Park Hang-seo says player was target of racial slurs and insults before confrontation

Park Hang-seo, manager of Kanchanaburi Power FC in Thailand's second-division football league, said a spectator who appeared to support the opposing team had directed continuous verbal abuse and demeaning remarks at one of his players — offering new context for a post-match confrontation in which Park himself was subjected to racist taunts.

According to Yonhap, the incident occurred Sunday after Kanchanaburi drew 2-2 with Pattaya United in an away fixture of the 2026-2027 Thailand League 2 season at Nong Prue Stadium in Pattaya.

Local media reported that a spectator believed to be a Pattaya supporter repeatedly shouted "kimchi man" at Park as he made his way toward the locker room, and also directed appearance-based insults at Madagascan midfielder John Baggio.

Park initially put a finger to his lips to signal the spectator to be quiet, but as the taunting continued, he mimicked a punching motion and shouted at the spectator to come down and face him.

Park's management agency, DJ Management, said Friday that Park and Baggio had submitted official statements to the Football Association of Thailand. "Park filed a protest against the spectator over the continuous verbal abuse and appearance-based insults directed at Baggio," the agency said. "The spectator also used the racial slur 'monkey.'"

DJ Management added that Park's statement described how he had witnessed the abusive behavior toward his player firsthand and had confronted the spectator in an effort to stop it. "He acted out of his responsibility as a coach to protect his players," the agency said.