Hull City told they can reapply for Tigers name change

Some Hull City supporters campaigned against the proposal to change the club's name to Hull Tigers

Hull City have been told they can make a fresh bid to change their name to Hull Tigers next season.

They tried to make a change in April 2014 but were blocked by the Football Association Council.

Now, after Hull claimed the process was flawed, an independent panel has ruled the decision "cannot stand" and told the club they can try again.

In its judgment, the panel found that the original ruling had placed too much weight on objections from supporters.

Hull owner Assem Allam had said he would not continue to invest in the Premier League club if the change was rejected.

The 75-year-old businessman, who took over City in 2010, believes switching to Hull Tigers will help the club's "global" appeal.

Hull owner Assem Allam moved to East Yorkshire from Egypt in 1968

Following the panel's ruling, Hull, who are 15th in the table, issued a statement, claiming victory after proving that "the process adopted by the FA was unfair and biased".

It added: "The ball is now in the FA's possession, with the club seeking clarification on how the FA will proceed in a fair and unbiased manner."

The tribunal was especially critical of Football Supporters' Federation chairman Malcolm Clarke, a member of the FA Council.

It accused Clarke of "bias" and using his influence to effectively - and wrongly - delegate the council's decision to fans.

"Rather than take account of all the matters that were relevant to the decision, he decided in advance to base his decision on one, namely the support of the club's supporters," read a statement.

Former captain Ian Ashbee said the club needed to "concentrate" on survival rather than a change of name.

The ex-midfielder, who played in all four divisions with Hull, said he wanted the name to remain the same but told BBC 5live: "I wouldn't be surprised if it's changed now."