The Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) issued an apology on Monday, after heavy downpours and flooding at Rajamangala Stadium forced the abrupt cancellation of a Spurs v Leicester City match on Sunday.

As the supervising body, the SAT had prepared the stadium and surrounding areas in advance of the match and confirmed that it met the international standard required to host the match.

All parties concerned, including the managerial teams of both football clubs, had inspected the stadium and accepted its preparedness and readiness.

Continued heavy downpours, however, resulted in flooding of the pitch and the situation did not improve, so the match was called off.

The decision was mainly for the safety of the players.

After the downpour, both managerial teams inspected the pitch and found that there was just too much standing water and that the markings on the pitch had been washed away.

The SAT regarded the incident as an act of God and said it was very sorry about the incident and any inconvenience it may have caused.

The cancellation was heavily criticised as it happened in a national stadium, which should have better drainage and preparation.

Cancellation of Leicester v Spurs soccer match in Bangkok “an act of God”