Myanmar will participate in the Merdaka football tournament to be held in Malaysia next week, according to the Myanmar Football Federation (MFF) Wednesday.
The 39th Merdeka football tournament, slated for August 20-29, will feature 8 teams -- 5 teams from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), two from Africa and one from South Asia.
The Myanmar national team, which will be coached by Brazilian Marcos Antonio Falopa, has been drawn in Group A together with Laos, Lesotho and host Malaysia U-23, while Group B includes Bangladesh, Indonesia U-23, Singapore and Zimbabwe, the MFF said.
Myanmar is the defending champions of the tournament, triumphing in the 38th Merdeka football tournament at the Shah Alam Stadium in Malaysia in August 2006 after beating Indonesia 2-1 in the final.
Myanmar, a former powerhouse of the Merdeka football competition, have disappeared from the tournament since 1980 and returned to the tournament's 38th edition after more than 25 years absence.
The Merdeka football tournament, sponsored and organized by the FAM and has been held in Malaysia only since 1957, is one of the oldest football competition in Southeast Asia, participated mainly by national teams from the ASEAN region.
Myanmar won the Merdeka trophy four times in 1964, 1967, 1971 and 2006.
With a glorious history in Asian soccer, Myanmar's national senior team had won five times ASEAN champions from 1965 to 1973 and claimed the Asian Games title in 1966 and 1970.
Source: Xinhua
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