Following a recent article about the trouble at the Suzuki Cup Final, there has been further developments.
Thailand are expecting a reprimand and fine from the international football authorities after their fans set flares alight in the dying moments of the Bangkok leg and some of these were hurled onto the pitch.
Some flares were also seen fired in the first half after Sirod Chatthong gave Thailand a 1-0 lead. The War Elephants eventually won 2-0 against Indonesia in the second leg of the Suzuki Cup final as they came back from a 2-1 deficit in the away game to claim a 3-2 aggregate victory.
This excellent result at Rajamangala National Stadium on Dec 17 made Thailand the most successful nation in Southeast Asia Championship with five titles.
However, a group, which goes by the name of Ultras Thailand, went about its business in a particular stand at the packed stadium, unconcerned about the extent of the damage it was causing to the country’s reputation.
Football Association of Thailand president Somyot Poompunmuang believes the flare throwing was an attempt by some to discredit him and there may well be a chance that he is right.
Somyot, a former national police chief, recorded a landslide victory in the election for the FAT presidency in February 2016 following an acrimonious build-up to the polls.
However, the events of that night have been simmering for a number of years.
In 2010, a King’s Trophy match at Supachalasai Stadium came to a premature end when Muang Thong took a 2-0 lead over Port. Ugly scenes were witnessed as some Port fans attacked their rivals.
Fast forward six years and the supporters of the same two clubs had another free-for-all to settle the old score.
Muang Thong and Port fans were involved in a mass brawl outside SCG Stadium after their League Cup semi-final second leg in September 2016, leaving more than 10 people injured. Muang Thong beat Port 2-1 on the night and reached the final with a 3-2 aggregate win.
Fans of SCG Muang Thong United and Port were banned from entering any stadium for the rest of the season and both clubs were fined.
While the general impression is that football hooliganism is primarily a European thing, there have been quite a few high-profile violent incidents in Southeast Asia as well.
The rioting that followed Thailand’s 4-2 penalty shoot-out victory over hosts Indonesia in the 1997 Jakarta SEA Games football final following a 1-1 draw after extra time is one of the worst seen in this part of the world.
Unruly mobs ran riot on Jakarta roads, setting fires to parked vehicles. They threw stones at public transport vehicles and injured scores of innocent people while venting their rage over a sporting result in an event which is supposed to be all about friendship.
Later, during the 2014 AFF Championship, some members of “Inter Johor Firm” attacked the Vietnamese supporters’ area and many were injured as Malaysia went 2-1 behind.
In the 2015 Malaysian FA Cup, Singapore Lions XII players and their fans were stranded at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium for many hours, after Terengganu fans turned violent over their team’s failure to qualify for the final.
Later in the same year, a World Cup qualification match between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia was abandoned. Trouble started when the Saudis went 2-1 ahead and their fans were attacked by the Malaysian supporters.
The flares thrown by Ultras Thailand were not the only act of violence in the 2016 Suzuki Cup.
A little more than a week before the second leg of the final, the Indonesians had a close call in Hanoi as they drew with Vietnam 2-2 in the away game to claim a shock 4-3 aggregate win in the semi-finals.
The Indonesian team bus was attacked by angry Vietnamese football fans, forcing them to make a u-turn and dash for the My Dinh National Stadium, the venue for the match where there was a heavy presence of security officials.
It was never expected that such behaviour would one day plague Thailand, a country which prides itself on its unmatched hospitality and tolerance.
As far as Thai football is concerned, an AFC ruling on the trouble caused by Ultras Thailand is expected soon and it can lead to punishments which can include a fine, playing one or more matches without Thai fans and a suspension from international matches or even a mixture of these.
The Thai League is just beginning to be recognised as being a creditable professional football competition and Thailand have just started making their presence felt on the international scene. A few minutes of reckless excitement for Ultras can undo all that and result in a lengthy ban for the country.
As stated in the previous article, it is difficult for football authorities to solve this problem. They can only punish the clubs and national teams. It has to be down to the individual clubs to stop turning a blind eye to this disease which threatens world football.
Some of these”supporters” do not exactly make it difficult to pick them out, time to do just that and ban them from any football ground for life.
(Source: Hanif Hassan,Bangkok Post)