KUALA LUMPUR: Former Harimau Malaya team manager Datuk Kamarul Ariffin Shahar has spoken publicly for the first time since stepping down from his post in January.
In a podcast interview with Datuk Afdlin Shauki, he shared intimate details about his time in football, including a heart-wrenching account of the day he received news of Faisal Halim's horrifying acid attack.
A two minutes and 19 seconds video clip from the podcast has gone viral, with Kamarul recounting the moment that left him in shock.
"I received a call from someone who was there when it happened," Kamarul recalled, his voice cracking.
"They told me Mickey (Faisal Halim) had been doused with acid."
An emotional Kamarul described how the news had hit him like a physical blow.
"I was stunned and collapsed onto a chair outside a mamak shop. My driver thought I had fallen ill. I quickly went to my car to call someone for confirmation, and that's when I started getting numerous messages.
"My friends in the police called and told me that Mickey had been rushed to Thompson Hospital in Kota Damansara.
"I saw him there, his entire left side was wrapped in bandages, it was completely affected.
"He grabbed my hand and said to me, 'If they don't want me to play football, they shouldn't do this to me.'
"I held him and hugged him. To this day, I still don't know who 'he' was, whether 'he' was a bookie or someone else. Maybe only time will reveal the truth."
Selangor winger Faisal was severely burned in the acid attack on May 5 at a shopping mall in Kota Damansara. No suspects have been apprehended so far, and the motive remains unclear.
In the interview, Kamarul also touched on the broader issues facing Malaysian football, particularly the struggle to attract sponsors and improve the quality of the domestic league.
"There are sponsors out there, but without a quality product to offer, how can you make the sale?"
"Look at how the Major League Soccer (MLS) in the US has grown. With figures like David Beckham and now Lionel Messi, they've turned Inter Miami into a global spectacle. We need to think bigger here. The national team's strength is tied to the strength of the league. If the league is weak, the national team will be weak too."
Kamarul ended his role as team manager after Harimau Malaya's disappointing performance in the 2023 Asian Cup in Doha, Qatar.