In the men's final of the Southeast Asian Games, Indonesia U22 won the championship after beating Thailand U22 5-2 in extra time. The ups and downs of the game and three violent clashes between the players on both sides made this final a real scandal.
The course of the game with twists and turns
First, let's review the course of the game, with Indonesia Under-22s scoring two goals in the first half and Thailand Under-22s scoring one in the 65th minute. In the 9th minute of second-half stoppage time, the referee blew the whistle to punish the Indonesian player for a foul, but the Indonesian player and the coaching staff mistakenly thought that the referee blew the final whistle, and celebrated wildly.
After the game resumed, the Thai player took advantage of the free-kick to drag the game into extra time. In extra time, Indonesia scored three goals in a row to win the title.
The ups and downs have made this final go down in history, however, the players and coaching staff of the two sides clashed three times, which turned this unprecedented final into a farce and scandal.
7 red and 11 yellow set a record
When referee Khatami blew his whistle in the 9th minute of second-half stoppage time to foul an Indonesian player, the Indonesian player and coach celebrated wildly, which made the Thai players unhappy.
So, after equalizing with a free kick, the Thai coaching staff rushed to the Indonesian bench to celebrate wildly. In the first minute of extra time, when Indonesia scored again, the premeditated Indonesian coaching staff rushed to the Thai bench, this time the two sides broke out fiercely, and the players on the field also participated in the clash, punching and kicking each other.
After the police intervened, the players and coaching staff of the two sides were separated. The Indonesian team leader was knocked to the ground and left the stadium with the help of the police and coaches. After separating the two sides, referee Khatami sent off two Thai assistants and two Thai players in one go, and an Indonesian player was also sent off.
After the game resumed, two more Thai players received red cards. In the end, the referee showed a total of 7 red cards and 11 yellow cards, setting a record for the men's final of the Southeast Asian Games. In fact, in international matches, the referee showed a total of 18 cards, second only to the 2022 World Cup match between the Netherlands and Argentina, when Lajous showed a total of 19 cards.
The two teams have long had a grudge
In fact, this is not the first time such a fierce clash has broken out between the two teams. In the men's semifinals of the 1977 Southeast Asian Games, after the referee sent off two Indonesian players with red cards, he completely lost control of the game and had to blow a halt in the 60th minute. In the end, the organizing committee found that the Indonesian players violated sportsmanship and ruled that Thailand had won.
In the men's semifinals of the 2022 Southeast Asian Games, the referee showed four more red cards, of which the Indonesian player received three red cards and the Thai player received one red card.
The Thai Football Association publicly apologized
Thailand coach Seritaro publicly apologized, saying: "Both teams were unable to remain calm and we learned that players must learn to control themselves in any situation. ”
The Thai Football Association also issued a statement apology afterwards, saying, "The Thai Football Association expressed its disappointment at the chaos that occurred in the final and apologized to the fans and the organizers of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games." The Thai Under-22 players made a bad impression and made a big impact around the world, damaging the image of Thai football. ”
"In order to maintain the good image of Thai football and sports, we will set up an investigation committee to find out the cause of the incident and will punish them."
The referee was shelled
Sumarji, the Indonesian U22 team leader whose lip was broken, said in an interview, "Actually, I have been dissuading everyone, but it was me who was hit. I was not seriously injured, which was part of this incident. ”
Indonesia Under-22 coach Shafri believes the Thai coaching staff provoked the clash, but he is also disappointed that his players cannot control their emotions, "Such a move is not allowed in the final of the Southeast Asian Games and in any competition." When they equalised, some people ran to our bench to celebrate. ”
"After we were 3-2 up, some of my players also went to the technical area of the opponent to do it, which was unacceptable. I will not tolerate my own players doing that. ”
When asked why the Indonesian player misheard the whistle, Shafri blamed the referee, "It was supposed to be 9 minutes of stoppage time, and it was already 9 minutes, I thought the game was over, but I don't know why it was 2 more minutes." This brings 11 minutes of stoppage time. ”
The final attracted global media attention, with Vietnamese media calling it "the most exciting and violent final in history." Marca newspaper argued that the referee's enforcement led to the conflict, arguing that it was the biggest mistake of the year, "The referee made an incomprehensible decision, and everything was normal before the Indonesian player mistakenly thought he blew the final whistle." The mistake provoked the ire of players from both teams. ”
ESPN noted, "It was an ugly and chaotic final, a conflict remembered for a wrong penalty." India's Morning Post commented, "This is the craziest final in the history of the Southeast Asian Games!" ”