KORAT (Thailand), Dec 14: Football fans were clamouring for tickets for the SEA Games final here Friday between Thailand and Myanmar at a tournament increasingly overshadowed by accusations of unfair judging.

The host nation, on 155 golds, are certain to top the medals chart but the shine has been taken off their success by the swirling controversies, which on Thursday saw Filipino boxers retire from six fights in protest.

Thailand’s Nation newspaper reported long queues for tickets for the football final to see the seven-time-defending champions take on unfancied Myanmar.

Thai coach Thongsuk Sampahangsit was confident following his team’s 3-0 win over Singapore in the semi-final Tuesday but warned against complacency against Myanmar, who breached the Thai defence twice in their 3-2 defeat to the host nation in the group phase.

Myanmar, who defeated Vietnam on penalties to reach the final, are also confident of coming out on top in the under-23 tournament.

“We will take gold at SEA Games in final match as our players and the whole country are expecting,” Marcos Falopa, the Myanmar coach was quoted as saying by the Myanmar language Mirror newspaper.

In early action Friday, defending champion Cecil Mamiit of the Philippines shocked Thai hotshot Danai Udomchoke to win the tennis gold.

After tight early exchanges, Mamiit broke Danai’s serve and took the first set 6-3. The Filipino veteran, ranked almost 350 places below his opponent but dominating with his powerful and consistent groundstrokes, won the second 6-0.

In the women’s singles, Thailand’s Nudnida Luangnam was beaten in straight sets by top-seeded Sandy Gumulya from Indonesia 6-1, 7-6 (7-2).

Friday also sees the final of the badminton competition, where controversy has again reared its head.

Indonesia’s Olympic badminton champion Taufik Hidayat, who faces Singapore’s Lee Yen Hui Kendrick in the gold medal match, was ordered to the stands on Wednesday after a heated exchange with an umpire. He accused the officials of trying to aid Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana.

On Thursday the boxing tournament was thrown into chaos after six Philippine fighters retired in a protest over the judging.

Philippine athletes were down to fight in seven of the ten gold medal bouts against the host nation, and their walkout helped Thailand sweep to all ten boxing golds.

Philippines’ chef de mission Monico Puentevella told AFP the decision to retire from the fights was taken by the boxers following the results in the women’s contests Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Manny Lopez, president of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines, called the boxing competition a “comic show” after Thailand won six out of the seven women’s events.

There have also been allegations of biased judging in favour of Thai athletes in the weightlifting.

The biennial SEA Games have been dogged before by accusations of bias with this year’s event marking a role reversal for Thailand, who levied similar claims against the Philippines at the last Games in Manila.

After then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra complained of bias in 2005, Thai officials roundly promised to ensure they would guarantee fair play when the games came here.—AFP