Best and unfairest battle for control

Best and unfairest battle for control

With Worawi Makudi on the outer, two heavyweights lead the charge to head professional Thai football.

Aiming for the top: Charnwit Phalajivin with his team. He is confident of winning after applying to contest the top post at the FAT .
Aiming for the top: Charnwit Phalajivin with his team. He is confident of winning after applying to contest the top post at the FAT .

The fight for the top job at the Football Association of Thailand next month is a clash of the titans between some of the most powerful personalities in Thai football.

Although six candidates are now running to be the FAT president, the real battle is between two heavyweights, Charnwit Phalajivin, a former national team coach, and Somyot Poompunmuang, a former national police chief, according to people interviewed by Spectrum.

With long-time FAT president Worawi Makudi banned by the sport’s international governing body Fifa, initially it was thought the field was wide open. The other candidates to enter the race are former national team manager Thavatchai Sajakul, former FAT general secretary Pinit Sasinin, Bangkok FC chairman Natthapol Teepsuwan and police officer Chaisap Tharat Rittem.

However, as the Feb 11 election draws nearer, the majority of support has tilted towards two candidates, Mr Charnwit and Pol Gen Somyot. The lead-up to the poll has taken on the same air as a political campaign, with each side attempting to discredit their opponents.

TWO CAMPS

On Feb 11, 72 voters will cast secret ballots to select a new FAT president to replace long-time incumbent Mr Worawi, who is unable to run again after being suspended by Fifa’s ethics committee. He was also found guilty in a Thai court of forgery over his re-election as FAT chief in 2013.

The voters consist of 18 each from the Thai Premier League and Division 1 or League 1, another 30 from the regional teams that make up Division 2 and six from minor competitions. The 30-vote bloc from the regional teams is seen as the key to winning the election.

According to inside sources, the election of the next FAT president is a showdown between Pol Gen Somyot and Mr Charnwit, who is perceived as representing the establishment.

Mr Charnwit, a former deputy chief of the Physical Education Department, was initially hesitant to run. But he finally filed his application to run minutes before the deadline on Jan 11.

Mr Charnwit is backed by leading team SCG Muang Thong United, which is owned by the Siam Sport Syndicate, the most powerful sports media body in the country. His running team includes former national team striker Piyapong Pue-on and Thai Premier League president Ong-art Kosinkar, who along with Mr Worawi was found guilty of falsifying a document.

Mr Charnwit is widely seen as representing the Worawi camp, even though he has repeatedly denied the claim, a tactic more common in Thai politics than football.

In an interview with the Bangkok Post, he said, “I don’t belong to any camp. I have been working for football for a long time and I have worked with a lot of people. But it does not make me a nominee of any particular person."

The 60 year old added, “I know Khun Worawi because we used to work together, but I am not under him.”

Contender: Former police chief Somyot Poompunmuang.

Pol Gen Somyot, 61, was not convinced. Early last week, he submitted a letter to the Fifa-appointed normalisation committee that has been running the FAT, alleging Mr Worawi had broken Fifa rules by helping Mr Charnwit’s campaign. The normalisation committee was appointed to oversee the election after Mr Worawi’s controversial ban was imposed.

Pol Gen Somyot’s camp showed a film clip of Mr Worawi appearing with Mr Charnwit during a recent trip to meet members of the regional league in the South.

At press time, Pol Gen Somyot’s candidacy was also under a cloud. On Wednesday, FAT general secretary Col Worrawuth Thongsringam claimed Pol Gen Somyot was not eligible for election.

Col Worrawuth announced the list of candidates, which excluded Mr Nattaphol and Pol Gen Somyot. Col Worrawuth said Pol Gen Somyot failed to comply with a requirement to file his application at the FAT general secretary's office.

Adm Surawut Maharom, chairman of the Fifa-nominated normalisation committee, however, quickly responded, saying Pol Gen Somyot was still in the race.

Annop Singtothong, the vice-president of Chonburi Football Club which supports Pol Gen Somyot, said, “There were movements to disrupt the election process.”

Refusing to name anyone, Mr Annop warned that if the election campaign turns ugly, Fifa may impose a ban on Thai football that would cripple the sport. “If that happens, who will be responsible?” he asked Spectrum.

He said Chonburi FC supported Pol Gen Somyot because “we need a change”. “The old power has been around for too long.”

Mr Annop said there are many things the FAT could improve. For instance, the FAT had failed to consistently follow some Fifa regulations. Some regulations seem to favour a certain team, he said.

Apart from Chonburi FC, Pol Gen Somyot’s bid for the top job is supported by Thai Premier League champion team Buriram United. Pol Gen Somyot is known to be a good friend of Buriram United owner Newin Chidchob, whom the former police chief has known since Mr Newin was a cabinet member in the mid 1990s. 

“Khun Somyot was a police officer who was part of the entourage of some politicians back then. He has been familiar with politicians from that time,” said a source who asked not to be named.

