KUALA LUMPUR — Lebanon withdraw from Pestabola Merdeka which is scheduled from October 13 to 17 to be held at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Originally slated to join host Malaysia, Palestine, and India in the four-team tournament, the West Asian country officially communicated its decision with the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to pull out via letter.
“Having received Lebanon’s withdrawal, FAM quickly contacted a few teams to replace them and on Tuesday received a reply from the Tajikistan Football Association.
“They sent in their confirmation and the tournament will go on as scheduled.
“There will also be no changes to the draw as Malaysia will take on India and Palestine will now face Tajikistan,” said FAM secretary-general Noor Azman Rahman in a statement today.
Lebanon’s withdrawal was due to the recent revelation that they and Palestine have been assigned to the same group for the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asia Cup qualifiers, commencing in November.
The tournament commemorates Malaysia’s independence anniversary and over the years has attracted big teams from around the globe.
Malaysia have won the tournament 10 times. — August 18, 2023