Buriram United mishap sparks football field safety concerns

Some things just shouldn’t happen to you on a football pitch in the middle of a match. But in Thailand, footballer Theerathon Bunmathan of Buriram United shared how he fell into a pit whilst contending against Khon Kaen United, nearly breaking his left leg. The shocking incident happened yesterday at Khon Kaen’s administrative stadium and has since caused a stir among the sports community.

Theerathon Bunmathan, the left back for popular Buriram United, found himself tumbling down a hole during a match at the Khon Kaen provincial administrative stadium. Talking about the fall afterwards, he cautioned that the hole could have led to a severe injury.

The Buriram United player posted on his Facebook page a photo of his left leg, which came close to being broken due to the accident.

“I have always been careful while playing football. The moment I fell down, I thought my leg was broken. I blame myself for not being careful here, but let’s all work together to improve this situation.”

His post rapidly gained traction on social media, garnering a large number of likes and shares as concerned Buriram United fans and peers expressed their worries. He called for the hole to be fixed, but took full responsibility for the nearly devastating accident.

“I don’t blame anyone but myself for not being careful. However, I urge everyone to work together to improve the situation.

Many social media users shared and commented on his post, expressing concern and urging a collaborative effort to improve football safety standards on sports grounds.

Buriram United has long been a crowd favourite in Thailand, but a recent NIDA poll made it official. It found that its respondents chose Manchester United and Buriram United as favoured football teams among Thai fans for the 2023-24 season. The study also explored viewership trends and preferences in both the English Premier League and Thai League 1.