Thailand was fined nearly 1.4 billion VND by AFC for flares

Flares appeared in Thailand's 1-4 loss to South Korea at Pathum Thani Stadium on June 26. On September 8, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) decided to fine Thailand 60,000 USD, equivalent to 1.44 billion VND. If the offense is repeated, the Thai Football Federation (FAT) will face more severe penalties.

The above penalty is the heaviest ever for Thai football related to flares. AFC is strict as this is not the first time Thailand has let this situation happen.

Previously, FAT had to pay a fine of $70,000 due to fans lighting flares at the Asian beach soccer tournament in March 2023. The amount is the total of four penalties corresponding to four matches in the tournament.

At the AFF Cup 2022, FAT was fined $20,000 by the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) for a similar error in Thailand's 4-0 win over the Philippines in the group stage.

FAT strongly condemned the act of lighting fireworks and asked the police to investigate and find the excessive fans. However, no case has been handled since FAT issued its notice at the end of June 2023. AFC once warned that it would ban Thailand from organizing international tournaments, but never imposed a fine.

Since the beginning of 2023, FAT has been fined a total of 164,000 USD, equivalent to 4 billion VND. In addition to the three flare penalties mentioned above, Thailand was fined $14,000 for a brawl with Indonesia at the 32nd SEA Games final in May in Cambodia.