Summary of the events where Ratchaburi fans and players fled for their lives at Persib Bandung’s home ground, an intense ACL 2 battleground that has been heated since the first match in Thailand.
On 19 Feb 2026, the "Dragon Kings" Ratchaburi FC made club history by reaching the ACL 2 (AFC Champions League 2) 2025/26 quarterfinals for the first time. Although they lost the second leg 0-1 away to Persib Bandung, their 3-0 home win in the first leg secured a 3-1 aggregate victory.
However, this victory came at a cost, marked by terrifying incidents involving the home fans escalating to the point that Ratchaburi supporters called on the AFC to impose a ban, saying they should never face such situations again. Fortunately, no one was injured.
The trouble began in the first leg in Thailand. Although Ratchaburi won decisively 3-0 at home, tensions rose after the match when fans from both sides clashed verbally and threw objects at each other, forcing officials to intervene and restore order.
Upon visiting Persib Bandung, Ratchaburi faced hostile receptions starting the night before the match, with fireworks set off near their hotel. Experienced fans who had visited Persib Bandung twice warned that there is no barrier between visiting and home fans, leading to face-to-face confrontations. Despite hundreds of security guards, provocations occurred continuously before and after the game, especially afterward.
In the second leg, the "Dragon Kings" Ratchaburi FC were greeted with chants of "Rich, Rich, Rich" at the entrance. They finished the job by losing 0-1 to Persib Bandung but won 3-1 on aggregate, securing their first-ever ACL 2 2025/26 quarterfinal spot.
Immediately after the final whistle, Persib Bandung fans went berserk, invading the pitch and throwing water bottles at Ratchaburi players, forcing the "Dragon Kings" to flee to the locker rooms. They had to wait until the situation calmed before leaving the stadium, with police heavily guarding to prevent crowds from breaking into the rooms.
The situation in the stands was equally critical. Lawyer Joe from Ratchaburi recounted that Thai fans attending the match were pelted with objects by home fans. When bottle throwing and even bomb throwing began, police advised fans to remove flags and change shirts to avoid being targeted, then moved them into the VIP room for shelter.
After the match, fans had to quickly leave the VIP room due to safety concerns. "Boss Fluke," Ratchaburi’s club president, came to escort them to the visitors’ locker rooms under the stands for protection.
Lawyer Joe further revealed that when the Ratchaburi team staff and fans left the stadium, they found home fans waiting on motorcycles, chasing and shouting insults all along the route. They had to switch from bus to van to evade the pursuit before safely reaching their hotel.
He stated, “The moment we escaped by switching from the bus to a van to get to the hotel in Bandung, AFC must ban this. We should never have to face this again. Luckily, no one was injured.”
Meanwhile, the players arrived safely at the hotel, accompanied by police and military officers who provided security throughout the journey.
For the quarterfinals, Ratchaburi FC will wait for the result on 19 February between Gamba Osaka (Japan) and Pohang Steelers (South Korea) to see who will be their next opponent on this historic path.
Photo credit: Lawyer Joe, Ratchaburi