Culture of Malaysia
Malaysia consists of two distinct geographical regions: Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia. Malaysia was formed when the Federation of Malaya merged with North Borneo (today the province of Sabah), Sarawak, and Singapore (seceded 1965) in 1963, and cultural differences between Peninsular and East Malaysia remain. During the formation of Malaysia, executive power was vested in the Perikatan (later the Barisan Nasional) coalition of three racially based political parties, namely the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC). UMNO has dominated the coalition from its inception. Although Islam is the official state religion, the Constitution of Malaysia guarantees freedom of religion.
Malaysia national football team
The Malaysia national football team () is the national association football team of Malaysia and is controlled by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM). The national team was founded in 1963 Merdeka Tournament one month before the establishment of the Malaysian Federation. Malaysia national football team is recognised by FIFA as the successor of the defunct Malaya national football team. The Malaysian team is nicknamed "Harimau Malaya" in reference of the Malayan tiger.