Muristek
All is well between Faisal, Safiq after Malaysia Cup ‘headbutting’ incident
Local fans were shocked by the unsporting behaviour of Safiq Rahim, who headbutted Muhammad Faisal Abdul Halim during the match between Safiq’s Johor Darul Tazim (JDT) and Terengganu FC (TFC) at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, last November. — Bernama pic
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KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 — Everything is fine now between winger Muhammad Faisal Abdul Halim and experienced midfielder Safiq Rahim after the much-hyped “headbutting” incident that occurred during the second-leg of their Malaysia Cup semi-final clash last November.
Local fans were shocked by the unsporting behaviour of Safiq, who headbutted Muhammad Faisal during the match between Safiq’s Johor Darul Tazim (JDT) and Terengganu FC (TFC) at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri, Johor. (Safiq was sent off but JDT won the second leg tie 3-0 for a 4-1 aggregate win).
Now, more than three months later, both players find themselves coming face-to-face again after being called up to attend the national centralised training camp ahead of this week’s FAS Tri-Nations Series 2022 in Singapore.
Muhammad Faisal said that he and Safiq have got on well at the training camp, adding that the JDT player had also provided him with good support on the pitch.
“Sometimes we play on the same side during training sessions. I will be on the right side and he (Safiq) in the middle whenever I ask for the ball, he (Safiq) will always pass to me.
“Safiq is really a nice guy, just that it’s normal for the ‘old man’ (senior player) to get all riled up,” he joked when met during the national team’s final training session at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil here today.
The Terengganu FC ace said that Safiq, who has been punished by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) for the incident, is a professional player and carries himself well.
Muhammad Faisal said that he has, in fact, put that incident behind him and holds no grudge against Safiq, adding that his focus now is on helping the Harimau Malaya achieve some positive results in Singapore.
The Harimau Malaya squad will leave for Singapore tomorrow and kick off their FAS Tri-Nations Series against the Philippines on Wednesday (March 23) and the hosts on Saturday (March 26) in the Tier-1 international friendly matches.
The Harimau Malaya, under the guidance of head coach Kim Pan-gon, will round up their outing in Singapore, which is also part of their preparations for the 2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers in June, by taking on local club side Albirex Niigata FC on March 28. ― Bernama