Thailand National Stadium degraded after only two SEA Games matches

All goals of the match U22 Vietnam 2-1 U22 Laos On the afternoon of December 3, U22 Vietnam easily defeated U22 Laos in the opening match of Group B of the men's football SEA Games 33 at Rajamangala Stadium.

Without having to be too observant, fans can easily see that the grass at Rajamangala Stadium on the evening of December 3 was not well taken care of. After the first match between U22 Vietnam and Laos in Group B, the field seemed to be overloaded for the second match between host U22 Thailand and Timor-Leste.

The grass on the field is not cohesive enough, easily torn up by the players' cleats after just a few normal collisions. The middle area of the field is where the grass is weakest, with many large holes, causing danger and increasing the risk of injury.

Before that, from the match of U22 Vietnam, the field was affected, causing difficulties for the players. After the first match, the organizers had to bring in specialized vehicles and a team of grass care workers to the field.

The lighting system on the field also had problems. In the second half of the U22 Vietnam match, workers had to repair the lighting system during the match. The lights were turned on quite late even though it was already dark, affecting the visibility on the field.

Previously, the most notable incident on the opening day of the SEA Games was the sound system malfunctioning, unable to play music during the national anthems of the U22 teams of Vietnam and Laos. The SEA Games Organizing Committee later issued an official apology to the two teams.