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2007–2008	Harimau Muda	1	(0)
2009–2018	Kelantan	159	(0)
2018–2021	Melaka United	58	(0)
2022–	Sabah	45	(0)
International career‡
2010–2012	Malaysia U23	28	(0)
2011–2012	Malaysia XI	3	(0)
2010–2021	Malaysia	61[3]	(0)
Medal record Men's Football Representing  Malaysia AFF Championship Winner 2010 Runner-up 2014 Runner-up 2018 Sea Games 2011
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 12 April 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 21 December 2021

Club career

Early career

At his youth, Khairul Fahmi began his football career playing for Sekolah Sukan Bandar Penawar (SSBP) and Sekolah Sukan Bukit Jalil (SSBJ). During his school year, he was selected as the second choice goalkeeper for Malaysia U-17 at the 2004 AFC U-17 Championship.^[7][8][9]

Harimau Muda

Khairul Fahmi was later chosen to be in the Harimau Muda team for the 2007–08 Malaysia Premier League. Khairul Fahmi appeared in a match against ATM FA which Harimau Muda lose 2-1.^[10] Halfway through the season, he was dropped from Harimau Muda.^[11] He signed with PKNS until the end of 2008 season.^[11]

PSV Eindhoven Youth team trials

Khairul Fahmi had also impressed the Dutch club, PSV Eindhoven and went for a-week trials with the club's Under-19 and Under-23 teams. He went there with his teammate, Asraruddin Putra after they showed excellent performances in the 2007 Champions Youth Cup.^[12]

Return to Kelantan

In 2008, Khairul Fahmi returned to Kelantan as a loan player from PKNS for the 2008 Malaysia Cup.^[11] In 2009 he signed a permanent deal with Kelantan and registered as the third goalkeeper for Kelantan but he did not made any appearances for the senior side.^[11]

In 2010, he finally have the chances with the senior squad due to Halim Napi retirement and a blunder from Syed Adney during their match against Kedah in 2010 Malaysia Super League.^[13][14] He made his league debut on 6 March 2010 in a 1-0 away win against T-Team.^[15][16] In his debut season, he won the 2010 Malaysia Cup.^[17] He also won The Best Young Player and Best Goalkeeper awards at the 2010 Anugerah Bola Sepak Kebangsaan 100Plus-FAM.^[18]

In 2011, Khairul Fahmi retain as Kelantan first choice goalkeeper. He ended the season with Kelantan winning their first league title, making 24 appearances and he also won the Best Goalkeeper Award for the second consecutive time.^[19][20]

In 2012, Khairul Fahmi continue his fine form which saw Kelantan won their first ever treble in the Malaysian League.^[20] He also won the Best Goalkeeper Award for the third time in a row.^[20]

Melaka United

On 7 May 2018, Khairul Fahmi signed a six-month contract with Melaka United until the end of the current season.^[21] On 12 May 2018, Khairul Fahmi made his debut for Melaka United in a 0–0 draw against Perak.

On 8 February 2021, he extended his contract with the club until the end of the 2022.^[22]

International career

Malaysia under-23 national team

Khairul Fahmi made his first appearance for Malaysia under-23 at the 2010 Asian Games. He helped his team qualify into the second round but later lost to Iran, 1–3.^[23] Khairul Fahmi became Malaysia's hero when he saved two penalties and they won 4–3 in the penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw against Indonesia to ensure Malaysia retained the prestigious SEA Games gold medal. Khairul Fahmi also helped his team qualify into the Men's Asian Qualifiers Preliminary Round 3 of 2012 Summer Olympics Qualification. However, Malaysia failed to win any matches in the group stage.

Malaysia senior national team

Khairul Fahmi made his debut against Oman on 3 September 2010 replacing Sharbinee Allawee during the second half. He kept a clean sheet for the entire second half after Malaysia conceding 3 goals in the first half of the match.

In November 2010, Khairul Fahmi was called up to the Malaysia national team by coach K. Rajagopal for the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup. Khairul kept a clean sheet against Thailand on a 0–0 draw. He also kept a clean sheet against Vietnam twice in the semi-finals. In the first leg of the finals, Khairul Fahmi played well against the Indonesians. The match ended a 3–0 win to Malaysia, thus earning another clean sheet to him.^[24] In the second leg of the finals held in Indonesia, Khairul Fahmi gave another outstanding performance by making numerous saves including a brilliant penalty save early in the match. The save proved to be a pivotal moment in the match in which Malaysia scored an away goal. Malaysia won on 4–2 aggregate and lifted the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup title for the first time.^[25]

Khairul Fahmi was selected for the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup. On 26 November 2012, Malaysia's opening group match against Singapore ended up with the Malaysian side losing 0–3. The Lions scored the first goal through their captain, Shahril Ishak at the 32nd-minute. Six minutes later, Ishak once again scored a goal for the Lions as a result of Khairul Fahmi's blunder at goal. In the second half, veteran Singaporean forward Aleksandar Đurić completed the rout against the Tigers with the third and final goal of the game. The match resulted in 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup holders Malaysia losing its first group match of the tournament, and Khairul Fahmi was subsequently dropped for the rest of the Tigers' campaign.