Pol Gen Somyot was not available to speak to Spectrum last week as he was campaigning ahead of a pre-election process involving 30 Division Two teams. The teams were due to meet to select who would represent them when it came to voting for the new FAT president.

In an earlier interview with sister-paper Post Today, Pol Gen Somyot acknowledged he was backed by Mr Newin. “Yes, I have his one vote … It’s not that we are close and I can ignore him. I have to pay attention to every club member because they are equally important.”

Pol Gen Somyot said his policies benefit all clubs. He said on his Facebook page that his policies focus on the 4 FAIR ideal: fair FAT operations, fair play, fair distribution of benefits and fair promotion of all sports under the FAT umbrella such as futsal.

His team also includes former national midfielder Wittaya Laohakul. Pol Gen Somyot is also backed by King Power Group chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the owner of Leicester City Football Club. On the date he announced his candidacy, Pol Gen Somyot wore a Leicester jersey bearing his campaign slogan “FAIR”.

RULES QUESTIONED

Mr Thavatchai said he initially ran for election because he thought he had a fair chance of winning, but now he realises that his chances are slim.

Asked what his policies would be if he could run the FAT, Mr Thavatchai became emotional and said, “No point talking about my policies. The FAT president’s position has already been decided.”

Mr Thavatchai told Spectrum he disagrees with the election rules, stipulated by the Fifa-appointed normalisation committee, which allow a secret ballot.

This could result in candidates with the biggest financial support simply buying votes without any scrutiny, he said. “That would make the candidate with the largest financial support win. I am not saying that the winner, whoever, is not qualified. But that is a fact,” he said.

LEAGUE SUCCESS

“The FAT chief is an important title because he or she has an important role to elevate the standard of Thai football,” said Juta Tingsabhat, a lecturer at the Faculty of Sports Science at Chulalongkorn University.

Front-runner: Former Thai national team coach Charnwit Phalajivin.

In the past the local game had a small following, but this changed with the advent of the Thai Premier League. The professional Thai football league is now followed by millions of fans, week in and week out.

The rapid surge in the professional league's popularity is reflected in the results of a National Institute of Development Administration Poll. Assistant Professor Suvicha Pouaree, the director of the Nida Poll, said the latest survey conducted last year showed Thais now prefer watching a local professional match to the English Premier League, which was the most popular league with Thai fans until a couple of years ago.

With the massive success of clubs such as Buriram United and SCG Muang Thong United, sponsorships have been pouring into the clubs to improve the stadiums and the game. “In the past, Thai football was bland. But now premier league games are fun to watch,” Mr Suvicha said.

However, he did not attribute that success to the FAT. “The success is a result of each club’s efforts. I would say the FAT might have contributed only 20% to the professional league’s success,” said Mr Suvicha. He added fans expected the FAT to do much more.

Mr Suvicha’s view is shared by Mr Juta, who once coached the national team. While the professional league has progressed due to the clubs’ efforts, the management of the national football team has not improved.

“The FAT has failed to build up the next generation of football stars. It should have promoted the youth league,” Mr Juta said. The standard of referees in Thai football has never been improved, he added.

The professional football league is run with no transparency. The Thai Premier League Ltd — a business entity set up by the FAT to operate the commercial aspects of the professional football league — receives a lot of money for broadcasting rights.

“The money should be managed and distributed to clubs, not run by any one particular company,” Mr Juta said.

“The FAT chief can be the catalyst for change. If the head moves, then the subordinates will follow.”

As for the fierce campaign leading up to the FAT election, Mr Juta said, “Football is like politics. When there is a stake involved, each side will try to protect their interests.”

CHECKS AND BALANCES

Asked why there are corruption scandals in both international and domestic football, Mr Suvicha said, “Naturally these things happen when there is lots of money involved from sponsorships and [broadcast] rights.”

With more money pouring into the game, the FAT president is inevitably involved in decisions about money, such as broadcasting rights when the national team plays.

In particular, industry observers say the question of transparency often revolves around the shareholding structure of the Thai Premier League. Set up by the FAT, the entity runs the business of the professional football leagues, including the Thai Premier League, Division 1 and Division 2, which is the regional league.

The TPL oversees at least 800 million baht of income from broadcasting rights and sponsorship deals. It is 70% owned by Mr Ong-art and Mr Worawi.

Mr Thavatchai has repeatedly called for more checks and balances in the TPL operation and its shareholding structure.

Mr Annop said the football clubs should share ownership in the TPL.

Mr Suvicha said, “The money coming to Thai football helps improve the game and has made Thai football more popular these days. But there may be some people who want to profit from it. If things are not right, the fans may get fed up with the game and stop watching Thai football.

“The new FAT president should make Thai football more transparent. The FAT operation should be easily accessible for public examination,” he said.

Goal in mind: Former national team coach Thavatchai Sajakul, left, is also running.

The top prize: The election of the next FAT president will have implications for the increasingly popular Thai Premier League.

Offside: Worawi Makudi has been sanctioned by Fifa and cannot run in the election.

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