[SNS]
[SNS]

Park Hang-seo, the 67-year-old manager of Thai second-division club Kanchanaburi Power FC, has been disciplined after responding inappropriately to a spectator who hurled racial slurs at him during a match.

The Football Association of Thailand's Disciplinary and Ethics Committee held a meeting Wednesday and handed Park a two-match suspension and a fine of 13,333 baht ($396), according to the association's website.

The standard fine under the applicable regulations is 20,000 baht, but the committee applied a second-division reduction clause and imposed two-thirds of that amount.

The incident occurred Nov. 1 at Nongprue Stadium in Pattaya, immediately after the end of a regular-season match between Kanchanaburi and Pattaya United.

A spectator believed to be a Pattaya supporter repeatedly shouted "kimchi man" at Park along with profanities. Park initially put a finger to his lips to signal the spectator to be quiet, but as the abuse continued, he pointed at the spectator and raised his voice.

The Disciplinary and Ethics Committee acknowledged that the Pattaya spectator had engaged in racially discriminatory behavior, but found that Park's response was inappropriate.

"The Disciplinary and Ethics Committee determined that while taking action to protect players is permissible, the manner of expression must be appropriate and mature and must not provoke further conflict," the Football Association of Thailand said.

The association added that Park had already been serving a suspension during that match and therefore "should have acted with greater caution inside the stadium and should not have been present in match-related zones."

The association also fined the spectator who directed the racial slurs at Park 20,000 baht. A separate spectator who hurled abusive and derogatory remarks at Kanchanaburi players on the same day was likewise fined 20,000 baht.


min3654@heraldcorp.com