SATUN — A match between Satul and Khon Kaen football teams ended in chaos Sunday night after home team fans stormed the stadium and assaulted referees they believe were biased against their team.
The violence broke out at the end of the match, which the visiting team ultimately won 1-0. The score outraged some Satun United fans who felt cheated of victory by the referees, causing hundreds to surge onto the field and beat the refs into “confessing” on camera they’d been paid off to fix the match in Khon Kaen United’s favor.
Only a handful of police officers were stationed at the stadium. The referee, Karin Soisangwan, said at a news conference in Bangkok today he had no choice but to make a false confession to save himself from the angry mob.
“I thought, if I didn’t say the things that they want me to say, I won’t make it out alive,” Karin told reporters today.