Thai player denies: Didn't try to score an unsporting goal, it's all a misunderstanding

"I want to explain about the controversial goal last night. As a professional player, I never want to play football in an unsportsmanlike manner," Supachok Sarachat posted on his personal Instagram account. The Thai star received much criticism for his unsportsmanlike conduct in the second leg of the 2024 AFF Cup final against Vietnam. Even Thai media and fans have expressed disapproval of Supachok's behavior.

Explaining this controversial goal, Supachok insisted it was all a misunderstanding. He claimed he didn't know it was a situation where he should have returned the ball to the Vietnamese team and blamed... the referee. According to Supachok, he was upset with the referee at the time, demanding a VAR check to give a yellow card to the Vietnamese player, but he was refused.

The Vietnamese national team won the AFF Cup 2024 despite Thailand's unsportsmanlike conduct.

"I don't know which team kicked the ball out of bounds to attend to the injured Vietnamese player while I was questioning the referee. Angry at the referee's decision, coupled with the emotional atmosphere of the fans, when the game restarted and the ball was passed to my feet, I just shot instinctively."

Then suddenly the Vietnamese players ran up to me to complain. I tried to explain to everyone that I didn't know what was happening while I was angry with the referee's decision," the number 7 of the Thai national team explained.

Supachok stated: "As a professional player, throughout my career, I have never considered engaging in unsportsmanlike conduct. This happened simply due to a misunderstanding. Finally, I would like to congratulate the Vietnamese team on their victory and look forward to playing with you again."

Supachok scored a controversial goal. (Photo: Changsuek)

Supachok's explanation seems illogical. Following this controversial incident, the referee suggested that the Thai players compensate Vietnam with a goal. However, Supachok and his teammates, as well as the head coach of the Thai team, disagreed.

"Supachok Sarachat didn't break any rules, but from a sporting standpoint, he should have returned the ball to the opponent. Clearly, the Vietnamese goalkeeper deliberately put the ball out of bounds. The 2-1 goal didn't change the outcome much. However, this only added to the anger and excitement of the Vietnamese team," commented Siamsports of Thailand.

Xiao Ming

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/cau-thu-thai-lan-choi-cai-khong-phai-choi-xau-chi-la-hieu-lam-ar918624.html