Consider hiring personal bodyguards, FAM tells footballers

Faisal Halim. Agency photo.

SHAH ALAM – Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin suggests that capable players should consider hiring personal bodyguards as a safety measure to prevent unforeseen incidents like those experienced by Faisal Halim from recurring.

He said that football players are now a public focus and face unexpected dangers.

“If players have the means, they can hire personal bodyguards like foreign players do.

“This is to ensure the safety of players and simultaneously prevent unwanted incidents,” he said.

Additionally, Hamidin emphasised that FAM would ensure heightened security measures for the national team players throughout official duties with the Harimau Malaya squad.

He said that this security control would extend to training camps and travel during match days, both domestically and internationally.

However, Hamidin declined to speculate, including the possibility of involvement of bookie syndicates in match-fixing incidents.

“I am not sure if it was coincidental or planned. This matter is beyond my knowledge. I am saddened by what happened,” he added.

Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh refrained from rushing to meet with authorities to block specific social media accounts that might propagate hatred among sports fans in the country.

She said that it would be unfair to block any social media platforms alleged to be the cause of Faisal’s treatment without understanding the root of the crime.

Hannah Yeoh during an interview after the ‘Program Klinik Bola Sepak’ with the Orang Asli Community in Kuala Kubu Bharu and the ‘Jelajah Promosi Rakan Muda@Hulu Selangor’ in Kampung Orang Asli Peretak, on Tuesday. Photo by Bernama.

“Sports involve a lot of passion and winning or losing is a common thing. I also observed during the incident at the pitch (National Stadium Bukit Jalil) where Datuk Hans Isaac received online threats.

“So, for me, let the police complete their investigation, and we do not want to restrict freedom on social media because it is unfair to sports fans,” she said.

Hannah also assured that Faisal would receive the best treatment, including free physiotherapy at the National Sports Institute (ISN), to honour his contributions to the country.

Earlier, local sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli did not rule out the possibility that the incident involving Faisal was due to extreme hatred influenced by social media accounts related to national football.

“This is extreme hatred. Whatever the reason, it is very dangerous, and sports should not be tainted by incidents like this. We hope this case can be resolved soon to address all concerns,” he said, as quoted by Bernama.