Defender Pansa Hemviboon was the one who scored an own goal to equalize 2-2 for Vietnam in the second leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final on January 5. After the match, Thai fans flooded in to criticize Pansa's mistake at the crucial moment.
Things got so tense that Cheesesse Nook - Pansa's wife had to speak up on social media asking fans to stop the attacks.
This is not the first time footballers have been subjected to pressure from their own fans after making mistakes, or underperforming. The story of defender Harry Maguire is perhaps typical. There was a period when he was severely attacked and insulted in 2023, culminating in a match against Scotland.
At that time, the English defender unfortunately scored an own goal in the 67th minute. Although the Three Lions eventually won 3-1, Maguire still received a lot of negative criticism.
Maguire's mother Zoe has come out in defence of her son, writing on social media in September 2023: "As a mother, I find the negative and abusive comments my son has received from some fans, pundits and the media completely unacceptable. It is too much for anyone, let alone someone who has always given his all for his club and country."
Despite the negative comments, the England international kept his head up and focused on improving himself. Now, Maguire has received more respect, deserving of his professional attitude and constant effort.
Like Maguire, South Korean international Jung Seung-hyun and his family were also subjected to severe abuse despite their team winning the match. In the match against Oman in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on September 12, 2024, defender Jung Seung-hyun scored an own goal in the first half, but South Korea won 3-1 on aggregate.
However, fans still criticized Seung-hyun's mistake. They left so many negative comments that he had to lock his personal page. After that, some people continued to flood Seung-hyun's wife's personal page and harass her, with comments like "Make your husband retire", "Retire from the team", "How can we win with a loser like him?"...
In response, Seung-hyun announced his intention to take legal action against those who insulted him, pleading, "Please refrain from slandering and insulting my family excessively."
Previously, striker Cho Gue-sung of the Korean national team was also criticized for his poor performance. Midfielder Lee Kang-in was insulted for his bad behavior towards his seniors. Not only him personally, some people also found Kang-in's sister's personal page to make offensive comments.
The attack was so fierce that captain Son Heung-min had to speak up to defend his teammates: "Before being players, we are also human beings. Please support the players."
