Buriram United supporters hold a placard protesting against outgoing president of Football Association of Thailand Worawi Makudi at a Thai Premier League match yesterday at TOT Stadium Chaeng Watthana.
The conflict between Thai soccer's governing body and its members has turned into a prolonged battle, and no one knows how it will end.
Further legal action against the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) looks likely, although Pattaya FC last week decided to withdraw their lawsuit, which had prevented a vote to amend FA regulations that prompted a threat from fifa to suspend the association.
The fallout from this epic battle means the post of FAT president is set to remain vacant for three months, with fifa insisting that the association must revise its statutes before any presidential election can take place. The FAT has until September 30 to hold the poll.
However, the stand-off between the two camps - one led by outgoing FAT chief Worawi Makudi, whose third two-year mandate expired on June 15 - and the other by Buriram United president Newin Chidchob, reflects a deep and widespread demand for change.
Stakeholders in the domestic game, including the fans, are frustrated with the way things stand.
It is undeniable that Thai soccer's reputation and performance under Worawi's six-year stewardship has declined. The FA boss has even landed himself in several scandals on both the domestic and international stage, though he has managed to survive.
The only clear benefit of Worawi's reign was the support, including financial, he drew for Thai football from businesses and sponsors.
Although his broad connections helped the domestic game, getting re-elected for a fourth time may not be as easy as Worawi thought.
The ongoing conflict has left the soccer supremo looking shaky as he attempts to maintain his grip on power.
The outgoing president, also a member of Fifa's powerful executive committee, learnt a lesson from an embarrassing defeat to Sheik Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa of Bahrain in a poll for new president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in early May.
That has left Worawi even more desperate for victory in the upcoming FAT election, and had his rule changes gone through, his chances would have been much higher.
Currently, 184 FAT members have the right to vote in the poll for president, but with the new regulations in place, only 72 members from clubs would be eligible. The reduction would likely pave the way for Worawi to control votes, and quash his rivals' bid to gain support from regional teams.
If Worawi, however, is confident he has enough votes to win the election, it should not be necessary to change any rules.
Holding the election under the current rules, as his rivals are demanding, would solve the conflict for now. The rival camp has agreed to use the new rules, but only after the upcoming presidential poll. They believe that they would oust Worawi in a poll held under the current regulations.
Still, if both camps have the same intention of improving Thai soccer's image and reputation, a good solution to the impasse would be to sit and talk. The right thing to do is to hold the election as soon as possible and let the members choose the boss they think would best develop and improve the country's soccer scene. It's the spirit in which the game is played that counts most in sport. You need to respect the rules and accept the results, no matter whether you lose or win. But it looks like someone forgot to tell those playing game at the top of Thai soccer.
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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/06/30/foul-play-in-the-boardrooms-of-thai-soccer/
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