Two Malaysian National Team Players Attacked in the Last Four Days

As a result of the attacks on Faisal Halim and Akhyar Rashid, Malaysian footballers are expected to increase their vigilance.

AFC

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KUALA LUMPUR, MONDAY — In the span of four days, the Malaysia national team lost two of their wing strikers who suffered injuries due to being victims of attacks by unknown people. Faisal Halim, Selangor FC player, was doused with acid in Kuala Lumpur, Sunday (5/4/2024) afternoon. The Terengganu attacker, Akhyar Rashid, was the victim of a violent robbery, Thursday (2/4/2024), in Kuala Terengganu.

Faisal was doused with acid at a shopping center in Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur. He was attacked after playing go-kart. Selangor Police Chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said that his party received a report of the attack at 17.51 ​​local time.

Referring to the report by The Sun Malaysia, the left side of Faisal's body, from the neck, shoulders, to arms, suffered second-degree or moderate burns. Faisal needs at least three weeks of recovery so that the burns on his body can completely heal.

Faisal's condition was confirmed by the President of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin. Hamidin conveyed this after visiting Faisal at the hospital on Sunday evening.

"His (Faisal's) situation is quite sad, but I hope that Faisal, his wife and family will be strong in facing this ordeal. The legs look fine, nothing else. "The left hand, body and left shoulder were injured due to the acid attack," said Hamidin as reported by Berita Harian Monday edition (6/5/2024).

TERENGGANU FC

The wing attacker of Terengganu, Akhyar Rashid, made a move during a trial match against Penang on April 17, 2024, at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium, Terengganu. As a new recruit for Terengganu, Akhyar was unable to appear in the early weeks of the 2024-2025 season due to an injury caused by an attack from an unknown person.

Furthermore, Hamidin asked Faisal to focus on his recovery. "I told him to momentarily forget about football for some time in order to fully recover," said Hamidin.

Hamidin also condemned the violence experienced by Akhyar on Thursday around 8:30 PM at his residence. At that time, Akhyar had just arrived home after training with Terengganu.

The violent robbery caused Akhyar, who is on loan from Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), to suffer a head injury that required a 4 centimeter stitch. Additionally, stitches were also performed to cover the wound on his left leg.

The Chief of Kuala Terengganu Police, Azli Mohd Noor, said that his agency has established a special unit to investigate the perpetrators of violence against Akhyar. Although initial reports stated that Akhyar was attacked by two people, Azli revealed that there may be more than two perpetrators.

"We have studied CCTV footage in areas suspected to be the places where the perpetrator passed. "On the other hand, we hope that the public will not speculate or spread rumors on social media so as not to interfere with the investigation process," said Azli as reported by The Sun, Sunday.

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This case is not very good. Now, players will definitely be on high alert after what happened to Akhyar and Faisal.

TANGKAPAN LAYAR AKUN TERENGGANU FC

The moral support from Terengganu FC players for Akhyar Rashid, who was the victim of a violent robbery on Thursday (2/4/2024) in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.

Real protection

President of the Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia (PFAM) Safee Sali emphasized that the incident that happened to Akhyar and Faisal must be investigated thoroughly and cannot be taken lightly. These two players, said Safee, are valuable assets for Malaysia national team which has become a mainstay of the "Malayan Harimau" squad in international matches in recent years.

“This case is not very good. "Now, players will definitely be very alert after the incident that happened to Akhyar and Faisal," said the former mainstay striker for the Malaysian national team, as quoted by The Star.

Safee has requested the relevant authorities to protect players to prevent incidents of attacks on players from happening again. He cited Faisal's case as a very serious one, as the acid attack was carried out in a public place.

"These players are key players for our national team. They serve the country in big matches. So, this is a concerning incident," he said.

"We will help Faisal overcome this problem even though it will not be easy. I am sure he will no longer feel safe outside and it will not be easy for him to face other people. This is a traumatic experience for him," said Safee.

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TANGKAPAN LAYAR AKUN SELANGOR FC

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Malaysian Minister of Youth and Sports, Hannah Yeoh, hopes that the police can uncover the perpetrators of the crimes against the two best local footballers in Malaysia. She also asks law enforcement officials to give appropriate punishment to the perpetrators.

Missed the season opener

The attack has confirmed that Faisal and Akhyar will be absent from the early matches of the 2024-2025 Malaysian Super League, which will begin on Friday (10/4/2024). In addition, they will also be absent from the two final matches of the Malaysian national team in the second round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers, on June 6th and 11th.

Malaysia will face must-win matches against Kyrgyzstan and Taiwan in order to advance to the third round and qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup finals. However, without Faisal and Akhyar, who are main mainstays in the attacking position wing, Malaysian coach Kim Pan-gon needs to find a replacement that is commensurate with his two main players.

These players are key players for our national team. They are dedicated to their country in major matches. Therefore, this is a concerning incident.

On the other hand, all Malaysian Super League clubs are expressing their support as a form of solidarity towards Faisal and Akhyar. Clubs that have issued public statements of support include Kelantan United and JDT.

"I condemn the incident involving players Faisal Halim and Akhyar Rashid. Their safety and security have been taken away by irresponsible individuals," said Tunku Mahkota Ismail, owner of JDT, as quoted in the club's official statement.