Two Thai footballers, 3 staff suspended over rowdy SEA Games final
The committee appointed by the Football Association of Thailand to investigate Thailand's tempestuous SEA Games football final on Tuesday handed out stringent punishments to three staffers and two footballers over their behaviour.
The committee decided to remove the three staff who participated in the fight from their positions for a year, saying such behaviour was unacceptable from senior team members.
They also suspended two footballers for six months, adding that they were shown some leniency as they are under 22 years of age.
The volatile final between Thailand and Indonesia in Phnom Penh ended up in a bitter confrontation between the two sides that led to seven red cards being shown.
The Football Association of Thailand decided to punish its players and staff who participated in the fight.
The final concluded with a 5-2 victory for Indonesia over Thailand. The win at Phnom Penh’s Olympic Stadium delivered “the Garuda” their first gold in the sport in 32 years, since 1991.
Indonesian striker Ramadhan Sananta netted two goals in the first half before Thailand’s Anan Yodsangwal made it 2-1 in the 64th.
Yotsakorn Burapha's last-second goal made it 2-2 before extra-time was added. However, this was the trigger for both sides getting aggressive.
After equalising, some Thai players celebrated in front of Indonesia’s bench resulting in a confrontation between the two teams.
The tension boiled over when Indonesia retaliated by also celebrating in front of Thailand's bench.
The incident led to a total of seven red cards to both teams – four for players and three for staff - a record number in a SEA Games event. They included three Thai players and a staffer.
The rowdy events received wide coverage and even Gianni Infantino, the current Fifa president, expressed regret.
