London: Assem Allam will appeal against the FA’s decision to block his proposed name change at Hull City and is ready to take them to court.

The Hull owner’s running battle with fans looked to be over on Wednesday when the FA rejected his proposal for the club to be renamed Hull Tigers.

But Allam made it clear he is willing to fight on, declaring: “If it had been the other way round, if the FA had approved it but the fans had said no, I would have severed my ties with the club immediately. But the results mean I owe it to the silent majority to appeal and to fight on.”

So intent is Allam on pushing through his controversial rebrand, particularly after a slender majority of fans voted in favour of it, that he is understood to be considering taking his fight to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

His son, vice-chairman Ehab Allam, said recently: “If the fans say yes to Hull Tigers and the FA say no, then we will fight the FA legally.

“If the fans say yes, then that’s our motivation to stay at the club and try to improve on the success we have had so far. If they say no, then it’s time to hand over because it would be impossible for us to run the club if we can’t make the decisions.”

A ballot of season pass holders saw 43.6 per cent voting for replacing the name City with Tigers, and 42.8 per cent saying no. But the FA council rejected the move by a majority of almost two thirds.

The saga has rumbled on as a backdrop to Hull safeguarding their Barclays Premier League place and reaching the semi-final of the FA Cup against Sheffield United at Wembley on Sunday.

Speaking before the FA’s announcement, manager Steve Bruce said: “If I were a betting man, I would wager we haven’t heard the last of it, but we’re not allowed to bet any more.

“I understand both arguments, but without the owner we wouldn’t be preparing to play in an FA Cup semi-final. He honestly believes the name change will have a positive impact and we have to respect that.

“I understand history and tradition, but his way forward is to go down that route. If you look at his tenure — reaching the semi-final, getting promoted and looking like staying there — his decisions have been good.”

Skipper Curtis Davies said: “I’m a traditionalist in terms of the FA Cup and so are the fans in terms of the name, but I agree with the chairman. The global market is massive for football. It is not a distraction for the players.”