Malaysia national football team or better known as the Harimau Malaya came forward to introduce the latest 2022-2024 edition jersey from Nike with the theme of ‘Demi Lencana Di Dada’ which is the fighting spirit of playing for the country above all else.
The main jersey or ‘home’ jersey of this edition continues to use yellow as the dominant color with only the round collar being black while the second jersey or ‘away’ jersey also continues to be black as the dominant colour.
The launch ceremony of the two jerseys took place at Football Republic Sunway Pyramid, Selangor, today and was officiated by the President of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), Datuk Haji Hamidin Haji Mohd Amin.
Also present were Nike Southeast Asia and India Marketing Director, Chris Madsen; Sports Marketing Specialist Nike Thailand & Malaysia, Jirawat Assavachompoonuch and a line of FAM Executive Committee Members.
The introduction video of the new Harimau Malaya jersey was also broadcast simultaneously on all FAM’s official social media platforms namely Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
It featured seven players from the Harimau Malaya squad consisting of goalkeepers – Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed, V. Ruventhiran, Nazmi Faiz Mansor, Safawi Rasid, Ahmad Khuzaimi Piee, Brendan Gan and Akhyar Rashid.
According to Datuk Haji Hamidin, the design of the ‘home’ jersey this time will indeed be judged by national football fans as too simple, but it actually carries its own meaning.
“If our previous ‘home’ jersey had a collar and had a bit of black on the arms and sides, this time the ‘home’ jersey looks more unique when the entire jersey is yellow and only the round collar is black.
“This is actually the narrative that is trying to be conveyed, which is that all the focus on the ‘home’ jersey this time is not on the pattern or design but on the exclusive nature of the FAM logo itself to bring the message of them (players) playing ‘For the Badge on the Chest’.
“As for the ‘away’ jersey, just like the 2020-2022 edition when black as the dominant color was first introduced, it is maintained as the color of the ‘away’ jersey this time because we want the traditional colors of black and yellow to always be present even on the second jersey.
“Hopefully with this new jersey, it will give new spirit to the Harimau Malaya players when they play on the stage of the 2022 Mitsubishi Electric AFF Cup this December, then at the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar and also other international matches, including for the team – other national teams, namely women’s, youth, futsal and beach soccer teams.
“Thank you to Nike for remaining loyal to FAM and Harimau Malaya throughout this period of more than 15 years (since 2007) which of course this 2022-2024 edition jersey will be of high value because it will be ‘in action’ on the stage of the 2023 Asian Cup,” said Datuk Haji Hamidin.
The new jersey for the 2022-2024 edition will be used when the Harimau Malaya squad led by Kim Pan Gon plays in two Tier 1 International Matches against Cambodia and the Maldives on 9 and 14 December 2022, then at the Mitsubishi Electric AFF Cup 2022 from 20 December 2022 to January 16, 2023.
Meanwhile, Nike Southeast Asia and India Marketing Director, Chris Madsen said: “Nike is very pleased to be able to continue with FAM and Harimau Malaya which is the ninth edition of Nike’s jersey with the Malaysian national team starting in 2007.
“If you look back, the first Nike jersey for the Malaysian national team was used during the 2007 Asian Cup and for this ninth edition jersey, of course it will once again be something special because it will be worn by the Harimau Malaya squad at the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar.
“For this 2022-2024 edition jersey, we maintain the use of the two symbolic colors of Harimau Malaya which are black and yellow on both the ‘home’ and ‘away’ jerseys because this black and yellow is not the usual black and yellow. It is the color of the soul for warriors – Malayan Tiger hero.”
The new Harimau Malaya jersey will be available from today, 17 November 2022 exclusively at Football Republic Sunway Pyramid and online at www.nike.com/my and the Nike App.
It is followed by a comprehensive sale at selected Al-Ikhsan Sports and Football Republic outlets nationwide as well as at www.al-ikhsan.com starting next week, which is Thursday, November 24, 2022.
The 2022-2024 edition ‘home’ and ‘away’ jerseys are each sold at a price of RM299 per piece.
Credit Photo : FAM