Malaysian FA extends with main sponsor, adopts new name for national team

The Football Association of Malaysia has agreed a five-year extension to its partnership with telecommunications company Telekom Malaysia.

The firm, which has been the body’s main sponsor since 2011, has extended its partnership until 2020. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The announcement coincides with FAM’s decision to adopt a new name for its national side, which will henceforth be known as Harimau Malaysia and not Harimau Malaya. The new moniker literally translates as ‘Tiger of Malaysia’.

FAM president Tengku Abdullah Sultan felt the change was needed, as ‘Malaya’ is not a widely-used word in Malaysia. “To launch a new era of football in Malaysia in 2016, FAM felt the Harimau Malaya nickname is no longer appropriate,” he said. “This is because the Malay word itself is no longer applicable as a whole in the country since the formation of Malaysia in 1963.”