No easy questions: Faisal Halim at the press conference on Thursday. With him are from (left) Dr Mohd Hazwan Khair and Selangor Football Association deputy president Datuk Seri Shahril Mokhtar. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
PETALING JAYA: It’s not just the visible fourth-degree burn wounds that need time to heal for Faisal Halim, but what goes through his mind that will take longer to fix.
The physical pain suffered by the Selangor striker was evident to everyone after making his first public appearance on Thursday, but the psychological turmoil that he is battling with will take time to mend.
Selangor’s sports medicine head Dr Mohd Hazwan Khair emphasised that Faisal’s road to recovery isn’t just physical but involves his emotional and psychological rehabilitation as well.
“While many are focused on his physical condition, my priority is beyond that. I don’t want to give Faisal a specific time frame to return because this involves more than just his physical injuries. It is also what goes through his mind,’’ said Hazwan.
“The club’s sports science team have spoken to psychologists and psychiatrists to evaluate Faisal regularly.’’
A visibly shaken Faisal spoke to the public after being the victim of an acid attack on May 5. The doctors had given him a minimum of three months to recover completely before he can attempt a return to the pitch.
Despite the traumatic incident that leaves Faisal’s footballing career on the fence, the 26-year-old is determined to get back on his feet within a month.
Hazwan said they would get equipment that will help Faisal deal with concentration and stress management as part of his mental recovery.
“There are brain stimulation games that can help with focus, but we also need to see how these have an effect on his comfort and suitability,” he said.
On the physical side of things, Hazwan said the scarring on Faisal’s arms was the result of the skin graft operations that he had undergone.
The Harimau Malaya player had endured four procedures, including a ‘’skin allograft’’ procedure using skin from Belgium.
“Faisal’s movement is limited because of the surgeries and we have started rehabilitation for him where our Selangor physiotherapists visit him for treatment,” said Hazwan.
“We want to restore his functional movement so he can get back to his daily life routines.
“We know his drive is to return to the pitch, we are merely assisting him to help speed up the recovery process,” he said.
At the press conference at the Selangor Football Training Centre on Thursday, Faisal seemed to have minimal usage of his left arm, which was affected the most.
He also needed reading glasses, which was a new sight for fans as the acid attack also had affected his eyes, but Faisal assured everyone that he can see just fine.
“I can see all right, my vision to see far and play football is fine. Reading can get blurry that’s all, so I just need reading glasses,” he said.
But one thing is for sure, he has set his sights on getting back on the field as soon as he is able to.
