It has not even been a week since national football player Akhyar Rashid was assaulted and robbed while he was out in Terengganu, yet another Malaysian footballer was attacked on the streets. Yesterday (Sunday, 5th May), it was reported that Faisal Halim was splashed with acid while he was at an unspecified shopping mall in Kota Damansara.
According to reports, the athlete had just finished playing on the go-kart rides when he was attacked at 5pm by an unknown assailant and suffered serious injuries on his head and the left side of his body. The Selangor Football Club confirmed the incident in a brief statement on their social media pages.
“[We] take this matter seriously and will work with PDRM and the authorities to carry out a detailed investigation to identify those involved. Selangor FC calls on supporters and football fans nationwide to pray and give moral support to Faisal Halim and his family and to respect his and his family’s privacy at this time,” the association wrote.
Thankfully, police managed to arrest a suspect earlier today (Monday, 6th May). Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan did not give further details regarding the arrest other than the suspect will be remanded for 2 days and that he is currently in his 20s. “The motive for the attack is also under investigation. We will be calling several witnesses to have their statements recorded today as well,” Hussein Omar told reporters.
As for the national striker’s condition, there hasn’t been much update but it can be assumed that he’s currently receiving medical treatment for his wounds. Photos of the aftermath of the acid attack went viral on social media which prompted sports fans to call for better security for Malaysian football players now that two well-known strikers have been seriously injured.
As seen in the screenshots above, many showed concern over the fact that two footballers were attacked just days apart. Others suggest that bodyguards should be assigned to protect the players whenever they’re out in public. At the time of writing, neither the Selangor Football Club nor the Football Associations Malaysia (FAM) have commented on netizens’ suggestions for tightened security.
It’s very unfortunate that things have come to this but we do hope that something will be done to ensure that no other players would suffer the same fate in the future.
