Thai football chiefs apologise after fighting

A fight breaks out on the sidelines of the men's football final match between Thailand and Indonesia during the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Phnom Penh on Tuesday. (Photo: AFP)
A fight breaks out on the sidelines of the men's football final match between Thailand and Indonesia during the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Phnom Penh on Tuesday. (Photo: AFP)

Thai football bosses apologised and vowed to investigate on Wednesday after their Southeast Asian Games men's final against Indonesia saw two mass brawls and four red cards.

Thailand lost 5-2 after extra time on Tuesday, ending the game in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh with eight players on the field.

One of those sent off was the Thai goalkeeper after he ran half the length of the pitch to join in the second brawl, delivering a diving punch to an opponent.

"The FA of Thailand must apologise for the clash on the touchline," the body said in a statement, adding it would "set up a committee to investigate those involved as soon as possible and will take decisive measures".

The final had been billed as a chance for Indonesia to restore some pride to its football following a deadly stadium disaster and the loss of hosting the Under-20 World Cup.

While the team won, the game will be more widely remembered for the scenes which began in the 97th minute when Thailand -- who had been 2-0 down -- scored to make it 2-2 and force extra time.

Thai officials celebrated by running over to the Indonesia bench, prompting the first melee.

When Indonesia took the lead back early in extra time, their officials did the same, with even more violent results.

Punches and kicks were landed, and security officers had to intervene. Both teams had a player sent off and members of coaching staff were also dismissed.

Another two Thai players were sent off during extra time for second yellow cards.

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Vocabulary

  • bench: a long seat for two or more people, usually made of wood - กระดานนั่ง, ม้านั่ง
  • body: a group of people who work or act together, often for an official purpose, or who are connected in some other way - กลุ่มคน, นิติบุคคล
  • brawl: a rough, noisy, uncontrolled fight - การทะเลาะกัน, การวิวาท
  • clash: a brief fight between two or more people - การปะทะกันสองฝ่าย
  • committee: a group of people who are chosen, usually by a larger group, to make decisions or to deal with a particular subject - คณะกรรมการ
  • disaster: an extremely bad situation - ความโชคร้าย
  • intervene: to become involved in a situation in order to try to stop or change it - แทรกแซง
  • melee: a large noisy uncontrolled crowd, in which people are moving in different directions and sometimes fighting with each other - การต่อสู้การชุลมุน
  • opponent: a person or team being competed against in a sports event - คู่ต่อสู้
  • pride: a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction that you get when you, or someone connected with you, have achieved something special - ความภาคภูมิใจ
  • punch: a hard hit made with the fist (= closed hand) - การชก, การต่อย
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