Johor DT

Foundation and early years

The club were founded in 1972 as Perbadanan Kemajuan Ekonomi Negeri Johor (PKENJ) in Pasir Gudang, Johor. After winning the Malaysia FAM Cup twice, the Johor Corporation (a state funded corporation) decided to take over the club in 1996 and changed its name to Johor Football Club (Johor FC). The club finished as runners-up in the 1996 season.

In 1998, Johor FC were promoted to the second tier Malaysian football league, Liga Perdana 2 and won the title in 2001 which secured promotion to the first division, Liga Perdana 1. After two years in the top division, Johor FC were relegated to the new second-division, the Malaysia Premier League after failing to achieve promotion to the new top division, the Malaysia Super League during the 2003 season. The club earned an automatic promotion to the Malaysia Super League during the 2006–07 season after the Football Association of Malaysia's decision to expand the league to 14 teams and were a regular top 5 finisher in the league. Johor FC were the first club team in the Malaysian football league system to enter the Malaysia Cup in 2000 under English manager Bruce Stowell. The Malaysia Cup was previously dominated by state teams and by defeating ATM on aggregate in the second-round group qualification, the club marked another record in the competition. The club also participated in the AFC Cup in 2009 replacing Negeri Sembilan when the latter qualified but did not proceed to compete in the competition.

Decline and transformation of Johor FC (2010–2012)

By 2011, Johor FC experienced a period of decline driven by escalating financial troubles and a major reduction in corporate funding from Johor Corporation (JCorp). This lack of funding directly triggered a massive slump in on-pitch performance, a depleted squad, and dwindling fan attendance at the Pasir Gudang Stadium. The club's struggles peaked during the 2012 season, where they underperformed heavily, suffered critical operational losses, and barely escaped relegation in the Malaysia Super League by finishing just above the drop zone in 9th place.

This internal downfall mirrored a broader state crisis; Johorean football was in its poorest state, heavily underperforming and plagued by high-profile match-fixing investigations. While Johor FC fought relegation in the top flight, other local clubs — Johor FA, MBJB F.C., and MP Muar F.C. — struggled to survive in the second-tier Malaysia Premier League.

To save the teams from bankruptcy, Tunku Ismail Idris, who was appointed as the new President of Johor FA (PBNJ) on 16 February 2012, initiated a bold strategic revamp to consolidate Johorean football under a single management. Consequently, all Johor-based clubs except Johor FC and Johor FA were withdrawn from the league. Both remaining teams were placed under unified control and arranged in numerical order, completely absorbing Johor FC's top-flight slot. In December 2012, the Football Association of Malaysia approved the rebranding to Darul Ta'zim FC for the upcoming 2013 season, which was later renamed Johor Darul Ta'zim Football Club (JDT).

The transformation era

Officially, 2013 was the first year in which the Southern Tigers made its debut under the new transformation initiative. A fully refurnished Larkin Stadium was made to accommodate more fans. With the introduction of season passes, it allowed fans entry to all competitive matches for an entire season. At the start of the 2013 season, Fandi Ahmad was handed the role of head coach of the team in the Malaysia Super League, while the Malaysia Premier League team was handled by former international and Johor player, Azmi Mohamed, with the assistance of compatriot Ismail Ibrahim. Before the start of the season, Johor signed former Spanish international Dani Güiza and Italian midfielder Simone Del Nero. However, both left in the middle of the season. JDT managed to reach the 2013 Malaysia FA Cup final on away goals rule, defeating Pahang FA. In the final, JDT lost 1–0 to Kelantan FA. During the middle of the 2013 season, Fandi Ahmad was relieved of his coaching duties, but would stay on as the team's manager. Azmi Mohamed became JDT's coach on an interim basis while waiting for the arrival of a new head coach. In the first season after the club's transformation, JDT managed to finish third in the 2013 Malaysian Super League. Later on, just a day before the 2013 Malaysia Cup kicked off, Fandi Ahmad resigned as team manager and parted ways with Johor FA amicably. With the motivation to rejuvenate the glory days of the past into the future, JDT appointed former Valencia and Atlético Madrid manager Cesar Ferrando Jimenez as the new club's head coach.

In February 2014, Bojan Hodak was appointed as team manager to assist Cesar Jimenez in managerial duties. On 26 June 2014, JDT secured their first national league title by defeating Sarawak FA 1–0. In the 2014 Malaysia Cup campaign, JDT made it through to the final for the first time in 23 years, emulating the former Johor FA that won the double (league and Malaysia Cup triumphs). Billed as the "Match of Heavyweights", it was a highly anticipated match between JDT (league champions) and Pahang (Malaysia FA Cup winners). JDT lost 5–3 in the penalty shoot-out.