Bali United

Foundation

After the 2014 Indonesia Super League season ended, Putra Samarinda owner Harbiansyah Hanafiah decided to sell the club to businessman Pieter Tanuri who relocated the Borneo club to Gianyar, upon noticing the affluent island of Bali had no representative in the top-flight of Indonesian football after the 2013 dissolution of Indonesia Premier League (IPL) club Bali Devata FC after the controversial IPL league stopped. Tanuri, who co-owns tiremaker Multistrada Arah Sarana, chose Gianyar because Bali Devata used a mid-size stadium there called the Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium and the regency is strategically located at the center of the island, rather than the coasts where most foreign tourists flock. The new owner wanted the club to attract the local Balinese fans from all corners of the island and rise as the pride of Bali. To achieve that, Tanuri also totally rebranded the club to an outfit that carries the Balinese identity, starting by renaming it Bali United Pusam Football Club with colors and a crest that pay homage to the unique culture in Bali.

Eventually, the Pusam historical tag was dropped when Bali United began to be considered as an elite club in Indonesia with the most professional management under the direction of Pieter Tanuri's brother Yabes Tanuri.

Bumpy start (2015-16)

Bali United started its foray into top-flight Indonesian football in the 2015 season of the Indonesian Super League. However, the season was discontinued only after the rebranded club played two games amid the conflict between the Indonesian government and the country's football association PSSI that also led to a FIFA suspension on all association football activities in Indonesia from May 2015 to May 2016. Bali United in late 2016 finished their first full season in an unauthorized league that tried to fill the gap left by the dissolved Indonesia Super League, the 2016 Indonesia Soccer Championship A. They finished 12th out of 18 teams, a respectable result for a new club.

Liga 1 years

In the first Liga 1 season in 2017, Bali United struggled in their first two matches, leading to the sacking of head coach Hans-Peter Schaller. His successor, Indonesia national football team legend Widodo Cahyono Putro, managed to make Bali United compete for the title and become the most productive team in the league. However, the controversial decision from organizers to use the head-to-head results in crowning the Indonesian Police club Bhayangkara despite it having the same exact points with Bali United dashed the hopes of a fairy-tale ending.

Being runner-up of the 2017 season, Bali United in 2018 competed in an AFC competition for the first time in their history. The club made their debut in the AFC Champions League on 16 January 2018 with a 3–1 win over Tampines Rovers in the preliminary stage round 1, but failed to reach the group stage after losing 1–2 to Chiangrai United in the preliminary stage round 2. They also debuted in the AFC Cup where they were eliminated in the group stage after only finishing fourth. Their bad streak continued in the league. A controversy occurred when coach Widodo resigned the day before a key match against Persija, triggering supporters to light flares throughout the match as a symbol of protest against the management. They finished the 2018 season in the 11th spot.

In another twist, Widodo was replaced by the triumphant Persija coach in that controversial match, Brazilian Stefano Cugurra, who led Persija to win the 2018 title. In his first season at Bali United, Cugurra took the club to its first Liga 1 title, cementing the club's elite status in Indonesian football. After a decent start in defending its title in the 2020 season, Bali United faced another mid-competition stop after the league was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.