1957 Merdeka Tournament
{{Infobox international football competition
| tourney_name =
| year = 1957
| othertitles =
| image =
| size = 230px
| caption =
| country = Federation of Malaya
| dates = 31 August – 7 September
| finalists = 4
| venues = 1
| cities = 1
| champion =
| champion-flagvar =
| champion_other = {{flagicon|Hong Kong|1910}} Hong Kong
| count = 1
| second = Indonesia
| third = South Vietnam
| matches = 17
| goals = 85
| attendance =
| top_scorer =
| player =
| updated =
| prevseason =
| nextseason = 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.{{#tag:ref|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.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ATWrCgAAQBAJ|script-title=zh:足球王國：戰後初期的香港足球|last=Lee|first=John C.W.|language=zh-hk|publisher=Joint Publishing|location=Hong Kong|date=2015|access-date=18 December 2017|isbn=9789620437823|page=72|via=Google Books preview|url-access=limited}} HKFA invited Eastern and other players to form a scratch team for the competition.{{cite news|script-title=zh: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|newspaper=Wah Kiu Yat Po|date=14 August 1957|page=8|language=zh-hk}}|group="nb"}} 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.
{{football box
|date=31 August 1957
|team1=Hong Kong League XI {{flagicon|Hong Kong|1910}}
|score= 6–2
|report=
|team2={{fb|CAM}}
|goals1= Law Kwok Tai {{goal|28}}
Chow Man Chi {{goal|32}}
{{ill|Lau Yee|zh|劉儀}} {{goal|35|pen.}}
Kwok Yau {{goal|64}}
Mok Chun Wah {{goal|64}}
Ho Ying Fan {{goal|69}}
|goals2= Nguon Ban {{goal|22}}
Cham Rong {{goal|71}}
|stadium= Merdeka Stadium
|attendance=
|referee=
}}
{{football box
|date=31 August 1957
|team1={{fb-rt|South Vietnam}}
|score= 5–5
|aet=yes
|report=
|team2={{fb|SIN|1946}}
|goals1= Lê Hữu Đức {{goal|5||8||31||92}}
Lê Văn Hồ {{goal|29}}
|goals2= Peter Corthine {{goal|13||17}}
Hatch {{goal|57||61}}
Arthur Koh {{goal|95}}
|stadium= Merdeka Stadium
|attendance=
|referee=
}}
{{football box
|date=31 August 1957
|team1={{fb-rt|INA}}
|score= 4–0
|report=
|team2={{fb|THA}}
|goals1= Omo S. {{goal|5||12||33||68}}
|goals2=
|stadium= Merdeka Stadium
|attendance=
|referee=
}}
{{football box
|date=1 September 1957
|team1={{fb-rt|Malaya}}
|score= 5–2
|report=
|team2={{fb|Burma|1948}}
|goals1= Kong Leong {{goal|19}}
Abdul Ghani Minhat {{goal|23}}
Govindarajoo {{goal|25}}
Wai Hong {{goal|37}}
Rahim Omar {{goal|47}}
|goals2= Yaui Do {{goal|33}}
Vernon Styles {{goal|42}}
|stadium= Merdeka Stadium
|attendance=
|referee=
}}
First Round Replay
{{football box
|date=1 September 1957
|team1={{fb-rt|South Vietnam}}
|score= 2–1
|report=
|team2={{fb|SIN|1946}}
|goals1= Nguyễn Văn Tư {{goal|48}}
Trần Văn Đôn {{goal|51}}
|goals2= Peter Corthine {{goal|85}}
|stadium= Merdeka Stadium
|attendance=
|referee=
}}
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.
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | |||||||
| width=175 |Team
!width=20 abbr="Played" |Pld !width=20 abbr="Won" |W !width=20 abbr="Drawn" |D !width=20 abbr="Lost" |L !width=20 abbr="Goals for" |GF !width=20 abbr="Goals against" |GA !width=20 abbr="Goal difference" |GD !Pts !Result | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor=#ccffcc
|align="left"| {{flagicon|Hong Kong|1910}} Hong Kong League XI | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 5 | +3
|5 |Champions |
| align="left"|{{fb|INA}} | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3
|4 | |
| align="left"|{{fb|South Vietnam}} | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | −1
|2 | |
| align="left"|{{fb|Malaya}} | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 11 | −5
|1 | |
{{football box
|date=2 September 1957
|team1=Hong Kong League XI {{flagicon|Hong Kong|1910}}
|score= 2–1
|report=
|team2={{fb|INA}}
|goals1= Law Kwok Tai {{goal|42}}
Szeto Man {{goal|53}}
|goals2= Aang Witarsa {{goal|20}}
|stadium= Merdeka Stadium
|attendance= 15.000
|referee=
}}
{{football box
|date=3 September 1957
|team1={{fb-rt|Malaya}}
|score= 1–4
|report=
|team2={{fb|South Vietnam}}
|goals1= Abdul Ghani Minhat {{goal|12}}
|goals2= Kane {{goal|2||55}}
Lê Hữu Đức {{goal|54||62}}
|stadium= Merdeka Stadium
|attendance=
|referee=
}}
{{football box
|date=4 September 1957
|team1={{fb-rt|Malaya}}
