Football
India to participate in Merdeka Cup: Shaji Prabhakaran
The AIFF General Secretary re-assured Indian football fans about the national team's participation in the Merdeka Cup.
Shaji Prabhakaran was removed as the secretary generation of AIFF in November 7, 2023.
All India Football Federation General Secretary Shaji Prabhakaran took to twitter to confirm India's participation in the prestigious Merdeka Cup when it's staged. In the past, there have been reservations about whether the national team would be invited, but Prabhakaran's tweet seems to have laid them to rest.
A couple of days back, the revival of the Merdeka Cup was announced by the Malaysian FA. However, the potential invited teams included Vietnam, Thailand, Syria, and/or Palestine.
In a tweet dating back to 22nd October, 2022, AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey had let known his suggestion to the Malaysia FA President Dato Haji Hamidin bin Haji Mohd. Amin to restart the Cup, and have India as a participant.
With the early scare, many Indian football fans expressed their disappointment with the current board. Quite recently, Indian football was dealt another a blow after West Asian Football Federation didn't invite the national team to participate in its championship, after an initial consideration.
In the tournament's history, starting from 1957, India has finished runners-up on two occassions, in 1959 and in 1964. The 2023 edition is rumoured to take place sometime in September this year, with the Cup getting staged after a decade.
