MALAYSIA have been handed a tricky draw in December’s Asean Football Championship, now known as the AFF Suzuki Cup.

In the draw conducted in Jakarta today, Malaysia were drawn with three-time winners and fierce arch-rivals Thailand and Vietnam in Group B which will be based in Bangkok.

Group A which will take place in Jakarta and it comprises defending champions Singapore, Indonesia and Myanmar. The top two teams in the qualifiers in October will complete the two groups.

The qualifying round will see five teams, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and East Timor competing in a round robin in Cambodia on October 17-25.

The biennial tournament to be co-hosted by Thailand and Indonesia will be held on December 5-12.

The final two legs will be held on December 24 and 28 respectively.

Singapore will take on co-hosts Indonesia, Myanmar and one of the qualifiers in Group A as they hope to extend their fantastic unbeaten run of 15 games in the tournament.

FA of Thailand president Worawi Makudi said: "I would like to first of all thank our new sponsor, Suzuki for coming forward to support us. On the draw, and at this stage, we have to respect every team that is here today. The six teams in the main draw are all close. While we concentrate on the competition, we should also look at the other aspects of this tournament, the unity and solidarity between the countries."

FA of Malaysia (FAM) general secretary, Lt Jen (R) Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad said: "We would like to express our appreciation to AFF for this event. This event is a family matter, it is between brothers and sisters.

“It is a formality when we prepare for this tournament. We are proud to be drawn together with Thailand. Last time around we were third, this time we aspire to do better. Our national team will be going to Slovakia and later play in the Merdeka Tournament as part of their preparations. Also the league is over, so all the players are available."

Duong Vu Lam, VFF vice-president: "We have been participating since 1996 and have only managed second place at best. This year, we feel that all teams are about the same but to be sure we are ready we will begin our preparations early too. Our league ends in September and we will then concentrate on this tournament."

While Malaysia relies on local expert B. Sathianathan, Thailand have splashed out to hire former Sunderland boss Peter Reid as their new coach.

The group games in the AFF Suzuki Cup will be played from December 5-10, the semi-finals from December 16 to 21 with the two-legged final on December 24 and 28.

The AFF Suzuki Cup, formerly known as the Tiger Cup, has been the biggest and most prestigious football competition in the Asean region since its inauguration in 1996.

Organisers have confirmed that prize money of USD100,000 will be on offer for the AFF Suzuki Cup, the draw for which will be made in Jakarta on August 27.