Thaksin Completes Man City Buyout

[John K]

Thaksin plans Man City Asian academies

tribalfooball.com - August 03, 2007

New Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra has outlined ambitious plans to create City youth academies across Asia.

"That will begin in September and the plan is to have the first ones opening in Thailand and China," he said.

"One of my major plans is to make the Academy - which has done a great job - even stronger. We will begin that process next month. They will not be just based in Asia or the Far East. We intend to have one in the United States too.

"We will appoint a senior executive to look at that area and he will be specifically responsible, but the headquarters of the Academy will remain in Manchester."

It certainly looks like Thaksin is trying to paint himself as a nice guy. Can you say Thai Politics?

[Ricardo]

Perhaps the Academy could also teach Golf, in view of Frank's prominence, in Thai golfing circles ?

[Abrak]

Thaksin back in front of crowds as he hosts concert for soccer fans in England

MANCHESTER, England: Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra hosted a concert attended by more than 8,000 people in Manchester's main square Saturday — his first major public appearance since he was ousted in a military coup last year.

Surrounded by players from the soccer team he recently bought, Manchester City, Thaksin addressed the cheering crowd outside Manchester Town Hall.

Before the event, Thaksin told The Associated Press he had no plans to attempt a political comeback in Thailand. However, he said the event would demonstrate the strong levels of support he has back home and in England, where he lives in self-imposed exile.

"The people in Thailand, the majority of them, are still supporting me," Thaksin said after watching his first Manchester City game — a 1-0 defeat of Spanish team Valencia in a preseason friendly.

"If there were to be free and fair elections, my party would win again because this is the first time in Thai history that they have overthrown a very popular government," he told AP.

Thaksin thanked the club and Manchester for accepting him.

"I feel very honored and touched by the type of reception I have received from you all today," he said.

Thaksin endeared himself further to the crowd by closing the concert — which featured popular Thai singer Mai Charoenpura — singing the club's anthem "Blue Moon."

Thaksin completed his 81.6 million pound (US$162 million; €121 million) purchase of the soccer team last month, despite the military-appointed Thai government freezing more than US$2 billion (€1.5 billion) of his family's assets.

Thaksin faces a series of corruption charges in Thailand relating to his five years in power.

This week, he was accused of overseeing extrajudicial executions, illegal abductions, arbitrary detention, torture and other mistreatment of people in detention during his premiership by Human Rights Watch, which made the allegations in a letter to the Premier League protesting his takeover of Manchester City.

[sriracha john]

Rights groups fighting losing battle over Man City

On the one hand, Manchester City fans could not be happier with the ambitious goal stated by the club's new chairman Thaksin (Frank) Shinawatra for the club to finish in the top 10 of the Premier League table this year.

On the other, human-rights groups are making their concerns heard that a chairman with a human-rights record like that of Thaksin should not have passed the league's "fit and proper" test.

To Man City fans, Frank is no doubt "fit and proper". He wants to invest massively in the club and he has ambition. He has already spent ฃ40 million (Bt2.8 billion) on buying new players - an amount close to that spent by Liverpool FC, a bigger and better ranking club. So why should they care about extrajudicial executions or attacks on media freedom?

I'm no football pundit, but as a football fan myself I understand that when the game is concerned, nothing is more significant to fans than goals, victories and trophies. And if someone comes along intending to take a club to glory, then that person is by all means "fit and proper". According to this logic, Frank is no doubt a "fit and proper" person in the eyes of Man City supporters.

Likewise, when fans evaluate a striker they look at the number of goals he scores rather than his behaviour or family life off the field. You can be a womaniser, a wife beater, or a jerk and fans will forgive you once you bring your team to victory by scoring a winning goal.

Football knows no neutrality and no morality. It is all about taking a side, and when you decide to go for a certain team your vision and judgement are blurred in that team's favour. When your team is awarded a penalty you can't agree more, while a fan of the other side will accuse your striker of diving.

The same rules of logic applicable elsewhere do not apply to football. Remember the great head-butt of Zinedine Zidane before he was red-carded at the last World Cup tournament? Despite his actions, Zizou remains a hero to his fans, and all of his advertising contracts remain intact. French football fans still love him dearly, perhaps even more. They feel gratitude for his having brought the national team into the finals, rather than bitterness at his having cost them the game.

We've heard before that football is a new cult and its fans are blind followers. And if football is really emerging as a cult, its members are also probably speaking a different language too. Football does not speak the language of rights, and it proves the universality of human rights wrong.

