It’s terrifying to realise that people we don’t even know might harbor ill intentions toward us. In 1 week, 3 Malaysian footballers from different football clubs were attacked by strangers on the street.
All of them were attacked in different ways and the series of hostility toward footballers started on Thursday night (May 2), with Terengganu FC’s Akhyar Rashid experiencing the 1st assault. Here’s the chronology of the events in case you have missed it.
- Robbed and beaten
Akhyar was approached by unknown individuals outside a condo in Terengganu who robbed and beat him. The footballer sustained injuries to his head and left leg, and got 6 stitches at the hospital.
Akhyar, who also suffered a loss of around RM5,000 and a few important documents, said both attackers who were in hoodies and face masks came in a grey car.
According to the PDRM in Terengganu, they believe there were more than 2 attackers.
“1 of them came out from the back seat, another 1 came out from the front seat. We still cannot identify the car because the CCTV footage was not clear.”
- Splashed with acid
The 2nd footballer, Faisal Halim from the Selangor FC was attacked when he was with his wife and kids at a parking lot in Kota Damansara.
At the time, Faisal was in the driver’s seat with the door opened. 2 attackers on a motorcycle came to him and told him “Good luck” just right before they splashed acid onto him. Faisal suffered 4th degree burns from the acid attack and had undergone 2 surgeries so far as a result.
Before the surgeries, Faisal said that it was tough to lift his left arm, and described a severe burning sensation under his skin. These severe injuries might affect his career in the future and as of now, no one is sure if the footballer will be able to come back in action again.
Fortunately, Faisal is reported to be in a stable condition as of today (May 8) following his 2nd surgery.
The 1st suspect was released by PDRM after he was proven innocent. As of now, the 2nd suspect has been remanded.
- Hammered
Unfortunately, the assaults did not stop with Faisal. Late last night (May 7), another footballer from Johor FC, Safiq Rahim posted on his IG @sportsrevobysafiqrahim and said his car was attacked by 2 motorcyclists.
According to the police report he made, Safiq said,
“1 of them knocked my rear windshield repeatedly with a hammer. I was stunned and stopped my car immediately, and the attacker pointed the hammer at me before leaving the scene.”
PDRM in Johor has yet to respond to this matter. The CEO of Johor FC, however, advised all players to be cautious of their surroundings and social media postings.
Johor Darul Ta'zim FC (JDT) are concerned of the incident involving Safiq Rahim where his car was attacked near the JDT Training Centre tonight.
We urge the Royal Malaysian Police to investigate the matter urgently.
The incident, together with the recent attacks on Akhyar… pic.twitter.com/GCkfn36JYR
— JOHORSouthernTigers (@OfficialJohor) May 7, 2024
What else did PDRM say?
As of today, the Chief of Police, Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said the attacks are NOT related to bookies (gambling on sporting events).
“Give us the space to investigate, and don’t create any stories on these assaults.”
We hope the perpetrators will be caught as soon as possible before more civilians are hurt.
