By Farah Azharie
LESS than 48 hours before their Super League opening match against Penang, the name of KL United FC was officially changed to Kuala Lumpur City FC.
Not only did the City Boys change their name, their logo was also given a "facelift", and it now bears similarity to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) crest, mainly the tiger.
However, the changes did not sit well with KL fans, with some questioning Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa's involvement in the squad, which they claim, has led to the changes. Last month, Annuar was invited to be KL City FC president.
However, KL City FC chief executive officer Stanley Bernard said the decision taken (name change) was part of an extensively planned process.
"Basically, we are a city club that have an understanding with DBKL. In previous seasons, we also had, (elements from the DBKL crest) but whether it's KL United, KLFA or what, we want to champion the city.
"He (Annuar) is a patron in an advisory role. If there are any decisions to be made, it is done through the board and with approval from across the board. Nobody makes the decisions for the club (alone).
"The club have a vision, a blueprint and a long term plan. So everything we do is for a reason."
Meanwhile, there was also a claim that the name, KL City, has been used and registered by a futsal team since 2019.
It is learnt that the futsal team, competing in the Malaysia Premier Futsal League, are an extension of KLFA and have a playing licence from the association.