The Thai Football Association has issued a lifetime ban to Thai referee Mr. Somsak Poosomnuek for using a racial slur in Thai, equivalent to the N-word (‘Ai Dam’), against Abdulkordiri Hamid, a Thai-Ghanaian football player fluent in Thai, during a third division game. In his defense, he claimed it wasn’t racist, pointing to his own darker skin tone compared to the typical Thai individual. Additionally, he noted that his friends have consistently referred to him as ‘Ai Dam’ throughout his life.
Source:
https://www.siamsport.co.th/football-thailand/thaileague-3/35815/
https://www.siamsport.co.th/football-thailand/thaileague-3/37131/
Need to be reminded that him saying he’s black, he didn’t say that he has African descent, he said that because he has dark skin. Most SEA people don’t understand that skin tone doesn’t equal to race. Many Thai people think they are “white” because they have fair skin.