A little more than three months ago, the Malaysia international Faisal Halim gave the Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae a torrid time as he rabona’d the goal of the Asian Cup against South Korea. The game ended in a famous 3-3 draw (infamous for the Koreans) but now it is unclear whether the winger, known as “Mickey”, will ever play again.
On Sunday he was the victim of an acid attack and the images of his scarred body and stunned face shocked a nation and resulted in a hospital visit from Malaysia’s prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim. The incident was horrific and one of three attacks on high-profile players this month. No one knows for certain whether they are linked, but all are worried. Nothing like this has ever happened before in Malaysia.
For all the faults in Malaysian football, there was often a relaxed attitude among players about dealing with the public when going about their daily lives. It was often possible to wander into training grounds, share a canteen table, chat to players on their way in and out of stadiums and have a fairly normal human relationship with them generally. That is now surely going to change.
“We have to wait for the police report to know [the motive of the attacks],” the Malaysia Football League chief executive, Stuart Ramalingam, told the Guardian. “For now we don’t think [they are] linked in any way, but let’s wait for the official report to know what has happened.”
Social media has been full of theories regarding gambling gangs, match-fixing moguls, copycats or just a reflection of a general lack of respect for law and order. People want answers but, as yet, there are none. As the prominent journalist Haresh Deol wrote: “It’s rather hypocritical when the authorities expect people not to speculate, but offer no updates regarding the status of these cases.” One former international player told The Guardian. “Everything is madness at the moment. Nobody knows what to do and nobody knows what is going to happen next.”
Faisal, a winger who plays for Selangor FC, a powerhouse in Malaysian football, was at a shopping centre near Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. Suddenly he was splashed by acid, which caused severe injuries to his face, back, ribs and arms, by unknown attackers. Two suspects have been detained. Any punishment is likely to be as serious as the crime.
“Faisal will now undergo at least two more surgeries as determined by doctors,” Shahril Mokhtar, the deputy president of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), said on Tuesday. “Currently he is still in the ICU and is being closely monitored by specialists.
“The left side of his body and arm are severely affected, which affects his movement. It’s quite bad, he can’t really feel his left arm and couldn’t communicate clearly after surgery. He’s feeling stiff and is unable to talk well.”
The attack on Faisal came two days after Akhyar Rashid, another prominent Malaysian international, was attacked after he returned home from training. The 25-year-old, who has played 50 times for his country and won the title last year with Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), was attacked with an iron rod by masked robbers, leaving him needing stitches on his head and leg.
Those two incidents were shocking and spread fear of a third attack. And on Tuesday it happened, the victim being the former national team captain Safiq Rahim, who also plays for JDT. “Didn’t expect to be attacked near the Johor Darul Ta’zim training centre,” he wrote on social media. “We need to be vigilant.”
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Fortunately Rahim was not physically harmed but it was clearly a traumatic experience. “Two men on a motorcycle suddenly approached my car armed with a hammer and smashed my rear car windscreen,” he added. “I stopped the car and I was in fear.”
The FAM president, Hamidin Mohamad Amin, has told the country’s stars to get more protection, advising those that have the financial means to hire bodyguards. Ramalingam has also said safety is now a priority. “We have concerns and have spoken to all the authorities about it,” he said. “While these attacks are not within the Malaysian Football League’s jurisdiction of matches or stadiums etc, we have taken steps towards ensuring that more security and precautions are taken immediately.”
There have been calls for this season’s curtain raiser between Selangor and JDT this weekend to be postponed. It remains to be seen if this game goes ahead but, whatever happens, Malaysian football will never quite be the same again.