When Brad Adams, the director for Human Rights Watch Asia, points out that Thaksin has bought his way into polite society in Britain to cleanse his image and record as a human-rights abuser, many, except Man City football fans, nod their heads.

When Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch shout: "He is a human-rights abuser and he is not 'fit and proper' by any means", football supporters hear: "The charges are invalid because they were brought by a military government. Frank's a twice-elected premier who was brought down by the tanks."

And later on Manchester City fans choose to hear his mission: "The second season we should be aiming for the top six and qualifying for Europe."

So what, a Man City supporter would argue, the bloke just killed a few thousand drug-dealers and they're not even good people.

Football fans don't really care about anything else so long as their teams are winning. Anyone who enables the team to win and advance in the league table is a saint. A saint will remain one so long as he guarantees the club's progress. Nothing can degrade the saint except defeat.

It is easier to understand this when we liken football to recent Thai political history. When Thaksin promised and gave the signs that he would provide economic prosperity, no one chose to look into any corruption allegations. He came to lead the country's administration like a saint who would rescue poor Thais. Even the Constitution Court paved the way for him in the assets-concealment case to take the country forward.

The tricky part was that Thaksin, the first-term prime minister, and Thaksin, the second-term prime minister, were still the same Thaksin. Only when people lost faith in him and started to hear the alternative voices at the time did he gradually fall from grace.

So who are we to judge the English football fans? Our 14 millions voters chose him to run the government (in a country with over 60 million people). Why shouldn't the Manchester City blokes agree with his pouring money into the club and owning it?

Talking about that, I wonder how rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch were able to tolerate his long rule over Thailand as premier, but can't afford to see him own a football club now. He won't do any harm regarding human rights in his new capacity. All he can do is fire his manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson, or his players, but it is likely that he can't fire a gun.

Let him enjoy his saint status while it lasts.

- Veena Thoopkrajae, Opinion Page, The Nation

[AGareth2]

Not long for the premiereship

[spot]

I'm really not happy with 'Frank' using a public stage in a British city to make political comments....and suggesting that he has support in the UK. But I guess he has the right to.

Everyone knew he was buying Manchester City to keep his political profile up.

How ironic that he's now tasting the concept of free speech.

I've now got zero respect for Manchester City football club, and it's supporters for letting this man get involved.

[sriracha john]

Thaksin back in front of crowds as he hosts concert for soccer fans in England

Thaksin endeared himself further to the crowd by closing the concert — which featured popular Thai singer Mai Charoenpura — singing the club's anthem "Blue Moon."

A fair-minded move by Thaksin. Letting his ex-mia noi, Mai, sing the anthem while sitting with current mia noi, Lydia....

[tijnebijn]

Thaksin is just one of his kind isn't he ?

I do respect him for his resilience and keeping forward.

[sriracha john]

I suppose many might respect his choice in "companions".... at 20 years old, Lydia is uhm... well.... she's....

[plachon]

Not long for the premiereship

Who? Toxin or Man City?

If former, not a snowball's chance in hel_l in next decade. If latter, I'd say even if he splashes out big time on class players, they're not going to beat the likes of Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal for several seasons to come. By which time the Tox will have bailed out of the club when his good lady wife discovers that her hubby bought City, not Utd.

[Mid]

THAKSIN MUST BE FOUND GUILTY TO FAIL

Posted 05/08/07 12:32

Controversial Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra will only fall foul of the Premier League's 'fit and proper person' rules if he is convicted of a crime.

snip

But Richard Scudamore, the Barclays Premier League chief executive, claims they will only act if DrThaksin is convicted of a crime that conflicts with their fit and proper person legislation.

snip

football365.com

[John K]

Well assuming he is found guilty on day 'x', what happens on day 'x'+1? Do they take the club away and keep his money?

[spot]

When he comes back, will he bring 50 plane loads of Man City supporters and fish n chips for everybody?

And maybe Oasis will sing some Isaan tunes for everybody at a free gig outside the hearing.

[John K]

When he comes back, will he bring 50 plane loads of Man City supporters and fish n chips for everybody?

And maybe Oasis will sing some Isaan tunes for everybody at a free gig outside the hearing.

Sounds like an upgrade from handing out roses.

[Rinrada]

Just had a look at their web site......

Club directors and officials

Manchester City Football Club

City of Manchester Stadium

SportCity

Manchester M11 3FF

Telephone: +++++

Email: [email protected]

chairman

Dr Thaksin Shinawatra

deputy chairman ......etc

and under ...

