NONG: Chanathip puts Thailand at risk of severe AFC penalties

The win against Turkmenistan earned Thailand a spot in the 2027 Asian Cup finals with great joy, but Chanathip's act of lighting flares after the match opens the possibility of the Golden Temple's football association being punished by AFC.

Following the 2-1 victory over Turkmenistan on March 31 evening, the Thai national team concluded the qualifying round with 15 points from 6 matches and officially qualified for the 2027 Asian Cup finals. However, according to Thairath's report, the post-match focus was not solely on the qualification ticket, but also on the celebratory action of Chanathip Songkrasin alongside a group of fans in the stands.

Specifically, when the players circled the pitch to thank supporters in zone S of the stands, a group of fans handed flares to Chanathip to ignite. This is believed to be a pre-arranged promise, stating that if Thailand won the match, he would carry it out. And precisely that detail is now putting Thai football at risk of AFC "cracking down."

According to sources cited by Thairath, the Football Association of Thailand could face a penalty amounting to hundreds of thousands of Baht due to the aforementioned incident. However, the severity of the penalty still largely depends on the match supervisor's report, particularly how the incident is described and categorized in the documentation submitted to the organizing committee.

A point that might help Thailand avoid an excessively heavy penalty lies in the timing of the incident. The flares were ignited only after the match had concluded, not disrupting the competition, nor causing direct damage to the pitch or facilities. If the incident is determined to be merely a post-match violation, the penalty could be lighter compared to cases affecting the match itself.

Notably, before handling the flare, Chanathip had urged fans not to ignite flares during the match. After the Thai national team achieved its goal, he fulfilled his promise and ignited flares amidst the fervent atmosphere.

Nevertheless, this is not the first time Thai football has encountered a similar situation. Previously, AFC has repeatedly penalized the Football Association of Thailand for fans' flare ignition incidents. During the AFF Cup 2022, after Thailand defeated Philippines 4-0 on December 26, 2022, the host team was fined $20,000, approximately 672,000 Baht, also due to an incident in zone S of the stands.

Not only in 11-player football, Thai football has also received similar penalties in beach soccer tournaments. At the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup 2025, Thailand's 4-3 victory over Kuwait on March 24, 2025 at Jomtien Beach Arena, Pattaya, Chonburi province also resulted in the host team being fined $20,000. Additionally, during hosting of the same tournament in 2019 and 2023, Thailand was fined a total of $70,000 for flare-related violations.

Therefore, although the victory over Turkmenistan holds significant professional importance, the Thai national team cannot yet fully savor the joy. With Chanathip directly igniting flares post-match, attention has now shifted from the Asian Cup qualification ticket to the likelihood of AFC imposing penalties, which will undoubtedly add anxiety for fans of the Golden Temple nation.