It was a bittersweet moment for Malaysian footballer Faisal Halim as he stepped onto the pitch at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in the southern Malaysian state of Johor in the second half of the match against Nepal on March 25.
Malaysia won 2–0 in the Group F qualifier match for the 2027 Asian Cup.
It was a comeback for Faisal – donning the Harimau Malaya outfit for the first time following an acid attack that left him scarred for life, and left millions in Malaysia and beyond shocked. The Selangor FC striker was splashed with acid at the parking lot of a shopping mall in Kota Damansara, just outside the nation’s capital city Kuala Lumpur, on May 5, 2024 (main image). Part of his head, face, and left arm were badly scarred.
Today, slightly a year after the incident, Faisal’s lawyers revealed that the case has been filed as ‘No Further Action’ (NFA). It is said that the Attorney-General’s Chambers had communicated the NFA decision to Faisal’s legal team through a letter dated Feb 18.
The decision was reportedly made after police investigations failed to identify any suspect. This despite the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, expressing his disappointment over the delay in the probe in an interview with The Star in December, adding it was a “simple and clear-cut” case.
“With social media and modern technology, you cannot hide anything. I followed the case in the state assembly and hope somehow this can be resolved soon. This is a clear-cut case, and the incident has destroyed Faisal’s life,” Sultan Sharafuddin was quoted as saying.
When asked by the Malaysian newspaper if he believed there was a hidden hand behind the case, the Selangor Ruler replied: “To be precise, somewhere there (seems to be) a remote control. But I do not want to accuse any parties.”
Faisal was the second footballer attacked in May last year. On May 2, 2024, Terengganu FC’s Akhyar Rashid was assaulted in Kuala Terengganu. On May 7, Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) player Safiq Rahim had his car’s rear windscreen smashed by unknown assailants near the club’s training centre in Jalan Seri Gelam, Johor Bahru. There have also been no updates from the police regarding the incidents involving Akhyar and Safiq.
At the 2023 FA Cup final between JDT and Kuala Lumpur City FC, a fan claimed he was attacked by a member of the Johor Military Force at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Johor Bahru. That case, too, is pending an outcome.
The series of incidents pours cold water on efforts by the government – namely the Youth and Sports Ministry – to champion safe sport.
The NFA aside, the circumstances of the acid attack – almost uncommon in the Southeast Asian nation – continue to trigger questions.
Why was Faisal attacked? Was it purely because of football? Was he a victim of something bigger? Was it the act of an overzealous fan, or someone who was hired to do so? What is being done to assure footballers, and athletes in general, that such a thing will not happen again?
But the biggest question on everyone’s mind now is: If this can happen to a celebrated athlete like Faisal Halim, what about the common Malaysian on the street?
