The Onesongchai match last Thursday at Rajadamnern stadium was not the first time the judges had to change their decision, but it was the first time for technical delegate Prommes Chaksurak to have to use his authority.

Prommes noticed one of the three judges, Samas Chantakloi, nominated the fighter who received a lower score from the tally, resulting in the referee announcing the wrong winner. Prommes then recounted the scores and declared the other fighter as the winner instead.

The spectators went rowdy immediately and started throwing water bottles to the judges, prompting the frightening tourists to flee the scene and Prommes to cancel the match and nullify the result.

However, Prommes’s decision to correct the result was perhaps not necessary as the fight itself had satisfied the spectators as Payaknum Sidniwat and Yodprabsuek Sidtanai-odd were equally matched. Each of the fighters could win with the tally and the crowd would probably accept the result.

The referee was not the one to blame as he only followed the judges’ decisions as any referee would typically do. What should be blamed are the stadium that allowed spectators to bring water bottles, Judge Samas who nominated the wrong winner, and the spectators who went too rowdy.

The crowd must learn to calm down as even honest judges can make mistakes and the hooliganism will not benefit anyone, while the judges should also learn lessons from this incident that people do not like any change after the result was declared.

It might be an honest mistake, but this kind of mistake only leads to chaos.