However, since Kim Pan-Gon was made in charge of the Malaysian national football team in 2022, he was deemed too short to play in goal, losing his spot to taller and younger goalkeepers.

Career statistics

Club

As of 12 April 2025^[26][27]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup[a]		League Cup[b]		Asia[c]		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Harimau Muda	2007–08[26]	Malaysia Premier League	1	0	0	0	—		—		1	0
	Total		1	0	0	0	—		—		1	0
Kelantan	2009[26]	Malaysia Super League	0	0	—		0	0	—		0	0
	2010[26]	Malaysia Super League	15	0	0	0	8	0	—		23	0
	2011[26]	Malaysia Super League	24	0	6	0	3	0	—		33	0
	2012[26]	Malaysia Super League	20	0	4	0	10	0	6	0	40	0
	2013[26]	Malaysia Super League	22	0	6	0	11	0	7	0	46	0
	2014[26]	Malaysia Super League	22	0	4	0	7	0	4	0	37	0
	2015[26]	Malaysia Super League	19	0	7	0	6	0	—		32	0
	2016[26]	Malaysia Super League	22	0	2	0	6	0	—		30	0
	2017[26]	Malaysia Super League	11	0	1	0	1	0	—		13	0
	2018[26]	Malaysia Super League	4	0	2	0	—		—		6	0
	Total		159	0	32	0	52	0	17	0	260	0
Melaka United	2018[26]	Malaysia Super League	11	0	0	0	6	0	—		17	0
	2019[26]	Malaysia Super League	20	0	1	0	4	0	—		25	0
	2020[26]	Malaysia Super League	9	0	0	0	1	0	—		10	0
	2021[26]	Malaysia Super League	18	0	—		9	0	—		27	0
	Total		58	0	1	0	20	0	—		79	0
Sabah	2022[26]	Malaysia Super League	22	0	0	0	0	0	—		22	0
	2023[26]	Malaysia Super League	12	0	1	0	2	0	1	0	16	0
	2024–25[26]	Malaysia Super League	11	0	3	0	1	0	4	0	19	0
	2025–26[26]	Malaysia Super League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		45	0	4	0	3	0	5	0	57	0
Career total			263	0	37	0	75	0	22	0	397	0

International

As of 19 December 2021^[3][28]

National team Year Apps Goals Malaysia 2010 7 0 2011 3 0 2012 6 0 2013 6 0 2014 8 0 2015 7 0 2016 8 0 2018 9 0 2019 2 0 2021 5 0 Total 61 0

