TREATMENT ACCORDING TO FAISAL HALIM'S NEEDS- SFC SPORTS MEDICINE HEAD

SHAH ALAM, June 14 (Bernama) -- Selangor FC (SFC) are now doing their best to help Faisal Halim who was a victim of an acid attack last month.

SFC head of sports medicine Dr Muhammad Hazwan Khair said his team is now focusing on the Red Giants winger's shoulders and elbows in an effort to get 'functional movement' to ensure he lives his daily life without any limitations.

However, he said they are not only focusing on the physical aspect of recovery, but the emotional and psychological recovery is also their priority according to the timeline and comfort of the player affectionately known as Mickey.

"...It follows Mickey's comfort (in this process because) we know what drives Mickey to the field (so) we only assist and help to speed up the process.

"That's why I didn't put any kind of timeframe for Mickey to return to football which is not only on the  physical state but also Mickey's emotions and psychology," he said while attending Faisal's press conference who made his first appearance in public at the SFC training centre in here, yesterday.

Muhammad Hazwan said his party had also drawn up several appropriate plans besides holding discussions with psychologists and psychiatrists to assess Faisal from time to time.

"... after the final surgery that was done. Movement is limited after surgery so we have to protect the graft and Mickey said four or five days before he can hug his child because we have just opened the bandage completely.

"What can be seen (now) is the effect of dry skin and after his recovery, he can start rehab. The SFC physio team does go to Mickey's place to do physio (and) we do have our own programme," he said.

He also said the Ministry of Youth and Sports led by Hannah Yeoh and the National Sports Institute have offered the help since Mickey was in the ICU.

Meanwhile, SFC technical committee chairman, Datuk Seri Shahril Mokhtar said the club will ensure Faisal's safety by providing a team of marshals and they are still placing him in a secret location.

"My strength is Faisal because I am quite close to him and he is also an employee of the club so I believe as an employee of the club these are the right things to do to ensure Faisal and family being taken care of," he said.

Previously, the media reported that Faisal underwent a skin allograft or skin patch imported from Belgium to treat fourth-degree burns with an estimated value of over RM30,000.

He made his first public appearance yesterday because he refused to hide and wanted to live a normal life like a normal human being.

The 26-year-old Penang-born player who lost about four kilogrammes after the incident admitted that his eyesight is in good condition but needs the help of glasses when reading.

Faisal, who was last contacted by the police in the first week of being a victim of an acid splash, submitted the investigation to the authorities to carry out their responsibility to solve the case.

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 centre in Petaling Jaya and had to be treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for about 10 days.

Then on May 25, Selangor FC through a statement confirmed that the winger was allowed to leave a private hospital here after undergoing four surgeries following the incident.

-- BERNAMA