KUALA LUMPUR – National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang believes that the relaunch of the Merdeka Tournament is a perfect platform to unite Malaysians through football.
The minister said that Asia’s oldest football tournament holds a special place among football fans in the country and applauds the efforts of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in reintroducing the tournament.
“It was once the biggest tournament in Asia, and it still remains relevant today. I’m glad that FAM has brought this tournament back because football has the ability to unite all Malaysians,” said the minister.
Aaron also mentioned that the launch of the Unity Carnival in conjunction with Pestabola Merdeka is a strategic move by the ministry and FAM to educate Malaysians and relive the legacy of the tournament.
“It is very special as we are organising this carnival for the first time, and we aim to rekindle the history of the tournament by inviting former national footballers to make the carnival even more exciting.
“Our main goal is to promote unity and with the theme ‘Football Unites Us’, we aim to provide a space for the community to enliven the carnival – making Bukit Jalil National Stadium a site of national integration and a treasure of national pride,” said the minister.
The minister also expects to see more players from different races representing Harimau Malaya in the future.
“In sports, we should have more representatives from all races, especially in a sport like football.
“I’m not saying it’s not enough, as we have many mixed-race players like Corbin Ong and Brendan Gan, but I would like to see more players from all races playing for the national team.
“We have always been advocating for unity at the ministry level and have come up with initiatives like the Unity Sports League with conditions that require athletes from all races to be on a team,” the minister added.
Together with FAM, the ministry has also collaborated with Kuala Lumpur City Hall, Ampang Jaya Municipal Council), and Malaysia Stadium Corporation for the Unity Carnival, which is set to take place from October 13 to 17.
The iconic Merdeka Tournament, which began in 1957, has attracted renowned footballers – including Datuk Mokhtar Dahari, Datuk Soh Chin Ann, Tan Sri Ghani Minhat, South Korea’s Kim Jae-han, Cha Bum-kun, and Lee Woon-jae, Japan’s Kunishige Kamamoto and Yasuhiko Okudera, Indonesia’s Abdul Kadir, Iraq’s Hussein Saeed Mohammed, and Ghana’s Abedi Ayew.
Entering its 42nd edition, the tournament has drawn teams like South Korea, Buenos Aires XI, Hamburger SV, Hong Kong League XI, New Zealand, Sao Paulo XI, Ghana, and Algeria.
This year, the Pestabola Merdeka will involve teams such as Palestine, India, and Tajikistan, and the tournament is set to take place from October 13 to 17 at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium. – September 27, 2023.