1957 Merdeka Tournament

1957 Merdeka Tournament
Tournament details
Host country	Federation of Malaya
Dates	31 August – 7 September
Venue(s)	1 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions	Hong Kong (1st title)
Runners-up	Indonesia
Third place	South Vietnam
Tournament statistics
Matches played	6
Goals scored	28 (4.67 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.

31 August

Hong Kong League XI	6–2	Cambodia
Law Kwok Tai 28' 32' [zh] 35' (pen.) Kwok Yau 64' Mok Chun Wah 64' Ho Ying Fan 69'		22' 71'

Merdeka Stadium

31 August

South Vietnam	5–5 (a.e.t.)	Singapore
5', 8', 31', 92' 29'		Peter Corthine 13', 17' 57', 61' 95'

Merdeka Stadium

31 August

Indonesia	4–0	Thailand
5', 12', 33', 68'

Merdeka Stadium

1 September

Malaya	5–2	Burma
19' Abdul Ghani Minhat 23' 25' 37' 47'		33' 42'

Merdeka Stadium

First Round Replay

1 September

South Vietnam	2–1	Singapore
48' 51'		Peter Corthine 85'

Merdeka Stadium

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	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Hong Kong League XI	5	3	2	1	0	8	5	+3
Indonesia	4	3	2	0	1	8	5	+3
South Vietnam	2	3	1	0	2	6	7	−1
Malaya	1	3	0	1	2	6	11	−5

2 September

Hong Kong League XI	2–1	Indonesia
Law Kwok Tai 42' 53'		Aang Witarsa 20'

Merdeka Stadium

Attendance: 15.000

3 September

Malaya	1–4	South Vietnam
Abdul Ghani Minhat 12'		2', 55' 54', 62'

Merdeka Stadium

4 September

Malaya	3–3	Hong Kong League XI
Abdul Ghani Minhat 26', 33' 79' (pen.)		Law Kwok Tai 10', 23' 30'

Merdeka Stadium

5 September

Indonesia	3–1	South Vietnam
10' 17' 50'		78'

Merdeka Stadium

7 September

Malaya	2–4	Indonesia
Abdul Ghani Minhat 18', 40'		Jasrin Jusron 32', 70' 55', 63'

Merdeka Stadium

7 September

Hong Kong League XI	3–1	South Vietnam
[zh] 16' ^{[nb 2]} 37' Law Kwok Tai 58'	^[3]	own goal 85'

Merdeka Stadium

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	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Singapore	5	3	2	1	0	10	3	+7
Burma	4	3	2	0	1	9	5	+4
Thailand	2	3	1	0	2	5	11	−6
Cambodia	1	3	0	1	2	1	6	−5

1 September

Thailand	3–0	Cambodia
Sophon 13' Prasun 47', 57'

Merdeka Stadium

3 September

Singapore	6–0	Thailand
Peter Corthine 12', 60' 61', 68' 65' 70'

Merdeka Stadium

3 September

Burma	2–0	Cambodia
Maung Maung 65' 75'

Merdeka Stadium

5 September

Singapore	1–1	Cambodia
Corthine 61'		66'

Merdeka Stadium

5 September

Burma	5–2	Thailand
27' 32' Tun Kyi 40', 72' own goal 49'		10', 50'

Merdeka Stadium

7 September

Singapore	3–2	Burma
Peter Corthine 9' 22' Ibrahim Hassan 34'		Suk Bahadur 42', 66'

Merdeka Stadium

Goalscorers[]

7 goals

Peter Corthine

6 goals

Abdul Ghani Minhat

5 goals

Law Kwok Tai

Notes[]

^ 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]
^ 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[]

^ 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 Book preview.
^ 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.
^ 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.

[3] 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]

[5] AFP credited to Szeto Man, while Wah Kiu Yat Po credited to Ho Ying Fun

[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 Book 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.

[4] 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.

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