Piyapong withdraws from Charnwit's FAT election team

Piyapong withdraws from Charnwit's FAT election team

Former Thailand striker Piyapong Pue-on has resigned from the team running with former national team coach Charnwit Phalajivin, one of the two leading candidates for the presidency of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) to be decided at its Feb 11 election.

Adm Surawut Maharom, chairman of the Fifa-appointed normalisation committee which oversees the election, told reporters on Monday that Piyapong had formally submitted his resignation letter, but he did not state the reason for leaving.   

Former national striker Piyapong Pue-on quits from Charnwit's team. (Bangkok Post file photo)

Piyapong is the second member of Charnwit’s running  team to quit since former FAT secretary-general Worawut Thongsringam announced his resignation on Jan 24, citing health issues.  

The legendary striker’s withdrawal has left 17 individuals on Charnwit’s team. 

Thursday’s election of the next FAT president is a showdown between Charnwit, who is perceived as representing the establishment, and former national police chief Somyot Poompunmuang. The four other candidates are seen as longshots.

The two candidates were initially seen as running neck and neck in the Feb 11 poll. But the former national team coach has cast himself as an underdog after the re-election of 30 representatives from the Regional League (Division Two, third tier) on Jan 22 tipped the balance heavily in favour of his opponent. 

Chanwit is also accused by Pol Gen Somyot of allowing suspended FAT president Worawi Makudi to help in his campaign when he met members of the regional league in the South.

Adm Surawut, meanwhile, said arrangements for the election to be held at Indoor Stadium, Huamark were  been 90% complete. More than 200 members of the press had registered to cover the FAT presidential race and it would be observed by representatives from Fifa, the Asian Football Confederation and the Asean Football Federation. 

The normalisation committee would be willing to allow a live broadcast of Thursday's election if it received a request from any media outlet, Adm Surawut said.

With only three days to go before the poll, Adm Surawut added, some people representing the “FAT camp” still tried to disrupt the election process by filing a complaint in court.  

He was referring to police officer Chaisap Tharat Rittem, one of the six candidates, who filed a petition with the Central Administrative Court on Monday, accusing the Adm Surawut-led committee of breaching FAT regulations by accepting applications from candidates at the Sports Authority of Thailand headquarters instead of the FAT general-secretary's office.


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