1957 Merdeka Tournament

1957 Merdeka Tournament
Tournament details
Host countryFederation of Malaya
Dates31 August – 7 September
Venue(s)1 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
ChampionsHong Kong Hong Kong (1st title)
Runners-up Indonesia
Third place South Vietnam
Tournament statistics
Matches played17
Goals scored85 (5 per match)
1958 →

The first edition of the Merdeka Tournament was held in August and September 1957 in Malaya (now Malaysia). It was won by Hong Kong League XI.[nb 1] Singapore won a consolation tournament for teams that did not qualify for the final round.

First round

A series of knockout ties was held to determine which teams would compete in the second round. The match between South Vietnam and Singapore required a replay as the score was level at the end of the first match.

Hong Kong League XI Hong Kong6–2 Cambodia
Law Kwok Tai 28'
Chow Man Chi 32'
Lau Yee [zh] 35' (pen.)
Kwok Yau 64'
Mok Chun Wah 64'
Ho Ying Fan 69'		 Nguon Ban 22'
Cham Rong 71'
South Vietnam 5–5 (a.e.t.) Singapore
Lê Hữu Đức 5', 8', 31', 92'
Lê Văn Hồ 29'		 Peter Corthine 13', 17'
Hatch 57', 61'
Arthur Koh 95'
Indonesia 4–0 Thailand
Omo S. 5', 12', 33', 68'
Malaya 5–2 Burma
Kong Leong 19'
Abdul Ghani Minhat 23'
Govindarajoo 25'
Wai Hong 37'
Rahim Omar 47'		 Yaui Do 33'
Vernon Styles 42'

First Round Replay

South Vietnam 2–1 Singapore
Nguyễn Văn Tư 48'
Trần Văn Đôn 51'		 Peter Corthine 85'

Second round

The winning teams from the first round played a series of matches against one another. The team finishing top of the group was the tournament winner.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Result
Hong Kong Hong Kong League XI 3 2 1 0 8 5 +3 5 Champions
 Indonesia 3 2 0 1 8 5 +3 4
 South Vietnam 3 1 0 2 6 7 −1 2
 Malaya 3 0 1 2 6 11 −5 1
Hong Kong League XI Hong Kong2–1 Indonesia
Law Kwok Tai 42'
Szeto Man 53'		 Aang Witarsa 20'
Attendance: 15.000
Malaya 1–4 South Vietnam
Abdul Ghani Minhat 12' Kane 2', 55'
Lê Hữu Đức 54', 62'
Malaya 3–3Hong Kong Hong Kong League XI
Abdul Ghani Minhat 26', 33'
Cheok Foo 79' (pen.)		 Law Kwok Tai 10', 23'
Szeto Man 30'
Indonesia 3–1 South Vietnam
Tee San Liong 10'
Omo Suratmo 17'
Saari 50'		 Trần Văn Đôn 78'
Malaya 2–4 Indonesia
Abdul Ghani Minhat 18', 40' Jasrin Jusron 32', 70'
Saari 55', 63'
Hong Kong League XI Hong Kong3–1 South Vietnam
Lau Yee [zh] 16'
Szeto Man [nb 2] 37'
Law Kwok Tai 58'		 [3] 85' (o.g.)

Consolation Tournament

The losing teams from the first round played a series of matches against one another as a consolation tournament. The team finishing top of the group was the winner of this tournament.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Singapore 3 2 1 0 10 3 +7 5
Myanmar Burma 3 2 0 1 9 5 +4 4
 Thailand 3 1 0 2 5 11 −6 2
 Cambodia 3 0 1 2 1 6 −5 1
Thailand 3–0 Cambodia
Sophon 13'
Prasun 47', 57'
Singapore 6–0 Thailand
Peter Corthine 12', 60'
Arthur Koh 61', 68'
Ibrahim Mansoor 65'
Hatch 70'
Burma Myanmar2–0 Cambodia
Maung Maung 65'
Pe-khin 75'
Singapore 1–1 Cambodia
Corthine 61' Tuy 66'
Burma Myanmar5–2 Thailand
Samuel Gordon 27'
Vernon Styles 32'
Tun Kyi 40', 72'
own goal 49'		 Santan 10', 50'
Singapore 3–2Myanmar Burma
Peter Corthine 9'
Hatch 22'
Ibrahim Hassan 34'		 Suk Bahadur 42', 66'

Goalscorers

Notes

  1. ^ Most of the members of Hong Kong team, except Mok Chun Wa, were actually from Eastern Sports Club, which the football club was playing friendly matches in the Asia-Pacific. Most of the players of the teams (9 out of 14) such as Mok, Ho Ying Fun, Law Kwok Tai, were in fact ineligible to Hong Kong, as they were the representatives of Republic of China (Taiwan) in official competition, despite all either born or based in Hong Kong.[1] HKFA invited Eastern and other players to form a scratch team for the competition.[2]
  2. ^ AFP credited to Szeto Man, while Wah Kiu Yat Po credited to Ho Ying Fun

1. One source (P.S.S.I, "Kenang-Kenangan P.S.S.I. 50th 19 April 1930 – 19 April 1980", 1980.) report this match as a 4–2 victory to Malaya.

References

  1. ^ Lee, John C.W. (2015). 足球王國：戰後初期的香港足球 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong: Joint Publishing. p. 72. ISBN 9789620437823. Retrieved 18 December 2017 – via Google Books preview.
  2. ^ 足總首次執委會議 渣甸東華均獲陞甲組 足聯抗議另開會研討 參加馬來亞獨立賽擬請東方代表. Wah Kiu Yat Po (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 14 August 1957. p. 8.
  3. ^ 默迪卡國際足球賽結束 聯合邦元首嚴端 以總理杯贈港球隊. Wah Kiu Yat Po (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Agence France-Presse. 9 September 1957. p. 8.