PETALING JAYA – After a 10-year lapse, Pestabola Merdeka is set to make a comeback this October, with nations like India, Palestine, and Lebanon coming to challenge the national team.
Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president, Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin, when confirming the matter, said an earlier plan to hold the tournament in 2020 had to be abandoned due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He also said this year’s Pestabola will be held on a smaller scale using Thailand’s King’s Cup format.
“We will be conducting the Pestabola Cup draw (to determine the first match), and the winning team will go to the final, which means each team will play two matches according to FIFA standards to earn ranking points.
“We know that fans really want the Pestabola Merdeka tournament (playing) 10 to 15 days, but the FIFA calendar is too busy with lots of major tournaments during that time,” he said at a press conference after chairing the seventh meeting of the 2021-2025 FAM executive committee meeting at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya here today.
When asked if organising Pestabola Merdeka outside of Merdeka month would affect the tournament’s prestige, Hamidin said the changes that have taken place in world football made it difficult for it to be re-organised in August as in previous editions.
“We can no longer reminisce about events of previous years, because a lot of things and regulations have changed.
“Take, for example, the SEA Games, where the senior players will be called to play. But now, the players are under 23 years old…we must be in line with the demands of the present day; it’s not like what it was 20 or 30 years ago.
“Of course, all national team matches must be in the FIFA calendar, and the closest is in October, because August is not on the FIFA calendar,” he said.
Pestabola Merdeka is expected to be held at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil near here, and it will be the venue to test the use of the new “Zeon Zoysia” grass at Harimau Malaya home ground.
For the record, Malaysia emerged as the team with the most Pestabola Merdeka wins with 12 titles, including winning the last tournament since it first started in 1957. – Bernama, March 21, 2023
