Police Tero FC wants to break into the top 10: Jakthip
Two-time Thai League champions BEC Tero Sasana have undergone a major overhaul, culminating in the appointment of national police chief Jakthip Chaijinda as the new chairman and the club being renamed as “Police Tero FC”.
Jakthip will work in tandem with the co-chairman Brian Marcar, whose investment has helped the “Fire Dragons” establish themselves as one of the country’s high-profile sides, to revive the fortunes of the club that dominated Thai football at the start of the millennium with back-to-back topflight crowns.
“This club is born out of cooperation between Police and BEC Tero Sasana clubs. We wanted to develop a new team under “Police Tero FC” banner and successful too.
“Given the way Brian, the club’s founder, had professionally run the team and the quality and experience of the playing squad, I believe we could break into the top 10 in the season.
“I’ve done a lot of homework about the team over the past two months. One man behind the creation of the team was [ex-police chief] Pol Gen Patcharawas Wongsuwan. So, I invited him to become the club’s advisor.
Jakthip said his decision to jump into club football derived from the aspiration to have a Police side in the Thai top-flight.
“Brian kept asking me whether I was really serious about running a football team. I told him that Royal Thai Army [Army United], Royal Thai Navy [Rajchanavy] and Royal Thai Air Forces [Air Force Central] all have own football sides except Thai Police. So, he agreed to let us manage the team.
“I believe the Police team should be in the country’s topflight division. I’m here for a long haul and we need to keep on fighting. There’s no exact figure yet about the budget but it should be enough to run the team.
“Of course, I would like to win a title just like everyone else but I’m okay with small deviation from our target. This is my first time managing a football team.
Police Tero FC will kick off their league campaign with a home fixture against Pattaya United on February 11 at Boonyachinda Stadium, the club’s new home ground.
