U.23 Thailand suffered a heavy shock, a famous fan group boycotted SEA Games 33: Unexpected reason...

According to AFP, a famous Thai football fan group called 'Ultras Thailand' decided to boycott the 33rd SEA Games, protesting the organizing committee's regulations on tickets and the requirement to register personal information.

U.23 Thailand lost support from home fans

Members of the "Ultras Thailand" fan group said they also expressed their dissatisfaction with the fact that Thai U23 team fans will not be allowed to sit behind the goal, according to a statement posted on social media.

U.23 Thailand faced a shock when fans boycotted SEA Games 33, losing support at home.

Photo: Dong Nguyen Khang

Previously, this group of fans had pledged to attend all football matches at the 33rd SEA Games hosted by Thailand this December. However, they recently announced that they will not set foot in the stadium until the Sports Authority of Thailand resolves their complaints.

"Forcing people to register their personal information before entering the stadium is a violation of the basic freedoms of sports spectators," the message from "Ultras Thailand" said.

The group expressed concern that requiring identification documents put them at risk of cyberattacks, calling the requirement “not safe, but unfair”. They also rejected the management of cheering areas in stadiums, according to AFP.

"The arrangement of a dedicated area for away fans behind the goal gives the away team an advantage, and reduces the pressure behind the goal that has always been placed on Ultras Thailand fans. We stand by the national team, but we will not surrender to the management of the Sports Authority of Thailand for this football event," the statement added.

AFP said they could not immediately contact the Sports Authority of Thailand or the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) for further information on the incident on December 1.

Meanwhile, the Thai press asked: "What is happening? Why did Ultras Thailand boycott the 33rd SEA Games, boycott the U.23 team, causing them to lose the support from home fans? Thai football is putting all its efforts into winning back the SEA Games men's football gold medal. Losing the support from home fans will cause the players to lose motivation, and the Thai U.23 team will lose its home field advantage."

Thailand is the host of the 33rd SEA Games, officially opening from December 9 to December 20. In particular, the men's football matches will take place early, from December 3 with the opening match between U.23 Thailand and U.23 Timor Leste at 7 p.m. at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok in Group A. Before that, at 4 p.m., the match between U.23 Vietnam and U.23 Laos in Group B will take place.

U.23 Vietnam (red shirt) will have an advantage after the group stage schedule of men's football at SEA Games 33 changed.

Photo: Dong Nguyen Khang

At the 33rd SEA Games, there was also a big change in men's football after the Cambodian U.23 team withdrew. The organizing committee made adjustments and changes. Specifically:

Group A (all matches take place at 7 p.m. at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok), with the opening match between U.23 Thailand and U.23 Timor Leste on December 3; U.23 Singapore and U.23 Timor Leste on December 6; and U.23 Thailand and U.23 Singapore on December 11.

Group B (all matches take place at 4 p.m. at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok), with U.23 Vietnam meeting U.23 Laos on December 3; U.23 Malaysia meeting U.23 Laos on December 6; and U.23 Vietnam meeting U.23 Malaysia on December 11.

Group C (all matches take place at 6 p.m. at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Chiang Mai City), with U.23 Myanmar meeting U.23 Philippines on December 5; U.23 Philippines meeting U.23 Indonesia on December 8; and U.23 Indonesia meeting U.23 Myanmar on December 12.

According to this new schedule, the U.23 Indonesia team will be at a slight disadvantage compared to the two opponents U.23 Thailand and U.23 Vietnam in the competition for the gold medal, when they have to play two consecutive matches in the group stage from December 8. If they reach the semi-finals, they will also have fewer days off than the two opponents above.

Despite the change in the tournament table and schedule, the group stage of the men's football SEA Games 33 remains unchanged, with the 3 group winners and the 1 second-placed team with the best record advancing to the semi-finals. The semi-finals (taking place on December 15), the bronze medal match and the final (HCV) all take place at Rajamangala Stadium (on the same day, December 18).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-thai-lan-gap-cu-soc-nhom-cdv-noi-tieng-tay-chay-sea-games-33-185251202095047395.htm