(File) Malaysian forward #07 runs with the ball during the Qatar 2023 AFC Asian Cup Group E soccer match between Bahrain and Malaysia at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on January 20, 2024. Faisal Halim. Second place went to Malaysian national soccer player Faisal Halim. Sports sources said he suffered severe burns after being doused with acid during an assault at a shopping mall over the weekend. (Photo provided by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP)

The Malaysian national team soccer player who was the victim of an acid attack is in a “serious but stable” condition on Tuesday with fourth-degree burns and will require further surgery, a soccer source told AFP. .

Faisal Halim suffered burns to his neck, shoulders, hands and chest in the Petaling Jaya area on the outskirts of the capital Kuala Lumpur over the weekend.

The 26-year-old, nicknamed ‘Mickey’, plays as a right winger for Selangor Football Club and Malaysia.

“I am in the hospital. Faisal’s condition is a little critical but stable,” Selangor Football Association vice-president Sharil Mokhtar told AFP in a text message.

He said Faisal was initially diagnosed with second-degree burns, but “after he was transferred to another hospital, a plastic surgeon classified his injuries as fourth-degree burns.” Ta.

Sharil said Faisal would undergo another surgery, adding that his movement and speech were affected.

“We are shocked and disappointed that such an attack occurred in Malaysia. We are also concerned for the mental health of other players as the new season begins on Friday,” he said. said.

Selangor Football Club CEO Yohan Kamal Hamidon said security had been stepped up for the club’s players, officials and staff, but did not provide details.

Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan told reporters that investigations into the motive for the attack were continuing and two suspects had been arrested.

Photos circulating online showed a shirtless Faisal sitting on a bench with burn marks on his upper body, clearly in shock.

The acid attack came three days after fellow national team player Akhyar Rashid was injured in a robbery outside his home in the eastern state of Terengganu.

Kuala Terengganu police chief Azri Mohamad Noor said the incidents were unrelated.

Malaysian Football Association president Hamidin Mohamad Amin called on prominent soccer players to take precautions for their own safety, including hiring bodyguards.

“If you’re a big player, you can think about what overseas footballers do: hire a bodyguard,” he said, according to The Star.