In a statement, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar declared that the newly appointed regent should “continue leading and managing the JDT football team to elevate the sport of football at the national and international levels”.

Tunku Ismail decided to hand over control of the JDT football club to its management recently, saying he would remain the owner of the Southern Tigers, but be less involved in their day-to-day operations.

“Due to my other responsibilities and commitments, I have decided to take a step back and hand over the control of JDT to the top management of the club,” he said on Facebook.

Tunku Ismail took control of the football club in 2012 and under his leadership, JDT won eight straight league titles and became the first Southeast Asian football club to emerge as champions of the AFC Cup in 2015.

This year, JDT became the first Malaysian team to reach the AFC Champions League knockout stage.

Tunku Ismail is the eldest son of Sultan Ibrahim and the Permaisuri of Johor, Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah.

He was appointed the Raja Muda of Johor in April 2006 before being made the crown prince in January 2010.