Muangthong banned from home stadium for five matches
The Football Association of Thailand’s disciplinary committee on Tuesday banned Muangthong United from using their stadium for the next five home games and also barred fans of the Thai League leaders and second-tier outfit Port FC from attending games unt
The moves came in response to crowd violence that broke out after their League Cup semifinal second leg at Muangthong’s SCG Stadium last week. Muangthong have also been fined Bt166,666 and Port Bt133,333 while any meeting between the two teams next season must be held behind closed doors.
The sanctions have immediate effect, but the three-time Thai League champions will be allowed to stage home games if they propose new security measures that are approved by the FA.
The association initially imposed a homegame ban on both clubs pending an investigation into fighting that left a dozen fans injured. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, which secured a 3-2 aggregate win for Muangthong and a berth in the final against Thai League rivals Buriram United next month at neutral venue, Supachalasai Stadium.
Animosity between the two sets of supporters has been festering since a mass brawl erupted on the terraces during a 2010 King’s Trophy match, the traditional curtainraiser for the domestic season, which caused the game to be abandoned.
They came to blows again at the end of a Muangthong home game two years ago, when Port were in the top flight. That incident saw the two clubs deducted nine points and fined Bt300,000 each, while their fans were banned from attending the last three games of the season.
