Thai coach: 'Indonesia lacks sportsmanship'
At the end of the first half, an Indonesian player injured his head, so the referee blew the whistle to stop the game when the ball was in the air and not under the control of any team. After the Indonesian player left the field on a stretcher, the referee handed the ball to captain Rizky Ridho, when the Thai player was ordered not to contest the ball. Ridho surged up near the Thai penalty area, letting striker Ramadhan Sananta take the opportunity to throw the ball over goalkeeper Soponwit Rakyart's head into the net, raising the score to 2-0 for Indonesia.
The Thai player complained to the Omani referee Kassem Matar Al-Hatmi, because they thought that Ridho should have returned the ball to Thailand. But Mr. Al-Hatmi still recognized the goal after consulting with the line referee.
"As a coach, I am ready to accept defeats 0-7 or 0-10, with no regrets," Mr. Issara told MetaSports after the 2-5 defeat at the Olympic Stadium on the evening of May 16. "But conceding a goal against Indonesia in this way is unacceptable. We reacted to the referee but he said the goal was not illegal. But Indonesia played without sportsmanship."
Issara added that he was pleased with the Thai player's fighting spirit, scoring twice in the second half to equalize, sending the game into extra time. When striker Yotsakorn Burapha scored at the end of the second half, the Thai coaching staff and players ran to provoke the whole Indonesian team, leading to a melee. When Irfan Jauhari scored to make it 3-2 early in extra time, Indonesia turned to provoke again and caused a second kick.
The referee had to issue seven red cards and 12 yellow cards this match, mainly from the two brawls mentioned above. "The match has almost nothing to do with football," Mr. Issara commented. "In extra time, the two sides were kicked out one after another, making it seem like there were only seven people left on each side. This is a lesson for young Thai players, so that they know how to control their mentality at an important moment." .
Issara still feels that Thailand can turn the situation around in extra time, but midfielder Jonathan Khemdee's red card has taken it all away. Thailand conceded two more goals. And Indonesia won the SEA Games men's football for the first time since 1991.
