National football squad |peels off to help a teammate

THAI FOOTBALLERS wage fierce combat on the pitch, but once the final whistle blows they’re a bunch of sweethearts, really. Case in point is a “forward pass” by the national team to help out a member who’s in dire need, and the fans are loving it.
Left-back Mongkol Namnuad is facing substantial medical bills because his mother is battling cancer and has been hospitalised since August 21. So the team, led by coach Kiatisak “Zico” Senamuang, is raising funds for him by putting autographed training shirts up for auction. The bidding starts at Bt999 per shirt.
If you want to help Mongkol and his mum, head to the “Sport Hero” Facebook page and make a bid. The auction closes at 10pm on Saturday.
You can also donate directly to Mongkol via Krungthai Bank, account 480-016-569-5.

Tycoon in the making
People have often said that rock star Seksan “Sek Loso” Sukpimai ought to be chained up someplace. Often it’s just because of his ferocious stage performance, occasionally because offstage he’s sometimes taken his “wild man of rock” image too far. Now we’re wondering if his latest business pursuits are in need of restraint.
The 41-year-old does appear to have left behind the controversial headlines (domestic disputes, drug abuse, lawsuits, etc) to flog the Loso brand, potentially worth millions of baht. “My brand is very strong, and that’s why I’ve going into business,” he tells Thai Rath Online. “If Thailand’s population is 60 million, at least 80 or 90 per cent know my brand.”
That’s mostly for the wrong reasons, of course, which has fostered scepticism about his retail ambitions. You have to give Sek credit, though, because now he not only has the Loso smartphone being made in China for sale across Southeast Asia starting next month, he’s mulling a whole line of Loso products AND a chain of stores!
On Sek’s Facebook page he asks his three-million-plus followers, “Which of these ‘Loso’ items would you definitely buy – beer, energy drink, smartphone, drinking water, imported Enzy, Teddo or Lady-brand supplements, skincare items from South Korea, coffee or condoms (coming soon)?”
By next month, Sek claims, there will be seven Loso products on the market, and eventually a chain of Loso 22 stores selling his goods. He says he needs to get into retailing to feed his three kids, pay his staff and support the five acts signed to his record label. “Income from music sales is dropping,” he laments. With the chain of stores, “I’m the boss, so I can assign staff to handle the business.”
Projected profits, Sek says, will top Bt1 billion in the first year.
Asked whether he also intends to run for prime minister, Sek says his future plans are considerably more modest: He hopes to become a sponsor of Arsenal Football Club to get that Loso brand logo on the players’ jerseys. A listing in Forbes magazine is surely just around the corner.

Lost in space
In its profile of Thailand’s newest beauty queen on Tuesday, Soopsip incorrectly referred to Thanyachanok “French Fries” Moonninta as Miss Thailand Universe. She is of course Miss Thailand World. Our apologies to her and to the organisers of both pageants.