Malaysia's Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim celebrates after scoring a goal against Thailand during the AFF Mitsubishi Cup semi-final first-leg match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, January 7, 2023. — GLENN GUAN/The Star
PUTRAJAYA: Harimau Malaya and Selangor winger Faisal Halim, the victim of an acid attack, still requires close monitoring despite being moved to a normal ward from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private hospital on Monday.
Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Adam Adli Abdul Halim said that the treatment process for Faisal, fondly known as Mickey, will be lengthy, although he is currently showing positive progress.
"I visited his family yesterday ... Alhamdulillah, the family are in good spirits, and Faisal is undergoing a lengthy treatment process.
"Every possible medical and supportive care has been provided, not only to Faisal but also to his family ... let's give Faisal some space to recover," he told reporters after inaugurating the "Semarak Hari Belia Negara @ Kementerian Belia dan Sukan (HBN@KBS) 2024" programme here today.
Media reports on Monday said that Faisal had been moved to a normal ward after spending about nine days in the ICU at the hospital following the recent acid attack.
Adam Adli added that Faisal is currently in a very sensitive treatment phase, and everyone is urged not to disturb him emotionally.
He said that his family has informed that Faisal is now able to walk and eat a little, but the focus at this time is on his full recovery.
"He is out of the ICU but not yet discharged from the hospital and still requires intensive care ... give him the space he needs to fully recover," he said.
On May 5, Faisal suffered fourth-degree burns on several parts of his body after being splashed with acid by an unknown individual at a shopping mall in Petaling Jaya, which affected his movement and speech.
Faisal, who won the Best Goal Award at the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar last January, is expected to be out of action for five to six months, causing him to miss two matches in the second round of the 2026 World Cup-2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers against Kyrgyzstan and Taiwan next month.
On Semarak HBN @ KBS 2024, Adam Adli said the programme, held together with the National Integrity Youth Convention, aims to enhance the value of integrity among the youth.
"Youth need to have integrity, which means strong self-respect and dignity, so that we can emerge as a resilient and challenge-resistant nation," he said. - Bernama
