Paralysed Thai soccer must kick on after court case

Since winning the election to retain his post for a fourth consecutive term five months ago, Worawi Makudi has yet to officially assume his role as the FA boss following allegations of irregularities in the poll.

The controversy centred on representatives of member clubs claiming voting rights they were allegedly not entitled to. The legal wrangle that ensued has left a power vacuum at the Football Association ever since.

Virach Chanpanich, who suffered a second successive defeat to Worawi in FA presidential elections, had exhausted all other options and brought the case to the Switzerland-based court, where the trial if scheduled for March 24-27. The 64-year-old, whose previous bid to dislodge the incumbent also ended in similar controversial circumstances, has accused the FA of violating rules governing the election.

Narinpong Jinaphak, the FA’s lawyer, expressed confidence at a press conference on Friday that the association would win the case, saying he had documents to prove that the election was staged legally.

Virach’s prospect of winning the case seemingly took a further blow when Wiwatchai Kunlamart, the chairman of the FA-appointed electoral committee’s appeal panel, said at the same conference that he would not travel to Switzerland to testify as Virach’s witness. It had earlier been reported that Wiwatchai’s name was mentioned in a complaint Virach filed with the CAS.  

Whether the CAS rules in Virach’s favour or not, those involved should accept the decision because we have already wasted too much time on this issue. We must be aware that the eventual loser in this power struggle won’t just be an individual but the whole footballing community in Thailand. 

It was heartening to see Thailand manage to clinch their first major international trophy in six years by reclaiming the SEA Games title in Myanmar in December, despite the turmoil off the field. Former national striker Kiatisak “Zico” Senamuang was widely feted for his under-23 side’s success in Nay Pyi Taw.        

But, the 40-year-old coach was given a reality check in his first match in charge of the senior side against Lebanon in the Asian Cup qualifying match on Wednesday when the Thais slumped to a 5-2 loss at home.

The result was of little importance to the Thais as they had already been eliminated ahead of the final Group B match. But it showed that there is still much work to be done if Thailand are to succeed at the international level. So the sooner this court battle ends, the better it will be for Thai football.