Kiatisak fears the worst as AFF mulls action against Thailand
National coach Kiatisak Senamuang fears his side may have to play the World Cup qualifier next year without the presence of fans as he contemplated the consequences of ultra fans’ action in lighting flares during the Asean Championship second leg final at Rajamangala National Stadium this month.
The December 17 fixture came under spotlight after a supporter group dubbed “Ultra Thailand” lit flares during the Kingdom’s 2-0 home win over Indonesia that enabled them to overcome a first-leg deficit and win back-to-back titles with a 32 aggregate success, their fifth overall to become the most successful country in the biennial tournament.
The regional governing body Asean Football Federation (AFF) is expected to rule on Thailand’s case in the first week of January. The potential sanctions range from a fine to being banned from hosting a home fixture.
Thailand’s hopes of securing their maiden appearance in the World Cup finals are effectively all but over. They sit at the bottom of the Group B table at the halfway mark with only a single point from five games in the last-12 round of Asian qualifying for the 2018 tournament in Russia.
Thailand, who rose to the 126th spot in world ranking last week on the back of their Asean triumph, are due to play at home in three of their five remaining World Cup qualifiers, starting with the Saudi Arabia fixture in March. The former national striker admitted that it would be a major setback if the AFF imposed a ban on Thai fans from attending the game at home as he looks to help the country finish their campaign strongly.
“If we have to play home games without our fans as a result of some supporters lighting flares it would deal a big blow to us. We hope to claim six or seven points from three home games against Middle East opponents, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Iraq,” said the 43-year-old.
