Controversial penalty trips Thailand

The first leg of the Asean Football Championship, which Thailand lost 2-1 to Singapore, was marred by controversy when play had to be suspended for around 15 minutes after the Thai team protested against what they deemed an unfair penalty kick awarded by Malaysian referee C Ravichandran.

The upset players walked off the field after national coach Chanwit Pholchivin came out to protest the referee's penalty decision with just nine minutes remaining.

The referee ruled that defender Niweat Siriwong had committed a foul on Singaporean Noh Alam Shah when the two tussled for the ball from a left-side free kick in the box even though no Singaporean player had protested and the contact was difficult to prove.

The disputed penalty kick, nonetheless, handed Singapore victory in the first of the two-leg finals.

The penalty decision only stirred up emotions in an already high-intensity game between the two countries whose bilateral diplomatic relations have dipped to their lowest point in many years.

The home team took the lead in the 17th minute and the Thais equalised four minutes after the break before the late penalty kick proved decisive.

Despite the setback, the Kingdom still have a chance to make up for their disappointment when they play host in the second leg this Sunday.

When Thailand, the region's dominant soccer side, faced off against Singapore in the first leg of the Asean Football Cham-pionship finals, there was a lot more at stake than just the title.

The excitement was already high for the much-anticipated match between the only two sides to have won the tournament formerly known as "Tiger Cup". And the current uneasy political relationship, following the row over a controversial meeting between deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra and a senior Singaporean cabinet member, only added spice to the contest.

Singaporean fans in red shirts queued up to enter the venue hours before the kick-off. The 55,000-capacity National Stadium was packed with enthusiastic fans. Amid the sea of red, there were still a few small yellow spots of Thai supporters in the stands.

The home fans gave the Thai team a cold welcome, with sounds of jeering ringing in the ears of the visitors throughout the game.

The game showed early signs of developing into a heated contest and a series of wild tackles marked the opening exchanges before the game ended in dramatic style.

The Nation

I watched the game and was amazed to see the Thai players walk off. It was quite embarrassing for Thailand

Did anyone else watch the game?

It was a disgrace.

Quote:Thailand could be kicked out of the Asean Football Championship for their protest against a penalty that helped Singapore gain a 2-1 home victory in the first leg of the final on Wednesday.

Emotions are running high in Thailand after fans saw the three-time champions go down in a controversial defeat.

The score was tied at 1-1 when Malaysian referee C Ravichandran awarded a highly debatable penalty to Singapore with eight minutes remaining after Noh Alam Shah went down in the box under a challenge from defender Niweat Siriwong - a decision that even seemed to surprise the Singaporean forward.

Thai fans and players felt the referee made several dubious decisions in favour of the hosts.

In one incident, the referee awarded Thailand a free kick but bizarrely measured the 10-yard distance from the wall instead of the set-piece spot as usual.

Thailand had already been angered by other decisions of the referee, and their protest over the penalty caused the match to be suspended for about 15 minutes after their players walked off the pitch.

Thailand team manager Tawat-chai Sajjakul is convinced his side will not receive any punishment when the Asean Football Federation (AFF) discusses the issue in its meeting today.

"I think we did nothing wrong, because the protest was in accordance with AFF regulations. The rules state the game can be stopped when any team protests but not for more than 15 minutes," said Tawatchai.

"The lads camped on the sidelines before they returned to the field in a period of time that I think was not more than the limit.

"We held the protest because if we had let play continue at that time, there was a high possibility the situation would escalate. We wanted to take a pause in order to make our players calm down.

"I don't think the AFF will punish us with a suspension for any of my players. If they want to hand punishment to us, they'll have to ban our whole team from the second leg, because we were all involved in the protest.

"Should they really ban us, it looks certain they'll have to do it to other teams in the future, because I think there will be other cases just like ours.

"There is a high possibility the tournament would come to an end. There would be no point in holding the event if such punishments continually happened."

The Nation

Quote:A SIX million baht ($270,000) bounty has been posted on the Lions' scalps.

The Thai press pack cannot wait to 'greet' the Lions upon their arrival in Bangkok. (Below) Indra Sahdan and his Lions team-mates show no fear as they touch down in the Thai capital.

Yesterday evening, Thai brewery Chang Beer made this stunning announcement in front of the Thailand national team preparing to face Singapore in tomorrow night's second leg of the Asean Football Championship final.

Is revenge in the air in Bangkok in light of Wednesday's explosive first leg where the Lions were awarded a controversial late penalty that gave them a 2-1 win?

Beer Chang director Thacana Siriwatanagukdee does not think so.

He said: 'Beer Chang has been sponsoring the FAT (Football Association of Thailand) and the Thai national team to the tune of 30 million baht a year.

'To encourage the team to victory in the Asean Football Championship final, we have decided to dangle a special bonus to the players.

'We will award four million baht if Thailand win the tournament. We will add a further two million if they manage to beat Singapore within 120 minutes (normal time plus extra-time).'

Thacana declined to comment if the cash booty, which will be shared by the squad of 22, is an incentive to stoke more fire into what is becoming a grudge match.

As for the Lions, team manager Eugene Loo has declined to comment on the bonuses awaiting Singapore if they retain their title.

In the meantime, the Lions found themselves in the media glare just after touching down at noon in the Land of Smiles.

Source: Electric New Paper Jan. 4, 2007
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/sports/stor...13,00.html
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