Thailand launch protest over ‘mistake-prone’ referee

Nawaf Alabid’s late penalty consigned the Thai side to a narrow defeat in their Group B opener at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh on Thursday, a result that left a bitter taste.

The 120th-ranked Thai team felt hard done by after putting on a spirited display that saw them push the Saudis, sitting 59 places above them in the world rankings, to the limit. But their efforts were undone by the Chinese official’s decision to award the hosts a spot-kick nine minutes from time.

The penalty decision hardly improved the Thais’ mood over the performance of Ming, who also opted to award a free kick on the edge of the box instead of pointing to the spot when Teerasil Dangda was brought down by the home keeper in the first half.

Midfielder Sarach Yooyen, who gave away the penalty with a clumsy-looking challenge, was shown a second yellow card when he sought an explanation from the referee after the final whistle. The Muangthong United player is now suspended for Thailand’s next game at home to four-time Asian champions Japan on Tuesday.

National coach Kiatisak Senamuang refused to blame his team for failing to claim at least a point and pinpointed the penalty decision as the “turning point” in the game.

“First of all, congratulations to the Saudis for the win. Both sides played well today. The lads stuck by our tactics, but the turning points were when we were first denied a penalty and they were handed one late on.

“The penalty was not the fault of anyone in my team. Even though we failed to pick up any points, the lads gave it everything. We hope the fans were pleased with our performance,” said the 43-year-old, who spearheaded the Thai side in their only previous appearance in Asia’s final World Cup qualifying round, 15 years ago.

The former national striker admitted his side was dealt a serious blow by Sarach’s suspension for Tuesday’s home fixture against a wounded Japanese side smarting from a shock 2-1 defeat at home to UAE.

“Without Sarach, we have a big problem in midfield. We have to see who we have to fill the defensive midfield role. The rules allow us to bring in a replacement, but Sarach would stay with the team. He’s part of our group even though he won’t be able to play,” Kiatisak said of the player, who broke down in tears after learning he would be suspended for the Japan match.

Thai FA chief Somyot Poompanmuang revealed the association would lodge a written protest with Fifa against the Chinese referee, who he said had made several mistakes during the game, and confirmed Thailand would also appeal against Sarach’s suspension.