Thieves steal VIP chairs from Liverpool – Man U match in Bangkok
Police have arrested a man under suspicion of stealing VIP chairs reserved for Liverpool and Manchester United players from Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on Saturday morning.
CCTV footage reveals two nonchalant men wheeling four dugout chairs, valued at 400,000 baht, out of the stadium at 6am. Two of the chairs were used by Manchester United reserve players and two by Liverpool reserve players at the pre-season friendly which took place last Thursday. The chairs were made exclusively for the game.
The thieves made a leisurely escape as security guards at the stadium assumed the match organiser had sent the men to collect the chairs.
Police have arrested one man in connection with the burglary so far and took him for questioning at Hua Mak Police Station. Police did not mention whether the chairs had been returned or not.
The chair saga only fans the flames of drama that keep emerging from ‘The Match.’ At first, fans were outraged at the costly ticket prices ranging from 5,000 – 25,000 baht. Football fans simply weren’t prepared to pay that much money for the friendly, leaving thousands of seats in the 49,000+ capacity stadium empty.
On Wednesday, rumours circulated in Bangkok that a counter at the stadium was selling tickets at 50% off. Fans who paid full price for the tickets were outraged at the huge discount.
On Thursday, just hours before the match, an exodus of football fans rocked up the stadium after event organisers announced via Facebook that they were handing out free tickets. Fans queued up until all the free tickets were gone, but some people who paid up to 25,000 baht – more expensive than a Champions League Final ticket – were not happy at all.
The match was an effortless 4-0 win for Manchester, who dominated Liverpool’s baby-faced squad for the whole game. The match ended, but the drama was only just beginning.
Man United fans’ celebratory mood was dampened after the club refused to take the Bangkok Century Cup – a huge dazzling piece of silverware – back to England with them. The club allegedly said the trophy was “too heavy” to take with them on their travels.
Just when everybody thought the theatrics were over, two men waltzed into Rajamangala Stadium and stole chairs worth 400,000 baht, without anyone batting an eyelid.
SOURCE: Thai Rath
