Malaysian footballer ‘recovering well’ after acid attack

Faisal Halim, 26, who suffered burn injuries on his neck, hands, chest and shoulder, is expected to be back by August

Maroosha Muzaffar
Thursday 23 May 2024 08:04 EDT
Comments
File. Malaysian national footballer Faisal Halim suffered second-degree burns after he was splashed with acid in an attack at a shopping mall earlier this month
File. Malaysian national footballer Faisal Halim suffered second-degree burns after he was splashed with acid in an attack at a shopping mall earlier this month (AFP via Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A Malaysian footballer who was severely burnt in an acid attack is recovering well, his club said on Wednesday.

Earlier this month Faisal Halim, a top footballer in the Malaysian Super League and winger for the national team, suffered burns to his neck, shoulder, hands and chest after he was attacked with acid at a shopping mall outside Kuala Lumpur.

A senior official at Selangor FC, Shahril Baharim, said on Wednesday that Mr Faisal, 26, is recovering well and will be back as early as August.

“I was told that with this progress, there is a big possibility that he will be back (on the pitch) by three to six months. This is based on what the doctors told me; the faster the better, that’s our hope,” he said during a press conference.

“His recovery is very, very good. I was told that the skin grafting can only cover 70 per cent of the wounded area, but it was a miracle that he managed to get 100 per cent.”

Mr Faisal had a successful three-hour skin allograft surgery on 20 May, which was successful, according to the team doctor Muhammad Hazwan Khair.

Mr Baharim also announced that a less invasive surgical procedure will be conducted on 23 May.

“The doctors will observe Faisal’s condition tomorrow to determine if he can be discharged in the next few days,” he said.

Selangor FC withdrew from their season-opening Charity Shield match against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) due to safety concerns following a series of attacks on players in Malaysia earlier this month.

Besides the attack on Mr Halim which left him in critical condition after being splashed with acid, JDT’s Safiq Rahim had his car windscreen smashed by unknown assailants, while national team player Akhyar Rashid was injured in a robbery outside his home.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in