A star player for Malaysia’s national football team was left in a “critical but stable condition” with fourth-degree burns following an acid attack.
Authorities said Faisal Halim would need surgery, adding that his movement and speech had been affected.
Theirs is one of three attacks in a week against some of Malaysia’s top footballers, with the Football Association urging sports stars to hire bodyguards.
Local police said Halim, 26, was splashed with concentrated sulfuric acid outside a shopping center on the outskirts of the capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Sunday, causing severe burns to his face, neck, shoulders. , hands and chest.
Still conscious, the Selangor FC striker, who has 14 goals in 29 games for his country, was taken to a nearby private hospital, where he remains.
Faisal Halim (pictured) suffered fourth-degree burns after being the victim of an acid attack over the weekend.
Halim’s was one of three attacks on high-profile Malaysian footballers in the space of a week, prompting the country’s FA to urge the stars to seek better protection. His national team appears in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, with Halim wearing the number seven.
‘Faisal will now undergo at least two more surgeries, as determined by doctors. “He is currently still in the ICU and is being closely monitored by specialists,” Selangor Football Association vice-president Shahril Mokhtar told national media Bernama.
‘The left side of his body and arm are severely affected, affecting his movement. It’s pretty bad, he can’t really feel his left arm and he couldn’t communicate clearly after surgery. He feels stiff and cannot speak well.
Fourth degree burns are the most serious classification and describe those that affect all layers of the skin, muscles, tendons and bones.
Police have said the motive for the attack is still unknown, although they added that two men, one in his 30s and another in his 20s, were arrested in connection with the incident.
The Malaysian Football Association posted on social media today to urge fans to support “our hero Faisal”, known to fans as “Mickey”.
The acid attack near the Malaysian capital came just three days after Halim’s teammate Akhyar Rashid, 25, was attacked by armed robbers at his home in central Kuala Lumpur after returning from a training session.
Rashid, who played 45 times for his country and scored 10 goals, suffered a four-centimeter cut on his forehead, according to police.
Local police chief Azli Mohamad Noor said the incidents were unrelated.
On Tuesday night, former Malaysia captain Safiq Rahim became the third big-name player to be the victim of a violent attack in seven days.
After training with his club Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), the 36-year-old midfielder was threatened with a hammer and had the windshield of his car broken.
He took to Instagram to say: “I didn’t expect to be attacked near the JDT training center. We need to be vigilant.”
Rahim also shared a copy of the police report which said: ‘Two men on a motorcycle suddenly approached my car armed with a hammer and smashed my rear windscreen. “I stopped the car and felt afraid.”
Former Malaysia captain Safiq Rahim (seen playing against Arsenal in a 2011 friendly) was threatened with a hammer and had his car windscreen smashed after training with his club Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT).
JDT is led by the crown prince of the Johor royal family and CEO Alistair Edwards said in a statement on the team’s Facebook page: “The incident, along with the recent attacks on Akhyar Rashid and Faisal Halim, is not have a place in football.”
The club also said it had advised players to be careful about their surroundings and what they post on social media.
The series of such close attacks prompted Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Hamidin Mohamad Amin to encourage high-profile footballers to take precautions about their personal safety.
“If you are a big player, you can consider what foreign footballers are doing, which is getting a bodyguard,” he said in an interview. The star.
Selangor Football Club chief executive Johan Kamal Hamidon said security has been beefed up for the club’s players, officials and staff, but gave no further details.
