Up and running: Faisal Halim (left) at a Selangor training session. — Selangor FC
PETALING JAYA: Faisal Halim is poised to be back. More than three months after an acid attack on May 5, the Selangor winger could be on the field against Kelantan in the Super League at the Petaling Jaya Stadium today.
Coach Nidzam Jamil confirmed that Faisal would be on the 20-man line-up for the game and will decide if he is ready to play in the second-half.
“With Faisal, we have to be patient because of the injuries he faced. We do not want to rush him into action, but are taking a step-by-step approach. Being in the 20-man team itself is a huge achievement,” said Nidzam.
“Since returning to training, his progress has been good. A lot of tests were done to ensure he was good enough to train with his teammates.
“Against Kelantan, we will see how the match goes and look for the right time to field him. He could feature in the second half.”
Last week, the 26-year-old winger was on the Selangor bench when they thumped Terengganu 4-1 in the FA Cup semi-final second-leg match at the Petaling Jaya Stadium. The Red Giants got to the FA Cup final after clinching a 6-4 aggregate win.
Faisal’s return has been quite amazing, given the injuries he suffered in the acid attack at a shopping mall. And there was a huge cheer as Faisal, fondly known as Mickey, came on the field to warm up.
Nidzam said Faisal is returning to the game faster than expected because he was “stubborn”.
“When he wants something, he will go all out for it. Sometimes, I am like, why is this boy so stubborn?
“But I believe that trait has got him to this stage. It helped him recover faster. We had doubts at some point but now we are treating him like any other player.’’
Many are expecting second-placed Selangor to trounce Kelantan, who are bottom of the league but Nidzam said they would not take the east coast side lightly.
“Just because they are bottom, that does not mean we will underestimate them. We see every side in the Super League as the same. We will respect Kelantan but go all out to ensure we remain among the top teams in the Super League.”
Nidzam said two players - midfielders Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi and Noor Al-Rawabdeh - are still 50-50 for the game.
“Ajmal is recovering from a hip injury, while Al-Rawabdeh went for a minor operation on his face.”
