# 1973 Merdeka Tournament

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1973 Merdeka Tournament Tournament details Host country Federation of Malaya Dates 26 July – 12 August 1973 Teams 10 Venue 1 (in 1 host city) Final positions Champions Malaysia (1st title) Runners-up Kuwait Third place Burma Fourth place South Korea Tournament statistics Matches played 32 Goals scored 75 (2.34 per match) ← 1972 1974 →

International football competition

The **1973 [Merdeka Tournament](/source/Merdeka_Tournament)** was the seventeenth edition of the annual football tournament hosted by Malaysia. It took place from 26 July to 12 August 1973 with ten participating nations.

## Venues

Kuala Lumpur Merdeka Stadium Capacity: 20,000

## Preliminary round

26 July 1973 (1973-07-26)

Malaysia 0–0 Kuwait Report Penalties 3–2

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

Attendance: 20,000

26 July 1973 (1973-07-26)

Singapore 1–1 Khmer Republic Seak Poh Leong 19' Report Sok Sun Hean 59' Penalties 2–1

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

27 July 1973 (1973-07-27)

India 2–1 South Vietnam Magan 32' Nicholas Pereira 57' Report Ho Thanh Cang 8'

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

27 July 1973 (1973-07-27)

Bangladesh 2–2 Thailand Enayetur 61' Salahuddin 88' Report Manas Vitayan 27' Niwatana Sesawasdi 90' Penalties 5–6

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

Attendance: 3,000

28 July 1973 (1973-07-28)

Burma 0–0 South Korea Report Penalties 5–4

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

## Group stage

### Group A

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts South Korea 4 2 2 0 3 1 +2 6 Malaysia 4 2 1 1 8 4 +4 5 India 4 2 1 1 5 4 +1 5 Thailand 4 1 2 1 6 5 +1 4 Khmer Republic 4 0 0 4 1 9 −8 0

28 July 1973 (1973-07-28)

Malaysia 1–0 Khmer Republic Soh Chin Ann 20' Report

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

29 July 1973 (1973-07-29)

India 2–0 Thailand Inder 40', 60' Report

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

Referee: Kabal Singh ([Malaysia](/source/Football_Association_of_Malaysia))

30 July 1973 (1973-07-30)

South Korea 1–0 Khmer Republic Seung Kee Report

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

31 July 1973 (1973-07-31)

India 3–0 Khmer Republic Bernard Pereira 7' Magan Ulaganathan 60' Report

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

1 August 1973 (1973-08-01)

Malaysia 2–2 Thailand Wan Hassan 21' Mokhtar 52' Report Parnuwat 70' Manas Vitayan 86'

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

2 August 1973 (1973-08-02)

India 0–0 South Korea

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

4 August 1973 (1973-08-04)[a]

South Korea 0–0 Thailand Report

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

4 August 1973 (1973-08-04)[a]

Malaysia 4–0 India Rahim 20' Namat 60' Harun 62' Mokhtar 88' Report

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

6 August 1973 (1973-08-06)

Malaysia 1–2 South Korea Wong Voon Leong 65' Report Chung Kang Chi 15' Kang Tae Hyun 73'

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

7 August 1973 (1973-08-07)

Thailand 4–1 Khmer Republic

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

### Group B

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Burma 4 4 0 0 11 1 +10 8 Kuwait 4 3 0 1 6 4 +2 6 South Vietnam 4 1 1 2 4 5 −1 3 Bangladesh 4 0 2 2 3 10 −7 2 Singapore 4 0 1 3 1 5 −4 1

28 July 1973 (1973-07-28)

Kuwait 2–0 Singapore Suoud Bohamed 48' Hussain Mohammed Report

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

Attendance: 10,000

Referee: Oei Puh Hwa ([Malaysia](/source/Football_Association_of_Malaysia))

29 July 1973 (1973-07-29)

South Vietnam 1–1 Bangladesh Nguyen Van Nong 44' (pen.) Report Nannu 50'

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

30 July 1973 (1973-07-30)

Burma 1–0 Singapore Than Soe 54' Report

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

31 July 1973 (1973-07-31)

Kuwait 2–1 Bangladesh Kameel 19' Ali Al-Shammari 75' Report Enayetur 47'

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

Attendance: 5,000

2 August 1973 (1973-08-02)

Burma 2–1 South Vietnam

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

2 August 1973 (1973-08-02)

Bangladesh 1–1 Singapore Salahuddin 6' Report Shamsuddin Rahmat 20'

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

5 August 1973 (1973-08-05)

South Vietnam 1–0 Singapore Vo Thanh Van 67' Report

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

5 August 1973 (1973-08-05)

Burma 2–0 Kuwait Than Soe 30' Aye Kyaing 37' Report

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

8 August 1973 (1973-08-08)

Burma 6–0 Bangladesh Maung Win Maung 12' (?) Myo Win Nyunt 28' Ye Nyunt 44' Than Soe 62', 64' Report

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

8 August 1973 (1973-08-08)

Kuwait 2–1 South Vietnam Hussain Mohammed 5', 62' Report Quang Duc Vinh 67'

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

## Ninth place

10 August 1973 (1973-08-10)

Singapore 3–0 Khmer Republic Lim Tien Jit 15' Jaffar Yacob 70' Lee Teik Gnee 80' Report

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

## Seventh place

12 August 1973 (1973-08-12)

Thailand 2–0 Bangladesh

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

## Fifth place

9 August 1973 (1973-08-09)

South Vietnam 1–1 India Nguyen Van Mong Report M Prasannan Penalties Ho Than Cang Hyunh Van Chien Cu Sinh Quong Duo Vin Duong Van Tho 5–4 Bernard Pereira Manuel Jayaraj Nicholas Pereira Thomas Fernandes

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

## Knockout stage

### Semi-finals

9 August 1973 (1973-08-09)

South Korea 0–1 Kuwait Report Kameel 40'

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

Attendance: 5,000

10 August 1973 (1973-08-10)

Burma 1–2 Malaysia Ye Nyunt 28' Report Wong Choon Wah 10' Namat 61'

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

### Third place

11 August 1973 (1973-08-11)

Burma 2–1 South Korea Maung Tin Sein Shan Pain Report Kang Tae Hyun 60'

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

### Final

12 August 1973 (1973-08-12)

Malaysia 3–1 Kuwait Mokhtar (?), 51' Harun 20' Report Hussain Mohammed 2'

[Merdeka Stadium](/source/Stadium_Merdeka), [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur)

## Notes

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Postponement1_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Postponement1_2-1) The game was initially scheduled for 3 August, however, was postponed a day due to the death of [Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia](/source/Deputy_Prime_Minister_of_Malaysia), [Tun Dr. Ismail bin Abdul Rahman](/source/Ismail_Abdul_Rahman).[1]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Page 22, The Straits Times, 4 August 1973"](https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/page/straitstimes19730804-1.1.22). *eresources.nlb.gov.sg*. Retrieved 2025-01-18.

- Morrison, Neil. ["Merdeka Tournament 1973 (Malaysia)".](https://www.rsssf.org/tablesm/merdeka73.html) *RSSSF.com*

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [1973 Merdeka Tournament](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Merdeka_Tournament) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Merdeka_Tournament?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.