The Old Team You Know Is Gone. Now Meet... 'Harimau Malaysia'
The rebranding campaign was part of an effort in marking a new era in Malaysian football history.
By John Lim — 03 Feb 2016, 04:18 PM
Formerly known as 'Harimau Malaya', the national football team will be renamed as 'Harimau Malaysia', as announced by Football Association Of Malaysia (FAM) yesterday on 2 February
FAM president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said the name change was necessary to move on with times
"FAM feels 'Harimau Malaya' is no longer suitable in view of the fact the word Malaya itself is not used widely in the country after the formation of Malaysia in 1963. I hope the new name better reflects that the national team belongs to all Malaysians," he said.
themalaysianinsider.com
Ultimately, he hopes that the change would inspire and spur the team to be better - especially with new coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee
“The title is also compatible to reflect the national squad which belongs to all Malaysians, including those in Sabah and Sarawak who maybe feel a little isolated by the use of the name ‘Harimau Malaya’. FAM feels that 2016 is the perfect year to begin using the new name in order to witness Harimau Malaysia’s comeback and return as an competitive team internationally,” he added.
therakyatpost.com
In order to complete the rebranding campaign, FAM has launched a contest to design and create a new logo for Harimau Malaysia
The competition is open to all members of the public and gives the opportunity for Malaysian football fans to create the team’s new image. Three selected logos will be shortlisted for Malaysian football fans to vote online and the winner will stand a chance to win a cash prize as well as a chance to be with the national football team during the upcoming 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup.
You can download the contest guidelines here.
FAM has also set up a new Facebook and Twitter page for fans to stay updated with the team!
At the time of writing, the page has over 1000 thousand likes. Follow the page here.