Match misfire: Thai Port president’s friendly tease leaves fans in limbo

The president of Thai Port Football Club confused fans today when she announced that a friendly match between Leicester City and Thai Port was set to take place on Wednesday, July 26, only to state a few hours later that the match is on hold.

Fans of Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City were left disappointed yesterday after the cancellation of the pre-season friendly at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok. But earlier today those disappointed fans were given an unexpected boost when Thai Port FC President Nuanphan Lamsam announced on Facebook that they will welcome the Foxes to Pat Stadium in the Klong Toey district of Bangkok on Wednesday, July 26 at 4.30pm.

City then made known that they would allocate 5,000 tickets for fans, with the bonus that those who had purchased tickets for the cancelled match can use them for entry to this game. Port FC also revealed that they would offer 1,000 special seats to their big fans.

Nuanphan told ThaiRath…

“Thanks to King Power and Leicester for selecting to kick off a friendly with us. This is one of the most exciting matches in my career and a historical moment for the football club. This opportunity is rare because Leicester previously won the English Premier League.

“Victory in the competition is not our main goal. We are inferior to Leicester in everything but we will do our best to try to make Leicester benefit from this friendly. I hope that Thai football fans will turn out in large numbers to witness the match and create a good vibe in the Thai football industry. We also want to show that PAT Stadium is one of the most loved areas in Thailand.”

However, the two Facebook pages later deleted their posts. Leicester did not provide a further update, while Port FC urged their fans to “wait for a surprise!”

A lot of football fans urged the two teams to confirm the details as soon as possible as they have been through the heartbreak of cancellations before and don’t want history to repeat itself.

A few hours later Nuanphan tried to clarify the reason behind deleting the post. She revealed that the friendly match is currently on hold due to an issue related to a confusing licensing problem. She said…

“There is nothing definitive at the moment. Leicester needs to consult with the license owner first.”

The football match is now on hold, not completely cancelled. Football fans in the capital are currently holding their breaths in anticipation, hoping to hear some good news.