Menjejak kasih Juara Pestabola Merdeka 1973
“Ni kot saya ni kat belakang. Memang rasa bangga dapat mewakili negara,” ujar Ibrahim Zakaria sambil menunjuk foto skuad kebangsaan Pestabola Merdeka 1973 dan menyebut satu persatu rakan sepasukan yang terbentang dalam buku #DSSJeneralPadang.
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Baru-baru ini, Legasi Lagenda turut bersama Olimpian Rahim Abdullah untuk bertemu rakan sepasukannya yang beraksi di Pestabola Merdeka 1973, Ibrahim Zakaria. Mereka sudah tidak berjumpa lebih 50 tahun.
Jelas terbayang keakraban di antara mereka, bertanyakan khabar dan berkongsi kisah masa lampau. Sungguh mesra mereka berinteraksi. Apatah lagi apabila mereka melihat foto skuad Pestabola Merdeka 1973 yang terpampang dalam buku terbitan kami, “Dato’ Shukor Salleh – Jeneral Padang”.
Kelihatan kebanggaan di raut wajah mereka apabila mengimbas kembali kejohanan berprestij Pestabola Merdeka di mana mereka muncul juara dengan menewaskan Kuwait 3–1 pada perlawanan akhir. Mereka juga masih ingat gerakan-gerakan Malaysia untuk menghasilkan gol.
Ibrahim Zakaria, yang berusia 22 tahun ketika itu, baru diserapkan ke dalam pasukan kebangsaan pada tahun 1973. Pemain Kelantan ini bermain di posisi sayap kiri sebelum menyertai Angkatan Tentera Malaysia pada tahun berikutnya.
Walaupun hanya setahun menyarung jersi Harimau Malaya, beliau telah mewakili pasukan kebangsaan di beberapa kejohanan lain seperti Kelayakan Piala Dunia 1974, Piala Presiden Park (Korea Selatan) dan Sukan SEAP 1973.
Manakala Rahim Abdullah seorang pemain senior yang mendapat tempat di sayap kanan serta telah beraksi di pentas Sukan Olimpik Munich 1972.
Menurut Rahim rakan sepasukannya itu merupakan seorang pemain yang dulunya berambut panjang dapat menewaskan lawan dengan skil yang tinggi dan lariannya yang laju. Rahim juga menjelaskan Malaysia juga mempunyai Harun Jusoh seorang lagi pemain berkaliber di posisi yang sama semasa Pestabola Merdeka 1973 yang juga seorang Olimpian.
Kami akan mengimbas kembali kejuaraan Malaysia di Pestabola Merdeka 1973 dalam paparan yang seterusnya.
A Day with 1973 Merdeka Tournament Champions
“I think that is me in the back. I was definitely proud being able to represent the country,” Ibrahim Zakaria said while pointing to a photo of the 1973 Merdeka Tournament national squad, where he could mention everyone’s names one by one, as featured in our #DSSJeneralPadang book.
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Legasi Lagenda recently accompanied Olympian Rahim Abdullah to meet up with his ex-teammate who played alongside him at the 1973 Merdeka Tournament, Ibrahim Zakaria. They hadn’t seen each other for over 50 years.
The closeness between them can be felt as they were catching up with each other and sharing stories from the past, the friendliness between them still evident. Not to mention when they looked at a photo of the 1973 Merdeka Tournament squad that is published in our book, “Dato Shukor Salleh – Jeneral Padang”.
They showed pride in their faces as they looked back on the prestigious tournament, where they emerged as champions by defeating Kuwait 3–1 in that edition’s final. They could also still remember Malaysia’s plays and how they produced goals.
22 years at the time, Ibrahim Zakaria was recently selected to join the national team in 1973. The Kelantan player played left wing before he joined the Malaysian Armed Forces the following year.
Despite donning the Harimau Malaya jersey for only a year, he had the chance to represent the national team in several other tournaments including the 1974 World Cup Qualifiers, President Park’s Cup (South Korea) and the 1973 SEAP Games.
Meanwhile, Rahim Abdullah was already a senior player who stayed on the right wing and had played at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.
According to Rahim, his teammate used to have long hair and could beat his opponents with his high level of skills and quick feet. At the 1973 Merdeka Tournament, Rahim also mentioned that Malaysia had Harun Jusoh, another player of great calibre in the same position. He was also an Olympian.
Stay tuned as we revisit Malaysia winning the 1973 Merdeka Tournament in our next post.
