This is the shocking moment a furious football coach punched a referee during a match in Thailand.

Manager Asi Asae, 43, was angry when his side went 2-0 down and he felt the ref should have stopped play for a foul.

As his team, Plong-hoi District, were about to kick off, one of the coaching staff ran onto the pitch and began arguing with the official.

Footage shows the angry coach in a white t-shirt then race onto the field and repeatedly punching the referee before kicking him in the chest.

The terrified official in a blue shirt then desperately ran away as chaos erupted on the pitch between the opposing teams.

Shocked spectators recorded the clash before the lower-leagues game between Phlong-hoi district and Talubun district at the Thung Yang Daeng Stadium in Pattani province on March 24 was eventually called off.

Thung Yang Daeng Physical Education Officer and match supervisor Kariya Sama said the incident has been reported to the police.

He said: 'As a tournament moderator, I felt sorry for the incident. It was an emotional reaction. A report was submitted to the Office of Tourism and Sports. We are still deciding on the punishment.'

He added that the athletes did not have a problem with each other and the adults could have handled the incident better.

Supervisor Kariya said: 'The incident could have been handled better by the adults since the young athletes did not have a problem with each other. It happened too fast.

'The match encouraged young people to show their potential. I strongly encourage athletes to be kind and play by the rules.'