Thailand put up a petition to AFC after a bitter defeat

The purpose of the letter is not to oppose the AFC decisions but to require an explanation of the AFC regarding the assignment of the referee team and those responsible for VAR in the confrontation between U23 Thailand vs U23 Saudi Arabia.

Accordingly, the Thai Football Federation wants to focus on three main requirements. The first is a request to review the controversial decision of the referees. In the quarterfinal match of the AFC U23 Championship 2020 finals, the referee repeatedly sent a yellow card to the Thai U23 players while ignoring many U23 Saudi’s fouls.

Second, the FAT wishes AFC to review the decision to select an arbitration team in the same area with the participating teams. The referee controlled the match of Thailand U23 (Mr. Ahmed Al-Kaf), who is originally from Oman - a country in the same region as Saudi Arabia.

Finally, Thai footballers want to clarify the procedures related to the decision of the VAR arbitration team about the situation of Thailand U23 penalty. Are there any verbal instructions? Did they follow the rules?

The content of the letter also said that FAT would like to express sincere thanks to all of the fans whose passion has boosted players’ confidence in Thailand. All players, coaches, staff and tournament attendees are very grateful for this sentiment.

Controversy situation occurred in the 76th minute between U23 Thailand and U23 Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals of AFC U23 Championship 2020. From a collision situation in the penalty area, the referee decided to give Saudi Arabia a penalty after using VAR.

On the penalty spot, Abdullah Al Hamdan coolly defeated the opposing goalkeeper to clear the deadlock. This is also the only goal of the match, helping U23 Saudi Arabia to participate in the AFC U23 Championship 2020 semis.

This situation has caused controversy in the Thai community. Most of them said the referee was too strict to give a penalty in this situation. The advice of the VAR arbitration team shortly thereafter also lacked accuracy and did not fulfill its responsibility.

However, no matter how the reaction, the decision of the referee will not be changed.