It leaves the kick-off of Malaysia’s football season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry.
Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor FC said they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats”.
Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care with fourth-degree burns after being splashed with acid at the weekend at a shopping mall outside the capital Kuala Lumpur.
His Malaysia teammate Akhyar Rashid was injured in a robbery outside his home in the eastern state of Terengganu last week.
In the latest incident on Tuesday, JDT’s former Malaysia skipper Safiq Rahim escaped unharmed after he was threatened with a hammer and his car windscreen was smashed by two assailants.
Selangor FC said they had withdrawn from the match against Malaysian Super League champions JDT at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri, southern Johor state.
“After much deliberation … the club has reluctantly decided to not participate,” Selangor, the 2023 Super League runners-up, said in a statement issued late Wednesday.
