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The match, held on Sunday night at Nong Prue Stadium, was a tense encounter with eight yellow cards and four goals. Pattaya's equalizer in the 80th minute sparked major controversy, as Kanchanaburi players argued that the foul occurred outside the penalty area.
However, because Thai League 2 does not have VAR, the referee's decision remained unchanged.
At the final whistle, several Kanchanaburi team members surrounded the referee crew to protest the penalty call, requiring intervention from stadium security. Some home fans began aggressively provoking the visiting team from the stands.
Near Stand A, Park responded in frustration to a group of foreign Pattaya supporters. The South Korean manager, visibly furious, used explicit language and challenged the fans to come down onto the pitch to confront him. Another South Korean assistant coach also reacted with anger.
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| Coach Park Hang-seo reacts to the referee during the Kanchanaburi FC vs Muang Loei United match, which ended in a 1-1 draw in Thai League 2 on Oct. 17, 2026. Photo by Kanchanaburi FC |
The situation grew so intense that Kanchanaburi president Prawat Kitthammakunnit had to step onto the pitch to de-escalate the situation. He urgently signaled for his team to head to the dressing room before the situation spiraled out of control.
According to Kanchanaburi officials, the group of foreign Pattaya fans had repeatedly provoked Park with vulgar gestures and called him "Kimchi man," a derogatory term for Koreans, FN News reported.
Forward John Baggio, who opened the scoring against Pattaya, also became a target for this group of supporters. The player was outraged after being called a "midget" and a "monkey."
"The terms 'monkey' and 'kimchi' were used. This is highly uncivilized," Kitthammakunnit wrote on Facebook. "Baggio is a victim of racism. This is a serious issue and remaining silent would be a disaster."
The incident will be reported to the organizers of Thailand's professional football leagues for disciplinary measures.
Kanchanaburi also expressed dissatisfaction with the referee's decision to award the penalty that allowed Pattaya to equalize. Kitthammakunnit posted a photo of an edited line extending the penalty area to the spot where the foul occurred, accompanied by a sarcastic remark towards the referee.
This is not the first time this season that Kanchanaburi has publicly accused referees of making serious errors. The first instance occurred during a 1-1 draw against Nakhon Pathom in the third round on Sept. 16. Coach Park argued that the referee was wrong to issue a second yellow card to forward Jo, and further claimed that Nakhon Pathom’s goal should have been disallowed for offside.
"Now I understand why Thailand keep losing to Vietnam. It’s because of decisions like these," Park said at the time, as reported by SBS. "Perhaps this is the very reason why Thai football cannot progress any further."
Kanchanaburi FC manager Park Hang-seo lost his temper with Pattaya United fans after receiving racial slurs at the 2-2 draw in Thai League 2 on Nov. 1, 2026. Video by Facebook/Berny Zimmer
His comments sparked backlash within the Thai football community, prompting him to issue an apology a day later, clarifying he had no intention of undervaluing the Thailand national team.
In the fifth round on Oct. 9, Kanchanaburi lost 1-2 away to Phrae United. Park once again criticized the referee for awarding a penalty to the hosts that led to an equalizer in the 23rd minute. The referee ruled that Pakapol Boonchuay had fouled Chaiyasit Popoon inside the box. Without VAR to review the play, the call stood.
Kanchanaburi lodged a complaint regarding the decision. After reviewing the match footage, the Referees' Committee of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) concluded that Popoon had fallen on his own and that the penalty call was incorrect. The head referee was suspended from duty for six weeks.
In the seventh round, Kanchanaburi drew 1-1 away against Muang Loei United after the hosts equalized in the sixth minute of stoppage time. After the final whistle, Park rushed onto the pitch to confront head referee Rangsan Kangchainguan, but was intercepted by his assistants and the fourth official. The manager was furious because the referee had previously given only five minutes of added time.
Despite being held back, Park waited at the entrance to the tunnel for the head referee. Match organizers had to send police officers to escort the referees and prevent Park from approaching them. Park continued into the tunnel, voicing his complaints in the presence of referee supervisors.
Kanchanaburi currently sit 6th in Thai League 2 with 14 points. Khon Kaen United lead the table with 21 points, followed by Nongbua Pitchaya in second place with 17 points. The top two teams in Thai League 2 will earn automatic promotion to Thai League 1 for next season, while the teams finishing third through sixth will compete in a play-off for the final promotion spot.
