Flare use could cost Thailand AFC hosting rights: FA Thailand

The Football Association of Thailand (FA Thailand) issued a statement today appealing to football fans not to light flares during matches, warning that such actions could subject Thailand to heavy fines or prevent it from hosting the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup in the future.

In the statement, FA Thailand cited the quarter-final match on April 12 between the Thai and South Korean U20 teams, when flares were lit by some Thai fans at Thammasat University Stadium in Pathum Thani. The Thai team lost 2-1 to South Korea and missed the chance to advance to the semi-finals.

FA Thailand said bringing flares or other dangerous materials into the stadium is a violation of the regulations of both the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and FIFA, adding that the association has previously been penalised for misconduct by some Thai fans involving the lighting of flares during matches.

Lighting flares in a crowded stadium is distracting, dangerous and irresponsible, and could cause harm to spectators, players and officials, while tarnishing the image of the competition and the game as a whole, the association said.