Thailand v Lebanon: Brawls, Pouting, Pitch Walkoffs & Mistaken Identity.

January 22nd, 2009 | by: chris |

One probably wouldn’t expect much out of a Thailand v Lebanon international fixture. Judging by the “stadium” this game was played, everyone else is on the same wavelength. But when the game involves two brawls and not one, but two pitch walkoffs – well, gimme Thailand v Lebanon any day.

There’s really little besides 3 seconds of pseudo-brawl in the video – we’re still holding out hope more than one tv channel across the globe decided to whip up some highlights, hope is not high – but the game recap reads like a South American domestic league game. It even has a case of “mistaken identity”. Fantastic.

Team staff and stunned security guards twice had to enter the field to stop fights triggered by repeated scuffling between Lebanon’s Zakaria Charara and Thai defender Suree Sukha during the hosts’ 2-1 win in Phuket. With 14 minutes remaining, in an apparent case of mistaken identity, Charara struck Surat Sukha in the head in retaliation for his twin brother Suree’s earlier foul.

After the ensuing brawl, Lebanon stormed off the field in protest and were told to remain on the sidelines by incensed coach Emile Rustom, who had to be talked into resuming the match by Thai soccer president Worawi Makudi.

Five minutes later, Suree escaped a booking by the Thai referee after another vicious tackle on Charara, who started another melee by slapping Suree and captain Datsakorn Thonglao in the face.

Walking off the pitch and then returning really isn’t all that convincing, but coming back with the double slap in the face leaves no room for interpretation: they ain’t messin’ around – though number 9 in the vid desperately needs to work on not slapping like a 6 year old girl. Clearly we need more Thai & Lebanese football in our lives.