International appearances and goals[3] 1Appear as substitute. # Date Venue Opponent Result Clean Sheet Competition 2010 1. 3 September Al-Wakrah, Qatar  Oman 3–0 (L) 11 Friendly 2. 4 December Jakarta, Indonesia  Thailand 0–0 (D) 2 AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 3. 7 December Jakarta, Indonesia  Laos 5–1 (W) AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 4. 15 December Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Vietnam 2–0 (W) 3 AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 5. 18 December Jakarta, Indonesia  Vietnam 0–0 (D) 4 AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 6. 26 December Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Indonesia 3–0 (W) 5 AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 7. 29 December Jakarta, Indonesia  Indonesia 2–1 (L) AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 2011 8. 9 February Selangor, Malaysia  Hong Kong 2–0 (W) 6 Friendly 9. 28 July Selangor, Malaysia  Singapore 1–1 (D) 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 10. 7 October Canberra, Australia  Australia 5–0 (L) Friendly 2012 11. 29 February Manila, Philippines  Philippines 1–1 (D) Friendly 12. 8 June Jalan Besar, Singapore  Singapore 2–2 (D) Friendly 13. 12 June Selangor, Malaysia  Singapore 2–0 (W) 7 Friendly 14. 3 November Hanoi, Vietnam  Vietnam 1–0 (L) Friendly 15. 14 November Shah Alam, Malaysia  Hong Kong 1–1 (D) Friendly 16. 25 November Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Singapore 0–3 (L) 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup 2013 17. 6 February Doha, Qatar  Qatar 2–0 (L) 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification 18. 22 March Shah Alam, Malaysia  Yemen 2–1 (W) 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification 19. 15 October Shah Alam, Malaysia  Bahrain 1–1 (D) 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification 20. 15 October Kuwait City, Kuwait  Kuwait 0–3 (L) Friendly 21. 15 November Manama, Bahrain  Bahrain 1–0 (L) 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification 22. 19 November Shah Alam, Malaysia  Qatar 0–1 (L) 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification 2014 23. 5 March Al Ain, UAE  Yemen 1–2 (W) 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification 24. 27 April Cebu, Philippines  Philippines 0–0 (D) 8 Friendly 25. 20 October Shah Alam, Malaysia  Cambodia 4–1 (W) Friendly 26. 16 November Hanoi, Vietnam  Vietnam 3–1 (L) Friendly 27. 23 November Jalan Besar, Singapore  Myanmar 0–0 (D) 9 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup 28. 26 November Jalan Besar, Singapore  Thailand 2–3 (L) 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup 29. 29 November Kallang Stadium, Singapore  Singapore 3–1 (W) 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup 30. 7 December Shah Alam Stadium, Malaysia  Vietnam 1–2 (L) 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup 2015 31. 6 June Shah Alam Stadium, Malaysia  Hong Kong 0–0 (D) 101 Friendly 32. 11 June National Stadium, Malaysia  Timor-Leste 1–1 (D) 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 33. 29 August Shah Alam Stadium, Malaysia  Bangladesh 0–0 (D) 11 Friendly 34. 3 September Dubai, UAE  United Arab Emirates 10–0 (L) 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 35. 8 September Shah Alam Stadium, Malaysia  Saudi Arabia 1–2 (L) 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 36. 13 October National Stadium, East Timor  Timor-Leste 0–1 (W) 12 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 37. 12 November Amman International Stadium, Jordan  Palestine 6–0 (L) 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 2016 38. 24 March King Abdullah Sports City, Saudi Arabia  Saudi Arabia 2–0 (L) 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 39. 26 June Prince Charles Park, Fiji  Fiji 1–1 (D) Friendly 40. 6 September Manahan Stadium, Indonesia  Indonesia 3–0 (L) Friendly 41. 11 October Shah Alam Stadium, Malaysia  Afghanistan 1–1 (D) Friendly 42. 14 November Shah Alam Stadium, Malaysia  Papua New Guinea 2–1 (W) 131 Friendly 43. 20 November Thuwunna Stadium, Myanmar  Cambodia 3–2 (W) 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup 44. 23 November Thuwunna Stadium, Myanmar  Vietnam 0–1 (L) 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup 45. 26 November Thuwunna Stadium, Myanmar  Myanmar 1–0 (L) 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 46. 1 April Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Malaysia  Bhutan 7–0 (W) 14 Friendly 47. 5 July KLFA Stadium, Malaysia  Fiji 1–0 (W) 15 Friendly 48. 10 September Phnom Penh, Cambodia  Cambodia 1–3 (W) Friendly 49. 12 October Colombo, Sri Lanka  Sri Lanka 1–4 (W) 161 Friendly 50. 16 October Melaka, Malaysia  Kyrgyzstan 0–1 (L) Friendly 51. 3 November Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Maldives 3–0 (W) 17 Friendly 52. 8 November Phnom Penh, Cambodia  Cambodia 0–1 (W) 18 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup 53. 12 November Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Laos 3–1 (W) 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup 54. 16 November Hanoi, Vietnam  Vietnam 2–0 (L) 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup 2019 55. 20 March Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Singapore 0–1 (L) Friendly 56. 23 March Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Afghanistan 2–1 (W) Friendly 2021 57. 20 March Amman, Jordan  Uzbekistan 1–5 (L) Friendly

Exhibition matches / Malaysia XI

#	Date	Location	Head coach	Opponent	Result	Team
1.	13 July 2011	National Stadium, Bukit Jalil	K. Rajagopal	Arsenal	0–4 (L)	Malaysia XI
2.	16 July 2011	National Stadium, Bukit Jalil	K. Rajagopal	Liverpool	3–6 (L)	Malaysia XI
3.	30 July 2012	National Stadium, Bukit Jalil	K. Rajagopal	Manchester City	1–3 (L)	Malaysia XI

Personal life

Khairul Fahmi is the fourth of five siblings. He received his early education at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Tapang, Kota Bharu. Then he entered Sekolah Sukan Bandar Penawar, Johor Bahru. After that he furthered Bukit Jalil Sports School (National Sports School). He was active in sports and has represented the school since primary school. On 28 December 2012, Khairul Fahmi married Nur Eilunie Natasha Jaafar.^[29] They have a daughter named Kayla Elayna, and a son named Khaleel Emir.^[30]

Honours

Clubs

Kelantan

• Malaysia Cup (2): 2010, 2012
• Malaysia Charity Shield (1): 2011
• Malaysia Super League (2): 2011, 2012
• Malaysia FA Cup (2): 2012, 2013 Runner-up 2015

International

• AFF Suzuki Cup:

Winners: 2010

Runner-up: 2014, 2018

• 2011 Southeast Asian Games – Football:

Gold Medal: 2011

Individuals

• Best Young Players: 2010
• Best Goalkeepers: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013,^[31] 2016
• Goal.com Asian Under-23 Best XI for 2011^[32]
• Goal.com readers' Asian Best XI of 2011^[33]
• Goal.com readers' Asian Best Goalkeeper of 2011^[34]

Notes

1. Appearances in Malaysia FA Cup
2. Appearances in Malaysia Cup
3. Appearances in AFC Cup