Faisal not giving up on career, recovering well, says FAS deputy president

NATIONAL football player Faisal Halim is not giving up on his career and is recovering well from the acid attack which left him with horrific injuries, Selangor FA deputy president Shahril Mokhtar said.

Shahril told The Vibes that 26-year-old Faisal is in high spirits and the winger had requested to meet up with his teammates recently.

“We organised it and Faisal met with his teammates where he gave them a moving pep talk, telling them to continue performing well for the team and the fans,” Shahril said.

Shahril said Faisal’s pep talk lifted the morale of the players and the team is in good spirits now.

“It was Faisal who wanted to meet the players. It was his own initiative and for me, that was very moving.

“The players’ morale is high now and it shows that we have great togetherness in the team,” said Shahril.

Faisal, popularly known as Mickey, signed up for the Red Giants in December 2022 from Terengganu FC.

He first garnered widespread attention with his home state team, Penang, in the 2014 Piala Presiden before moving to Sri Pahang in 2016.

He was one of the key players who helped Tok Gajah lift the FA Cup in 2018 and made 79 appearances, scoring 10 goals and notching four assists in his five-year stint with the team.

Faisal then moved to Terengganu FC where he helped the team take the runner-up spot in the Super League, scoring 27 goals and 42 assists in 101 games with “Sang Penyu”.

Selangor is currently at fourth place in the Malaysian Super League with six points, three behind league leaders Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT).

Shahril said the club has provided necessary assistance to players following the attacks involving two of its players.

“Of course we have to be vigilant. The club has provided security assistance to the players. We are doing the best we can to ensure that they and their families are safe.”

No update from police

However, disappointingly, Shahril said so far there have been no updates from police on the attack on Faisal and the burglary of the home of Selangor FC player Ahmad Khuzaimi Piee.

Police released a photo fit of the suspect who splashed acid on Faisal but no arrest has been made so far.

Terengganu FC loan player Muhammad Akhyar Abdul Rashid was the first to be attacked when he was set upon by two robbers in Kuala Terengganu on May 2. He suffered injuries to his head and leg.

Then Faisal was splashed with acid outside a shopping complex in Petaling Jaya before Johor Darul Ta’zim player Safiq Rahim, who is also on the national team, saw the rear windscreen of his car smashed with a hammer by two men on a motorcycle in Johor Baru on May 7 before Khuzaimi’s house was burgled.

Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain had previously said that Faisal’s incident was not bookie-related, but on Tuesday, MACC chief Tan Sri Azam Baki told the press that the anti-graft body was investigating suspected match-fixing and corruption in the national football league following the attacks on players.

FAS will respond to TMJ

Asked to comment on Johor regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim’s accusation that Selangor is “playing victim” after a spate of attacks on its players, Shahril said the club would respond in a different manner.

“We are not going to respond to the accusation on social media. We have our way to do it. In fact, I personally know Tunku Ismail and it is not appropriate for us in the club to say or make statements on social media,” he said.

On May 24, the Tunku Mahkota of Johor (TMJ) took to Instagram and accused Selangor FC chief executive officer Johan Kamal Hamidon of covering up his team’s failures by making up stories.

“What’s next, Dr Johan? The best way to cover up failure after spending RM47 million of the government’s/people’s money every year is by being good at making up stories,” he said in a comment he left under a Malaysian Football League Instagram post about the burglary at Khuzaimi’s house.

He said Selangor FC would now accuse him of a “grand conspiracy” over the recent string of attacks on their players.

“Confirm this is all the work of TMJ with JDT, mastermind, and the hidden hand,” said the crown prince, who owns JDT.

“Everything is TMJ’s, FAM’s (Football Association of Malaysia), MFL’s (Malaysian Football League), and PDRM’s (police) fault.

“They themselves never did any wrong. ‘False flag’,” he added sarcastically. – June 1, 2024.