Football Association farce will hit Thailand's campaigns
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Three weeks have passed since arguably the murkiest election in Thai Football Association history, but there seems to be no light at the end of tunnel yet.
The election followed a power vacuum at the FA caused by the postponement of the vote from its original date in June.
When it finally went ahead, last month’s poll saw Worawi Makudi retain his post for a fourth consecutive term, beating challenger Virach Chanpanich. Instead of things returning to normal, however, the Thai FA is once again mired in a state of inertia.
With the poll tainted by a spate of allegations of wrongdoing, the country’s governing body for sports has yet to approve Worawi’s victory. And the battle for Thai soccer’s top job was complicated even further this week when it was taken to court. Pattaya FC, who play in the lower echelons of Thai football, filed a lawsuit against Worawi and FA general secretary Ong-art Kohsinkha, accusing them of abusing their powers by using fraudulent documents during the election. The criminal court has accepted the case and the hearing is due to take place in January.
Pattaya’s latest court action came hot on the heels of another lawsuit they filed with the Central Administrative Court in an attempt to get the election outcome declared null and void. However, the court is yet to rule whether that case comes under its jurisdiction.
As things stand, it’s impossible to say whether Worawi, who turns 62 later this month, will get back to work in a post he has held since 2007. More worryingly, no one knows what will happen should the courts rule in favour of Pattaya.
The current impasse threatens to damage Thai football as a whole. November and December are crucial months for the national team. The senior side is due to take on group leaders Iran at home in a make-or-break match in the Asian Cup qualifiers on Friday, while the under-23 team will try to reclaim the South East Asian (SEA) Games title in Myanmar next month.
With the Thai FA still unable to put its house in order, there’s a big question mark hanging over the Thai team’s preparations for the upcoming fixtures. It does not bode well for the Thais, especially in the SEA Games. Thai fans hold high hopes that their team, the most successful in Games history, will regain the title following two successive group-stage exits from the tournament.
But given the circumstances, the chances that Thailand will fail again in Myanmar are quite high. How frustrating it would be if we had to pay such a high price on the pitch for what is, after all, an off-field matter.
