Malaysian footballer ‘recovering well’ after acid attack
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Mr Faisal Halim underwent a three-hour skin allograft surgical procedure on May 20 which went "better than expected".
PHOTOS: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, AFP
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Kuala Lumpur - A top Malaysian footballer who was severely burnt in an acid attack is recovering well and could be back in action as early as August, his club said on May 22.
Selangor FC and Malaysia team winger Faisal Halim had burns on the neck, shoulder, hands and chest in the assault
Mr Shahril Baharim, chairman of the technical committee at Selangor FC, said Mr Faisal is recovering well.
“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,” Mr Shahril said at a media briefing on May 22.
“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 underwent a three-hour skin allograft surgical procedure on May 20 which went “better than expected”, according to team doctor Muhammad Hazwan Khair, who also spoke at the media briefing.
Mr Shahril said a more minor surgical procedure will be performed on the player on May 23.
“The doctors will observe Faisal’s condition tomorrow to determine if he can be discharged in the next few days,” he said.
Nicknamed “Mickey”, the 26-year-old footballer scored an equaliser against South Korea that was voted the best goal of the 2023 Asian Cup tournament.
Malaysia’s domestic football season was slated to begin on May 10 with a curtain-raiser between Selangor FC and Super League champions Johor Darul Takzim.
Selangor pulled out,
Three days before the acid attack, another player, Mr Akhyar Rashid, was injured in a robbery outside his home in the eastern state of Terengganu.
In a third incident, two days after the attack on Mr Faisal, former Malaysia team skipper Safiq Rahim escaped unharmed after he was threatened with a hammer and his car windscreen was smashed by two assailants.
The mystery assaults have shocked and angered the football-crazy nation.
Police are continuing their investigations, with a motive yet to be determined. AFP
