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Malaysian soccer player Faisal Halim during the AFC Asian Cup match between South Korea and Malaysia at Al Janob Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar on January 25, 2024.
CNN
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A star player on Malaysia's soccer team is in a “serious but stable condition” after sustaining fourth-degree burns in an acid attack, officials said late Tuesday.
Malaysian soccer officials said Faisal Halim's movements and speech were affected and he would require further surgery.
According to an announcement by Malaysian police, on May 5, a 26-year-old man was doused with concentrated sulfuric acid in front of a shopping mall on the outskirts of the capital, Kuala Lumpur.
Halim, who plays as an attacker for Selangor Football Club and the Malaysian national team, remained conscious but was taken to a nearby private hospital on the outskirts of the capital. He had severe burns to his face, neck, shoulders, hands and chest, officials said.
A Selangor State Football Association official said on Tuesday that expert doctors concluded that Halim suffered fourth-degree burns, rather than second-degree burns as previously thought.
“At the discretion of the doctors, Faisal will undergo at least two more surgeries. Currently, he is still in the ICU and is being closely monitored by specialists,” Shahril Mokhtar, vice president of the association, told Bernama. He told a state-run news agency, adding that Halim's movements and words had been affected by the attack.
“The left side of his body and arm has been severely affected, which is affecting his movement,” Mokhtar said. “It was pretty bad, and after the surgery he couldn't feel any feeling in his left arm and couldn't communicate clearly. He was stiff and couldn't speak well.”
Fourth-degree burns are the most severe classification, and involve damage that extends beyond the skin and underlying tissue to deeper tissues and even bones.
Photos of Halim after the attack were widely spread online, leaving many in shock. He was seen sitting covered with a towel and looking stunned, surrounded by police and medical workers. Large areas of skin had also fallen off from his arms and the sides of his torso.
This is the second assault on a Malaysian soccer player this month. Last week, another international player, 25-year-old Akhyar Rashid, was attacked by armed robbers at his downtown Kuala Lumpur apartment after returning from a training session, leaving him with a four-centimeter cut on his forehead. According to the police.
Reports of acid attacks are rare in Malaysia. Malaysian police said the motive for the attack is still unknown, adding that an investigation is currently underway. Police added that two men, one in his late 30s and the other in his 20s, have been detained in connection with the Halim attack.
CNN has reached out to multiple institutions, including Malaysia's national governing body, Football Association Malaysia, for additional comment on Halim's condition and additional safety measures for national team players following the incident.
Malaysian politicians, including Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, have expressed concern about the attack. Anwar, who visited Halim in hospital, condemned the incident and said he wished the player a speedy recovery and a “return to football.”
Halim made his debut for the Malaysian national team in 2019. Since then, he has helped the team qualify for prominent regional tournaments, including the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, scoring a goal in a surprise draw with giants South Korea. He also scored the winning goal in a World Cup qualifier against Kyrgyzstan late last year.
Selangor finished second in the Malaysian Super Liga last season. The new season starts this month.
