KUALA LUMPUR: Tajikistan, the defending champions of the 2023 Merdeka Tournament, will return to defend their title at the 43rd edition scheduled to take place from Sept 2-10. In addition to Malaysia hosting the event and the 102nd-ranked Tajikistan team, Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman announced that two more teams, Lebanon (117th) and the Philippines (147th), will add colour to the competition to be held at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium here. He said that the draw for all four teams will be on a later date to determine their opponents for the semi-finals, followed by the final and the third-place playoff. 'This marks the first time the Merdeka Tournament has been successfully organised consecutively in 16 years, since its last consecutive editions in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Previously, it was held in 2013 and resumed after a 10-year hiatus last year. 'FAM hopes that Harimau Malaya supporters can once again enliven the 2024 Merdeka Tournament by attending the matches at the National Stadium, especially as the 43rd edition coincides with the National Month, following National Day on Aug 31 and leading up to Malaysia Day on Sept 16,' he said in a statement today. In the previous edition held at the same venue, the Harimau Malaya defeated India 4-2 in the semi-finals but had to settle for the runners-up title after a 0-2 loss to Tajikistan in the final. Source: BERNAMA News Agency