A 14-year-old Chinese ice hockey player was disqualified after allegedly punching a Thai referee during the Bangkok Fly Ice Hockey Tournament 2026 at the Thailand International Ice Hockey Arena (TIIHA) on Rama 9 Road, Bangkok, late on Friday night. The incident occurred at around 23:00 during an Under-14 Division B match between Anesthetist and A/B Hockey and has prompted strong reaction within the local ice hockey community.

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The player accused of assaulting the referee was identified as Venom Liu, a 14-year-old forward from Chengdu, China, born on 16 January 2012. The referee, known as “Coach Ang”, was Sgt. Teerasak Rattanachot, a former member of Thailand’s men’s national ice hockey team who was officiating the match.

According to a parent from the Young Ducks Under-12 team who witnessed the incident, the confrontation began near the end of the game when player number 77 committed a foul and disagreed with the referee’s decision. The parent said the player initially chest-bumped the referee, leading to his ejection from the match under tournament rules.

As the player left the ice, he allegedly pushed the referee again before taking an opportunity to punch him. The witness stated that the referee’s decision had been correct and suggested the player may have been frustrated because his team was scoring very few points and trailing heavily. The parent also noted that the 14-year-old was his team’s key player and the only one scoring points.

Tournament organisers responded by imposing sanctions on the team. Nuchanart Ponglerkdee, known as “Coach Phung” and Tournament Organiser of the Bangkok Fly Ice Hockey Tournament 2026, confirmed that the Anesthetist team had been disqualified from its two remaining tournament matches and had since returned to China.

The witness said that physical assaults on referees are virtually unheard of in the sport, despite the physical nature of ice hockey. He added that players normally respect officials, accept penalties and serve time in the penalty box, even when they disagree with decisions.

The parent also criticised the behaviour of an adult who allegedly entered the playing area and pointed a finger in the referee’s face during the match. He said organisers should take greater steps to prevent parents from entering the rink and described the incident as something that should never occur in any sport.

Khaosod reported that officials have not announced any further disciplinary measures. However, the incident has highlighted concerns about player conduct, emotional control and sideline behaviour at youth sporting events.

Pictures courtesy of Khaosod

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Khaosod 9 June 2026

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What's the bet the spoilt brat with low impulse control is the son of a CCP official.

Chip off the old block.......

Did he drop his gloves first?

Many years ago, when China debuted its first men's national ice hockey team, their opening game (face off) with the Canadian national men's team was hilarious. As soon as the first puck was dropped, the entire Chinese team dropped their gloves and started fighting with the closest Canadian players. Seems they'd watched the NHL videos and seen the hockey brawls of the 1970s and figured they needed to mark their territory and reputation at the outset.

I did not know that there was ice hockey in Thailand... Never read or seen it in the news or tv.. In the heat of the games things are happening, Of course it should be investigated what happened that this kid was so upset. It is almost always a built up issue during the game

Edited 34 minutes ago34 min by ikke1959

43 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

Seems they'd watched the NHL videos and seen the hockey brawls of the 1970s and figured they needed to mark their territory and reputation at the outset.

Funny as.........and how did they fair in the dust up.......

2 minutes ago, Off Piste said:

Funny as.........and how did they fair in the dust up.......

Dunno, but they sure the Canadians by surprise. So maybe not too bad!