SHAH ALAM: The FA of Malaysia (FAM) revealed that the Merdeka Tournament, last held in 2013, will likely be hosted in March.
The national body’s disclosure, however, contradicts with the tournament dates released as part of the 2019 M-League calendar by the Malaysian Football League (MFL).
According to the calendar, which was released on Saturday, the tournament is slated for Jan 26-31.
FAM will likely not go with the dates in January as M-League teams will be busy preparing for the new season, which starts on the following month.
FAM general secretary Stuart Ramalingam said: “We do not want to disturb the teams from preparing for the new season, so March looks suitable for now.
“The MFL calendar was released after consultation with FAM and it was decided then that January was a suitable month to host the Merdeka Tournament.
“However, we will likely move the tournament to March,” said Stuart on Sunday.
Fifa have marked March 14-26 as international dates.
In 2013, Malaysia, under national youth coach Ong Kim Swee, won the Merdeka Tournament, which was then an Under-23 event, following a 2-0 win over Myanmar, in Kuantan.