Two well-known football teams from Pattaya exchanged insults on social media before facing each other on the pitch, leading to a mass brawl after the match ended.
On 7 Jan 2026 GMT+7, a Facebook user named Shockchif Wattham posted a video showing players from two teams violently fighting each other on a synthetic turf football field in South Pattaya, Moo 10, Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province. The poster commented, “They really went for it, like boxers. Stop playing football; it's scary.” The incident occurred in the evening on 6 January.
This afternoon, reporters visited the football field where the incident happened and spoke with the field manager. They confirmed the fight did occur, involving both players and supporters who rushed onto the pitch and fought. Regarding the cause, after the incident, both sides talked and resolved the issue before going their separate ways.
Later, reporters interviewed the match referee, Prasert Wangweng, 62, who said the incident happened during an 8-a-side league featuring mostly local teams. The clash was between the Khai Kem and Super Bom teams. Before the match, he learned the two teams had been in conflict since before the New Year due to insults exchanged on social media. Before kickoff, a player asked him, “Can I beat him up today?” He warned both sides to avoid any fights or he would cancel the match immediately.
The game began normally, but it was physical, and he issued several yellow cards. At full time, players from both teams started fighting, as seen in the video. When he tried to intervene, he was accidentally knocked down and injured his right knee. He then stopped trying to break up the fight because it was uncontrollable. Afterwards, both sides invited elders to mediate behind the pitch, and the referee did not get involved. The discussion lasted over two hours before they dispersed.
Prasert expressed disappointment about the incident, noting his 40-plus years in football and long involvement with the Pattaya club, nurturing many youth players. He hopes such events won’t happen again and wants Thai football to develop positively. He stressed that players fighting on the field damages the sport’s image.