The 1993 legends return for a Merdeka rematch

Three members of the Kedah FA side that won the 1993 Malaysia Cup are back in Malaysia for the first time in more than three decades, reunited to replay the final that made them.

Peter Nieketien, Olubunmi Adigun and Tibor Szaban landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Tuesday morning before travelling on to Alor Setar for the Langkawi Merdeka Cup Nostalgia 1993.

A reunion three decades in the making

“I am very happy to be back in Malaysia, and very happy to meet my friends from Kedah again and to play against Singapore once more,” Szaban said.

Nieketien called the fixture a great honour, and the reunion of the players who made that history the most meaningful moment of his footballing career.

“It is wonderful. We are older now, of course,” he said. “But one thing is certain — coming back together to relive what we did as young men is a real joy.”

For Adigun, the invitation is proof that what the side gave Kedah FA is still remembered, and a chance to defend the club’s honour once more.

“Those memories will stay with us for life,” he said. “That was when we swept every trophy in Malaysia.”

Langkawi, 29 August

All three accept that the football will not carry the intensity of 1993. What stays on the line, they say, is the friendship and the pride in Kedah FA — in a reunion that brings the former Singapore players back too.

The Langkawi Merdeka Cup Nostalgia 1993 is scheduled for Stadium LADA, Langkawi, on 29 August, part of the 2026 National Day celebrations. The original final ended 2-0 to the Jelapang Padi squad.