|score= 3–3
|report=
|team2={{flagicon|Hong Kong|1910}} Hong Kong League XI
|goals1= Abdul Ghani Minhat {{goal|26||33}}
Cheok Foo {{goal|79|pen.}}
|goals2= Law Kwok Tai {{goal|10||23}}
Szeto Man {{goal|30}}
|stadium= Merdeka Stadium
|attendance=
|referee=
}}
{{football box
|date=5 September 1957
|team1={{fb-rt|INA}}
|score= 3–1
|report=
|team2={{fb|South Vietnam}}
|goals1= Tee San Liong {{goal|10}}
Omo Suratmo {{goal|17}}
Saari {{goal|50}}
|goals2= Trần Văn Đôn {{goal|78}}
|stadium= Merdeka Stadium
|attendance=
|referee=
}}
{{football box
|date=7 September 1957
|team1={{fb-rt|Malaya}}
|score= 2–4
|report=
|team2={{fb|INA}}
|goals1= Abdul Ghani Minhat {{goal|18||40}}
|goals2= Jasrin Jusron {{goal|32||70}}
Saari {{goal|55||63}}
|stadium= Merdeka Stadium
|attendance=
|referee=
}}
{{football box
|date=7 September 1957
|team1=Hong Kong League XI {{flagicon|Hong Kong|1910}}
|score= 3–1
|report= {{cite news |script-title=zh: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 |date=9 September 1957 |newspaper=Wah Kiu Yat Po |page=8 |agency=Agence France-Presse |language=zh-hk}}
|team2={{fb|South Vietnam}}
|goals1= {{ill|Lau Yee|zh|劉儀}} {{goal|16}}
Szeto Man {{#tag:ref|AFP credited to Szeto Man, while Wah Kiu Yat Po credited to Ho Ying Fun|group="nb"}} {{goal|37}}
Law Kwok Tai {{goal|58}}
|goals2= {{goal|85|o.g.}}
|stadium= Merdeka Stadium
|attendance=
|referee=
}}
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.
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | |||||||
| width=175 |Team
!width=20 abbr="Played" |Pld !width=20 abbr="Won" |W !width=20 abbr="Drawn" |D !width=20 abbr="Lost" |L !width=20 abbr="Goals for" |GF !width=20 abbr="Goals against" |GA !width=20 abbr="Goal difference" |GD !Pts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor=#ccffcc
|align="left"|{{fb|SIN}} | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7
|5 |
| align="left"|{{flagicon|Burma|1948}} Burma | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4
|4 |
| align="left"|{{fb|THA}} | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 11 | −6
|2 |
| align="left"|{{fb|CAM}} | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5
|1 |
{{football box
|date=1 September 1957
|team1={{fb-rt|THA}}
|score= 3–0
|report=
|team2={{fb|CAM}}
|goals1= Sophon {{goal|13}}
Prasun {{goal|47||57}}
|goals2=
|stadium= Merdeka Stadium
|attendance=
|referee=
}}
{{football box
|date=3 September 1957
|team1=Singapore {{flagicon image|Flag of Singapore (1946-1959).svg}}
|score= 6–0
|report=
|team2={{fb|THA}}
|goals1= Peter Corthine {{goal|12||60}}
Arthur Koh {{goal|61||68}}
Ibrahim Mansoor {{goal|65}}
Hatch {{goal|70}}
|goals2=
|stadium= Merdeka Stadium
|attendance=
|referee=
}}
{{football box
|date=3 September 1957
|team1=Burma {{flagicon|Burma|1948}}
|score= 2–0
|report=
|team2={{fb|CAM}}
|goals1= Maung Maung {{goal|65}}
Pe-khin {{goal|75}}
|goals2=
|stadium= Merdeka Stadium
|attendance=
|referee=
}}
{{football box
|date=5 September 1957
|team1=Singapore {{flagicon image|Flag of Singapore (1946-1959).svg}}
|score= 1–1
|report=
|team2={{fb|CAM}}
|goals1= Corthine {{goal|61}}
|goals2= Tuy {{goal|66}}
|stadium= Merdeka Stadium
|attendance=
|referee=
}}
{{football box
|date=5 September 1957
|team1=Burma {{flagicon|Burma|1948}}
|score= 5–2
|report=
|team2={{fb|THA}}
|goals1= Samuel Gordon {{goal|27}}
Vernon Styles {{goal|32}}
Tun Kyi {{goal|40||72}}
own goal {{goal|49}}
|goals2= Santan {{goal|10||50}}
|stadium= Merdeka Stadium
|attendance=
|referee=
}}
{{football box
|date=7 September 1957
|team1=Singapore {{flagicon image|Flag of Singapore (1946-1959).svg}}
|score= 3–2
|report=
|team2={{flagicon|Burma|1948}} Burma
|goals1= Peter Corthine {{goal|9}}
Hatch {{goal|22}}
Ibrahim Hassan {{goal|34}}
|goals2= Suk Bahadur {{goal|42||66}}
|stadium= Merdeka Stadium
|attendance=
|referee=
}}
Goalscorers
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
;7 goals
- {{flagicon image|Flag of Singapore (1946-1959).svg}} Peter Corthine
;6 goals
- {{flagicon|Malaysia}} Abdul Ghani Minhat
- {{flagicon|South Vietnam}} Lê Hữu Đức
;5 goals
- {{flagicon|IDN}} Omo Suratmo
- {{flagicon|HKG|1910}} Law Kwok Tai
{{col-end}}
Notes
{{reflist|group=nb}}
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.