Thai Football Association Issues Lightning Safety Protocol

Secretary-general Ekkapon Planavy of the Football Association of Thailand has notified all professional football league clubs, match controllers, and referee development directors to prioritize the safety of players, team staff, referees, officials, and spectators during thunderstorms and lightning. The Football Association has established protocols for all professional matches: (1) Match suspension and safety measures apply when lightning is observed and the time between seeing lightning and hearing thunder is 30 seconds or less. Referees and match officials must halt play temporarily and evacuate players, team staff, referees, and officials to sheltered or safe areas, while spectators move to designated refuge zones. (2) Continuous weather monitoring and resumption procedures require referees to work with match controllers and officials to assess weather and safety conditions before allowing play to resume. (3) If severe weather persists for more than 60 minutes total, match controllers and referees must follow competition regulations for force majeure situations to determine whether to resume or terminate the match. (4) Home clubs must prepare shelter areas for players, staff, and spectators, establish evacuation procedures, and ensure efficient communication systems. All clubs and personnel must strictly adhere to these guidelines with player safety, match officials, staff, and spectator safety as the highest priority.