In the wake of the Israel-Palestine conflict engulfing the two nations right now, the Palestinian's men's football team has made a last-minute withdrawal from the Merdeka Cup 2023. Hence, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has announced a change of fixtures for the tournament on Tuesday. The tournament will now take place in a tri-nation format with India, Tajikistan and hosts Malaysia battling it out in a knock-out format. (Football News)
Sticking to the original schedule, India will play hosts Malaysia at the 90,000-seater Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on October 13, with the winners set to play Tajikistan in the final on October 17.
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“The format change is the best solution that has been reached at a special meeting between FAM as the organizer of the 2023 Independence Cup (Merdeka) with the management of the Indian and Tajikistan teams, this morning after taking into account the time constraints following the withdrawal of the Palestinian team,” Football Association of Malaysia said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Blue Tigers arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, October 9, and were instantly greeted by the torrential downpour that southeast Asia is so well known for. The Blue Tigers were soon joined by Tajikistan at the same hotel.
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The palpable excitement was there to see on all the faces as the players set their sights on what promises to be a thrilling encounter in front of a partisan crowd at the Bukit Jalil. Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is one who has experienced that atmosphere in Malaysia, having played in the AFC Cup against Selangor FA in 2013 for East Bengal, and is raring to go.
“I have played here once before, and I still remember the stadium, it was absolutely buzzing. I think we have a lot of Indians here as well, and it will be good to see some of those fans support us as well,” he said. “I would like to request all the Indian fans in Kuala Lumpur to come and support us.”
Defender Subhasish Bose feels that matches against Malaysia and Tajikistan, both of whom have had good preparation in the lead-up to the Merdeka Tournament, will help the team in their longer aim to prepare for bigger events like the World Cup Qualifiers next month or the AFC Asian Cup in January.
“These will be tough matches against some good sides, and I think they will go a long way in helping us prepare for the Asian Cup and the World Cup Qualifiers. Malaysia are a very good team and have had some good results recently. So, everyone’s looking forward to playing against them,” said Subhasish.
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Below is the 26-member provisional squad announced by head coach Igor Stimac, who recently received a two-year extension to his contract.
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kaith and Dheeraj Singh.
Defenders: Nikhil Poojary, Roshan Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Mehtab Singh, Lalchungnunga, Akash Mishra and Subhasish Bose.
Midfielders: Jeakson Singh, Suresh Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Rohit Kumar, Sahal Abdul Samad, Brandon Fernandes, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Udanta Singh, Vikram Pratap Singh, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Liston Colaco and Nandhakumar Sekar.
Forwards: Sunil Chhetri and Manvir Singh.
Here are all the important details regarding the schedule, venue, timings, telecast and live streaming of Merdeka Cup 2023
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When will the Merdeka Cup 2023 be played?
The Merdeka Cup 2023 will start on October 13 and end on October 17.
Where will the Merdeka Cup 2023 be played?
The tournament will be played in the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
What is the schedule of Merdeka Cup 2023?
The tournament will be played in a knock-out format. The schedule and timings are as follows:
October 13: Malaysia vs India, 6:30pm IST
October 17: Winner of Malaysia vs India match vs Tajikistan, 6:30pm IST
Where will the tournament be telecast on TV?
The tournament will be telecast live on Eurosport.
Where will the tournament be live streamed?
The tournament will be live streamed on the Indian Football YouTube channel.
