The Football Federation of Thailand (FAT) will organize the King’s Cup in 2023 for Thailand to compete, instead of attending the Merdeka Cup – the tournament is expected to have the Vietnamese team present in Malaysia.
The Football Federation of Malaysia (FAM) is expected to restore the traditional Merdeka Cup tournament following a nine-year absence. This is also the event to celebrate the 90th anniversary of FAM. According to the New Straits Times, FAM plans to host the 2023 Merdeka Cup on FIFA Days from September 4 to 12.
FAM also plans to invite 3 guest teams, including 2 teams in Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Thailand, Palestine or Syria. However, FAM has not yet sent an official invitation to any federation. As for the Thai team, they have no plans to attend the Merdeka Cup.
According to Siam Sports, the Thai Football Federation plans to organize the King’s Cup on the same occasion as the Merdeka Cup, so that the Thai team has the opportunity to play once morest stronger teams. “In September 2023, we had plans to host the King’s Cup and conduct outreach to various guest teams to determine the teams participating in the tournament. Regarding the information that Malaysia will invite us to the Merdeka Cup, FAT has not yet received an official invitation from FAM but only knows it through the media.
King’s Cup is Thailand’s annual friendly tournament. For several years now, FAT has always maintained this playground, inviting strong teams to compete. In addition to confirming that it will host the King’s Cup 2023, FAT also said that localities have submitted bidding documents to host the event. In 2022, the tournament was held in Chiang Mai, with the participation of 4 teams including Thailand, Malaysia, Tajikistan and Trinidad & Tobago.
The ability of Vietnam to attend the 2023 Merdeka Cup is still unclear. However, in history, the U22 Vietnam team won the Merdeka Cup in 2008. With the organization on the occasion of FIFA Days, the 2023 Merdeka Cup promises to be a useful friendly tournament for the Vietnamese team, if VFF receives the invitation. Official invitation and confirmation of attendance. According to New Strais Times, the Indian team really wants to attend the Merdeka Cup. They can be an alternative to the Thai team.
