Bagan Dalam assemblyman Satees Muniandy filed an application to rename the road in January. The state infrastructure committee approved it this week.

The road, now known as Jalan Jiran, will be named Jalan M Kuppan to commemorate his services to the state.

“This is the first time a road in Penang will be named after a football legend,” said Satees in a statement.

“This road was chosen as Kuppan used to train and coach at St Mark’s school field – which is adjacent to the road – when he was a player and coach,” he said, adding that Jalan M Kuppan will be inaugurated in July.

The Penang native was the captain of the state team in the 1960s and later became a striker for the national football team.

Best remembered as one of Malaysia’s most successful football coaches, he died last December at the age of 84.

He represented the country for eight years, up to 1965, and played 10 seasons for Penang, retiring in 1967 due to an injury.

Kuppan coached the national team from 1972 to 1978, winning the Merdeka tournament once and the Thai King’s Cup twice.

He also coached the Penang football team from 1972 to 1974, leading them to their last Malaysia Cup title in 1974.