THAILAND women’s national team guard Supavadee Kunchuan has finally had enough, calling out the vitriol hurled by some Filipino fans online in the aftermath of the basketball tournaments in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
Kunchuan, among other Thai players, has been a target of online bullying, while also being a subject of fake news on social media pages which count on getting a reaction from the country's passionate basketball fanbase for likes and interactions.
READ: Gilas powers past questionable calls en route to SEAG gold medal
“I didn’t plan to post about this, but it has gone too far,” Kunchuan said in a Facebook post.
“This all started when someone came to my IG and left a shameful comment. Going to someone’s page just to say something hurtful—especially when it’s not true or not even related—is very inappropriate. That is why I made that post: to speak up for myself,” she continued.
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Fans have wrongfully pinned the blame on the players regarding Thailand’s flipflopping on eligibility rules in men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
Kunchuan reiterated that they had no say in the eligibility rules, reminding everyone that like their counterparts – their job is to focus on their performance on the floor.
“I have received many messages regarding the rules that were made. Please understand that some decisions are beyond my control, and some details were not known to us, as our role is to be athletes—not politics or management,” she said.
“If you would like clarification, I kindly ask that you direct your concerns to the association so they can provide proper explanations.”
Photos of her flexing on the Gilas Women team have also circulated online, with these pages using that to instigate more hate towards Kunchuan. She simply brushed it off as a natural part of the mental game of the sport – nothing more, nothing less.
She also clarified that she has no problems with long time Gilas Women star Afril Bernardino, even calling her a friend off the court having competed against her for a decade.
“Regarding player behavior, mental toughness is a fundamental part of basketball. The moment a player loses focus, the game is already affected. Anyone who has played basketball understands how impactful this is. If you haven’t played, that may explain the misunderstandings behind some of the negative comments,” she continued.
“Why did I do that, Afril? We have had a 10-year relationship—as close friends, rivals, enemies, and teammates. That is why we can smile and laugh when we do well on the court. On the court, we fight to win for our country. Friendship stays off the court.”
To close things out, Kunchuan said all she wants is for all of this to stop and that she’ll always have love for the Philippines.
“I hope this will be my last message about this. I truly hope you find your peace,” she said.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported me—your words have only lifted me up,” she continued.
“To my dear friends from the Philippines, I love you and will always support you, no matter what.”
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