Malaysia’s Football Association has recommended players consider hiring bodyguards while top club Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) has beefed up security for its squad after their midfielder Safiq Rahim became the third footballer to be attacked in the country in the past week.
Former Malaysia captain Safiq Rahim was threatened with a hammer and had his car windscreen smashed by two assailants late on Tuesday.
Safiq was not injured in the attack late in southern Johor state following a training session with JohorDarul Ta’zim, the local league’s defending champion and one of Asia’s top clubs which is run by the crown prince of the Johor royal family.
The 36-year-old midfielder posted a photo of his black Honda with its rear windscreen smashed on Instagram.
“Didn’t expect to be attacked near the Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) training centre. We need to be vigilant,” he wrote in the post.
He also shared a copy of the police report he made on Instagram where he said: “Two men on a motorcycle suddenly approached my car armed with a hammer and smashed my rear car windscreen.”
“I stopped the car and I was in fear.”
The incident comes within a week of two other attacks on footballers in the Southeast Asian nation.
