PETALING JAYA: The Asean Football Federation (AFF) Cup, now known as the AFF Mitsubishi Cup, will return to Malaysian shores after four years with the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) confirming the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil as the official home venue for the tournament starting on Dec 20.
The announcement has put to rest earlier rumours that the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, and Sultan Mizan Stadium in Gong Badak, Terengganu, could be the home ground for the Harimau Malaya.
FAM secretary-general Noor Azman Rahman is relieved that they have confirmed the official venue and has urged the fans to throng the stadium when the tournament kicks off.
“The FAM would like to thank Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu for allowing the National Stadium to be used as the home of Harimau Malaya during the AFF Mitsubishi Cup,” he said.
“To the fans, we hope that the exciting atmosphere you all created during the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers in June will be created again during the AFF matches.”
Before the competition, Malaysia will also play two friendly matches against Cambodia (Dec 9) at the National Stadium and Maldives (Dec 14) at the Cheras Football Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
Although there are concerns over the field conditions at the National Stadium, where cow grass is used which will degrade when it rains, Noor Azman said the Malaysia Stadium Board has assured that the pitch will be good during the competition.
“We’re aware of the state of the pitch but will take steps with the stadium board to ensure that the pitch quality will be satisfactory during the games.”
The last time Malaysia hosted the AFF Cup was in 2018 when the side led by Tan Cheng Hoe took on Vietnam in the first-leg final at the National Stadium which ended 2-2.
In the return leg, Malaysia lost to Vietnam 1-0 in Hanoi to finish runners-up.
Malaysia last won the tournament in 2010, when they beat Indonesia 4-2 on aggregate.
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