Port made to forfeit match for blackout

Port made to forfeit match for blackout

Port chairwoman Nualphan Lamsam attends Tuesday's FAT meeting.
Port chairwoman Nualphan Lamsam attends Tuesday's FAT meeting.

Thai League 1 side Port were handed another 2-0 forfeit defeat on Tuesday following a power outage at their PAT Stadium just before a match on Sunday.

The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) disciplinary committee made the decision after a meeting of parties concerned, including Port chairwoman Nualphan Lamsam.

Port can appeal the ruling within 24 hours.

Sunday's Thai League 1 match between Port and SCG Muang Thong United was called off after a power transformer blew up 30 minutes before the scheduled 6pm start of the game.

Last month, Port were slapped with a 2-0 loss to Police Tero for a power outage during a league match at PAT Stadium.

After yesterday's meeting, FAT disciplinary committee chairman Amnuay Nimmano said Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) officials confirmed that the incident was caused by a short circuit.

He said it was not an act of 'ill-intentioned people' as speculated by certain media outlets.

"The power transformer belongs to Port and not to the MEA. It was the home team's fault that the stadium was not ready for the match so they face a 2-0 forfeit," Amnuay said.

The rules stipulate that a match should be postponed to a later date in a force majeure event such as a floodlight failure caused by lightning or a water-logged pitch caused by a heavy downpour.

But Amnuay said Sunday's blackout was not deemed a force majeure event.

"This was Port's fault," he said.

"I'd like to repeat that this was not an act of 'ill-intentioned people.' EOD [Explosive Ordinance Disposal] officers also dismissed it and insisted it was caused by a short circuit."

With yesterday's decision, FA Cup winners Port are eighth in the Thai League 1 table with 13 points from eight games.

Last month, Port also dropped points due to power failure at their stadium in Klong Toey.

Their match against Police Tero was tied 1-1 with a few minutes left when the incident took place. The game was called off and Port were punished with a 2-0 defeat.

Earlier yesterday, Nualphan said she had asked the FAT to permit Port to play their home games at another venue for the remainder of the first half of the season.

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