KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Former Malaysia national football team captain, Safiq Rahim, narrowly escaped injury when he was threatened with a hammer and his car windscreen was smashed by two assailants late Tuesday in southern Johor state.
The incident occurred following a training session with Johor Darul Ta’zim, one of Asia’s premier clubs backed by the Johor royal family. Rahim, aged 36, took to Instagram to share a photo of his damaged car and expressed shock at the attack, emphasizing the need for increased vigilance.
Despite the harrowing experience, Rahim remained unharmed, as confirmed in his social media post where he detailed the encounter and shared a copy of the police report he filed. This incident marks the third attack on footballers within a week in Malaysia, raising concerns about the safety of high-profile athletes in the country.
Just days prior to Rahim’s ordeal, Malaysia’s right winger Faisal Halim suffered severe injuries after being splashed with acid outside Kuala Lumpur, while his teammate Akhyar Rashid was injured in a robbery in Terengganu. Authorities are actively investigating the motives behind these attacks, with police stressing that the incidents are unrelated.
In response to the alarming trend, the Football Association of Malaysia president, Hamidin Mohamad Amin, has urged prominent footballers to take precautionary measures for their personal safety, including hiring bodyguards. These incidents have cast a shadow over Malaysian football, which once enjoyed glory days in the 1970s and 1980s but has since faced challenges in maintaining its prominence on the international stage.
