But this change in name by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has not gone down well with some fans.

The official HarimauMalaya Facebook fan page and the team’s diehard fans — known as Ultras Malaya – have opted to continue using “Malaya” in their names.

In a press statement released today, the FAM said the change in name, in use since 1953, will come into effect immediately.

FAM president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said the name Harimau Malaya was no longer suitable as the word “Malaya” had not been widely used in the country since Malaysia’s formation in 1963.

“Hence, from today onwards, the national team will now be known as Harimau Malaysia.

“This nickname is more suitable to illustrate the national squad as belonging to all Malaysians, including those in Sabah and Sarawak, who all this while might have felt left out with the use of the Harimau Malaya monicker.”

Meanwhile, the official HarimauMalaya Facebook page said it would not change its name nor would the Ultras Malaya.

The administrators of the official HarimauMalaya Facebook page lamented FAM’s decision to change the name, claiming this was despite the many fans being against it.

In the comments section, some netizens complained about the change of name.

However, the move was not without its supporters. Some also said it was a non-issue as what was important was the team’s performance.

The term Harimau Malaya was originally used to refer to former national striker, the late Abdullah Mohd Don, known as Dollah Don.

The nicknamed was coined by then Indonesian President Sukarno who witnessed Dollah’s skills during a football match in 1953. Since then, the term has been used to refer to the national squad.

The Harimau Malaya nickname also originated from the subspecies of tigers found in West Malaysia, but not in Sabah and Sarawak.

In February last year, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin also called for “Harimau Malaysia” to be used to refer to the national squad.