India-Malaysia to play football friendly on Nov 18 in Hyderabad

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) had last month announced that the match would be played on November 19 but did not specify the venue.

New Delhi: Winless in three matches after chief coach Manolo Marquez took charge as head coach, the Indian men’s football team will play Malaysia in an international friendly in Hyderabad on November 18, the national federation said on Wednesday, October 30.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) had last month announced that the match would be played on November 19 but did not specify the venue.

On Wednesday, it advanced the match by a day and also announced the venue.

“The FIFA Friendly match between India and Malaysia will be played on November 18, 2024, at Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad, Telangana,” the AIFF said.

November 11-19 is the last FIFA international match window of this year. In international matches scheduled during a FIFA window, clubs are mandated to release players for national duty.

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The Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad also hosted the three-team Intercontinental Cup tournament last month. India had played out a goalless draw with Mauritius on September 3 before losing 0-3 to Syria, the eventual champions, on September 9 in that tournament.

India then traveled to Vietnam to play an international friendly against the hosts on October 12. The match ended 1-1.

The November 18 match will be Marquez’s fourth match in charge of the national team and he would be looking for a win against a lower-ranked team, though it will not be an easy one. Malaysia is ranked 133rd in the FIFA chart while India are at 125th.

The last time the two teams met was in October 2023 in the Merdeka Cup semifinal. India had lost 2-4.