Thai league expected to be exciting

Thai league expected to be exciting

VAR will be used in new season, says FAT

Players and officials pose at a press conference yesterday ahead of the new league season.
Players and officials pose at a press conference yesterday ahead of the new league season.

The 2020 league season, which kicks off on Feb 14, will be an exciting one, the Football Association of Thailand said on Tuesday.

VAR will be used in Thai League 1, Supasin Leelarit, FAT vice president who is also the chairman of the Thai league organising committee, told a press conference.

"It will be of the same standard as that of the World Cup," Supasin said.

The system was used in the early stages of last season but was shelved a few weeks later after a large number of complaints from parties involved.

Supasin said Thailand will get four berths in the AFC Champions League in 2021.

The Thai League 1 champions and the FA Cup winners will earn spots in the ACL group stage, while the runners-up and third-placed side in the top flight will compete in the play-offs.

This season, only Thai League 1 champions Chiang Rai United received a direct entry to the ACL group stage while FA Cup champions Port and Thai League 1 runners-up Buriram United took part in the play-offs.

Both Port and Buriram failed to reach the group phase leaving Chiang Rai United as the only Thai team in the ACL this year.

For the first time, their will be play-offs for promotion for Thai League 2, Supasin said.

The top two teams at the end of the season will earn automatic spots in the top league while the third- to sixth-placed teams play in play-offs with the eventual winners going up to Thai League 1 in the mould of England's Championship.

"It will be an exciting and entertaining season," Supasin said.

He claimed Thai League 1 is now ranked eighth in Asia, up from No.12 or No.13 a few years ago.

"We have made fast progress and this makes us in Thai football proud," Supasin said.

The 2019 Thai League 1 season was an exciting one as Chiang Rai United pipped Buriram for their first ever title in the top flight in the final minutes of the campaign.

Brazil's Ailton Silva quit as coach of Chiang Rai after the historic success and has been replaced by Taki Masami of Japan.

The Beetles will open their 2020 campaign at Samut Prakan City on Feb 14.

BG Prathum (formerly Bangkok Glass), Police Tero (formerly BEC Tero) and Rayong FC were promoted to Thai League 1.

Chiang Rai, Buriram and Port are seen as top title contenders.

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