PETALING JAYA: The Palestinian football team have confirmed their withdrawal from the 42nd edition of the 2023 Merdeka Tournament due to the tense sit...
: The Palestinian football team have confirmed their withdrawal from the 42nd edition of the 2023 Merdeka Tournament due to the tense situation in their country at the moment.said the Palestinian team’s withdrawal was made at the last minute after receiving confirmation from the Palestinian Football Association at about 2 am today.
“Based on the latest situation, Malaysia will still meet India on Friday at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. Based on the original schedule, Palestine were scheduled to meet Tajikistan on Friday at 4.30 pm and Malaysia taking on India later that day, with the winners meeting in the final and the losers in the third-fourth placing match.
Although FAM had never faced such a situation where a team pulled out at the last minute, FAM vice-president Mohd Firdaus Mohamed described it as a lesson for them, adding that the crisis in Palestine was inevitable.