LONDON: Hull City’s owner has indicated he will appeal against the Football Association’s decision to reject the club’s proposed name change to Hull Tigers.

The FA Council’s decision – carried by a 63.5pc vote of its members – followed the recommendation of the governing body’s membership committee. Fans’ group City Till We Die said it was “delighted” with the decision.

Egypt-born owner Assem Allam, 74, who took charge of the club in in December 2010, has threatened to sell if he is not allowed to change the 110-year-old name. He believes a ‘Tigers’ brand would be more marketable, and says he considers the word City to be “lousy” and “common”.

The club had applied to the FA last December to change its playing name to Hull Tigers from next season. On Monday, a minority of City season card holders had voted narrowly in favour of the name-change plan.

‘Historic name’

But responding to the FA Council decision, City Till We Die said: “We are very pleased that the FA has recognised the importance of the historic name of Hull City AFC to the fans and the wider community of Hull. This is truly a victory for the fans.”

Allam, who moved to Hull in 1968, is credited with rescuing the club from administration, with his son Ehab, City’s vice-chairman, saying this month that his family had put £74m into the club.

Last season, Allam oversaw promotion to the top flight for only the second time in the club’s history. They are currently 12th in the Premier League and will reach their first ever FA Cup final if they beat League One side Sheffield United on Sunday – their first semi-final since 1930.

The team’s ‘Tigers’ nickname is thought to have been coined by a Hull Daily Mail reporter in 1905, in reference to the club’s black and amber kit.

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