Dollah, Zainal cherish every moment of their Merdeka Cup action

KUALA LUMPUR - National football legends Dollah Salleh and Zainal Abidin Hassan, the deadly strikers feared by many defenders in the region during their prime, are excited that the Merdeka Cup Tournament is making a comeback after a 10-year lapse.

The duo have been instrumental in winning several accorlades for the country through their goalscoring prowess, including the Merdeka Cup or also known as Pestabola Merdeka.

Dollah who first donned the National colours after representing Johor, described the 1986 National squad as the best team assembled throughout his participation with the National team because the squad went on to win the Merdeka Cup after beating an European country in the final.

In the 1986 Merdeka Cup final, Malaysia beat Czechoslovakia (now known as Czech Rep) 3-0 to win the title and also beat Asian powerhouse Japan 2-1 in the semifinals.

"The Merdeka Cup tournament was a very prestigious competition that attracted countries and clubs from as far as Brazil. The tournament was popular in the past and a much sort after tournament," said Dollah during the launch of the 2023 Merdeka Cup today.

"The best part that was during the semifinal against Japan, the Japanese coach had instructed one player to specifically (shadow) or mark out striker Zainal Abidin when we were trailing 0-1 in the first half. At the break I and Zainal discussed and decided that we both need to do something.

"In the second half, Zainal scored the equaliser and I netted the winner. I never expected we could beat Czechoslovakia 3-0 in the final,” said the current Sri Pahang FC team manager.

Dollah who had played in the Merdeka Cup tournament in 1986 and 1992, believes the squad currently handled by South Korean coach Kim Pan Gon has the quality to win the cup this year.

"The current squad looks more like the squad of the 70s and 80s because the players in the squad are different from the players who made up the National squad in the past,” said the 59-year-old who was once the National coach.

Meanwhile, Zainal said representing the National squad for the first time at the age of 17, and playing in the 1980 Merdeka Cup competition was the most memorable occassion.

"Because when I was in school, I will go to the stadium to watch the Merdeka Cup competition that featured legends like Datuk Soh Chin Aun and Datuk Santokh Singh. So, when I was called up to represent the country and play with them was simply an unforgetable moment.

"Throughout my participation in the Merdeka Cup competition, I have a winner’s medal, a runnerup medal and a third place medal. It was the Merdeka Cup competition that made me a better player because South Korea, Japan and Saudi Arabia were around to help us improve,” said Zainal adding that Merdeka Cup competition was like a World Cup in the Asian region.

The Merdeka Cup competition was the brainchild of Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj to commomerate the country’s independence in 1957 and is the oldest football tournament in Asia.

Malaysia, represented by the National Under-23 squad that was coached by Datuk Ong Kim Swee, won the Merdeka Cup in 2013 for the 12th time.

After a 10-year absence, the Merdeka Cup tournament is being organised from Oct 13 to 17, at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil and feature four teams - Malaysia, India, Palestine and Tajikistan. - BERNAMA