KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 30 — The Merdeka Tournament, the brainchild of Malaysia’s first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj to commemorate Independence Day in 1957, is not only the oldest tournament in Asia but also used to be one of the region’s most prestigious championships.
Its fame even sparked other Asian countries to host their own international football competitions, among them being the King’s Cup in Thailand, which began in 1968, the President’s Cup (South Korea) in 1971, the Kirin Cup (Japan) in 1978 and the Independence Cup (Indonesia) in 1985.
With its unique aura, the Merdeka Tournament not only managed to attract teams from the region, but famous sides from Europe, Africa and South America.
South Korea, Iraq, Japan, Uzbekistan, New Zealand, Morocco, Myanmar, Ghana, Algeria, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Czechoslovakia, Hamburger SV (of Germany), Sao Paulo FC and Buenos Aires FC are among the 32 teams to have graced the tournament since its inception in 1957.
However, the Merdeka Tournament was last held in 2013, with its demise being a culmination of several factors, including participating teams sending their reserve sides, dwindling crowd turnout, poor quality of our own national team and more lucrative tournaments being held in other Asian nations.
So, is it worthwhile to revive the Merdeka Tournament after an eight-year hiatus?
Does the national team need another tournament plugged into its already hectic local and global football calendar?
Is it still relevant for the development of the national squad and can the tournament regain its past glory?
Former national goalkeeper Wong Kam Fook, who played in the 1972 Munich Olympic, believes that reviving the tournament is not impossible, though it should be carefully studied, including its implication on the current national squad’s already heavy workload.
But he clearly could not hide his enthusiasm when reminiscing about the bygone era of the Merdeka Tournament.
Speaking to Bernama, Kam Fook reminisced about how the national team then, though made up of players from different races and all sorts of background, had only one aim—to bring glory to Malaysia.
“Those days, it was the only football tournament in Asia and we were very excited to play for Malaysia because we only thought of bringing glory for our beloved country and we always gave our best.
“We didn’t receive anything special back then, just the feeling of pride when we donned the national jersey. Winning the Merdeka Tournament was like the highest achievement for us then,” said the 71-year-old, who moved to Hong Kong in 1972 to become a professional footballer.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s ace marksman back in the 70s, Shaharuddin Abdullah also looked back at the tournament with fondness, saying how the thunderous roar of the packed Merdeka Stadium always worked wonders in helping them lift their performance.
“We played out of a sense of patriotism. Not for money. Those days, we footballers had an extraordinary spirit where it was like we were fighting on the battlefield to defend the country. The supporters also played a significant role by constantly and vociferously cheering us on,” said the 72-year-old.
He described lifting the Merdeka Tournament trophy in 1976, after a thrilling 2-0 win over Japan, one of the most feared teams in Asia even back then, as one of the most cherished memories of his football career.
There is no doubt, though, that the presence of some huge ‘household names’ in Malaysian football also played a big part in attracting fans to the Merdeka Stadium in droves.
The Merdeka Tournament has produced some exceptional players in Malaysian football history. Back in the 60s to the 80s, Malaysian football fans could reel off the names of these stalwarts with ease. After all, who can forget the likes of the late Datuk Mokhtar Dahari, Datuk Soh Chin Aun, M. Chandran, Namat Abdullah, the late R. Arumugam, the late Datuk Abdul Ghani Minhat and many more.
Sadly, the tournament, which was held annually until 1988, began to lose its lustre in the 80s when the participating teams started sending their second stringers, including South Korea who only sent their B team from 1979.
Kam Fook believes that this had a negative impact on the competitiveness of the tournament and marked the start of the Merdeka Tournament’s downward spiral, which led to it being cancelled after 2013.
“Before 1970, there was no other international football competition in Asia, except for the Merdeka Tournament. But everything changed in the 80s when some teams started sending their reserve teams while some even refused to take part.
“Many countries then started to establish their own tournaments and leagues, and because of that the Merdeka Tournament began to lose its popularity,” he said.
The national team have won the Merdeka Tournament 12 times, including twice by the Under-23 squad after the format was changed in 2007 to allow only national Under-23 teams to compete.
So, the question remains: should the Merdeka Tournament be revived? — Bernama