Vacancies

Manchester City Football Club are currently recruiting the following:

business development executive (full time)

The Sales Department is currently looking to employ a Business Development Executive to work closely with the Business Development Manager to actively promote and sell both Matchday Hospitality and Conference & Events.

The successful candidate will play a key role in actively maximising revenue and profitability and will have a hands on approach conducting telesales, prospecting projects and achieving a personal goal of face-to-face customer contacts per week.

They must also understand their financial target for “new business” and achieve this by entertaining customers, conducting showrounds and organising promotions.

hospitality administrator (full time)

Working within the Hospitality Sales team, this supporting role will provide vital assistance with the day-to-day running of the Hospitality department and is an ideal first-time role for someone looking to move into the Sports Hospitality Industry.

The successful applicant must have excellent administration and organisation skills.

If you wish to apply for either role then please send a covering letter clearly stating the position you are applying for, along with your CV and salary expectations to: [email protected] Alternatively, you can post them to Trevor Goddard, Sales Manager, Manchester City Football Club, City of Manchester Stadium, Sportcity, Manchester M11 3FF

Closing date for both roles: 30 July 2007

catering staff

The Catering Department have vacancies available on a part time basis for Match days, Conferences and Events. We offer on the job training, good rates of pay, flexible working hours and meals are provided whilst on duty. * Match day chefs * Silver service waiter/waitress * Plate Service waiter/waitress * Bar persons * Kitchen Porters * Cashiers * Match day Supervisors **Thai Chefs..must be able to cook Sume Time

For further information please call 0161 +++ 7781 or 0161+++ 7782. Alternatively, you may write to: Lindley Catering, City of Manchester Stadium, SportCity, Manchester M11 3FF or email: [email protected]

All MCFC employees will be expected to champion the club values: Continuous Improvement, Customer Service, Club Custodian, Results Focus and People Matter. At Manchester City we work for equality and fairness in all we do.

We welcome applications from people across all of the community

[mrbojangles]

I've now got zero respect for Manchester City football club, and it's supporters for letting this man get involved.

What a pity spot. I won't sleep tonight in the knowledge you don't respect me

You do gooding, higher than thou type get on my ###s. Read the fit and proper test i posted. The league (not city fans) said Thaksin had passed it. So what should we do, we couldn't have done anything even IF we wanted. Tell me where in the test i posted, you believe Thaksin FAILED the test.

And what about the Thais? Do you not respect them either? Because i was at the party on Saturday and beleive me, it was like mini Bangkok. I have never seen as many Thai's in one place, outside of Thailand. They where THAI and they where clapping and chearing him and scrambling for his autograph.

Now what would the average, non worldy politically minded Man City fan, who knows naff all about Thailand think of that? I'll tell you what they think. A military junta half a world away is making it all up because look at all these Thai's HERE (where we can see them personally, face to face) in Manchester supporting him.

[sriracha john]

It would seem, then, that his scam has been successful thus far, then.... but give it another 6 months and see how the "party" is going...

Personally, I don't blame the fans. Post #154 explains why.

[Ricardo]

Yesterday evening's TV-News gave good coverage, so much for alleged 'censorship', of the first Man City fixture under their new owner.

There were many Thais who expressed their jubilation, that DL had at last found a Premier-League club, desperate enough to permit him to buy them.

We saw him singing along lustily, and fortunately someone had thoughtfully given him a sheet of paper, with the words to all these .. erm .. well-known much-loved familiar classics. So embarassing it would have been - to forget one's 'lines'.

But I have not yet heard, can somebody perhaps enlighten me, as to whether the blame for losing the game was awarded to the PAD, or General Prem, or more probably the evil machinations of the junta ?

As one who well remembers the TRT Chiang-Mai branch holding a ritual cursing, of the PAD and all their other troublesome opponents, I wonder whether there was dirty work afoot. Could we perhaps call upon Harry Potter, or some other hero, to enlighten us ?

[Siripon]

Expect Frank to be claiming he would win an election in England before long, euphoric after his free party,(and first of many football losses).

[Plus]

Man City will certainly do better than last year, new signings seem to be bright and promising. As long as they can keep the team together it will be alright.

On the other hand Spend Goran Ericsson hasn't seen any of his new players before they arrived at Manchester where he promply welcomed them to Manchester United.

Apparently he let one Israely agent to find all these new players. There's a good chance this strategy will backfire. This is not how the teams are built, usually.

[John K]

Football's new City slicker

The deposed Prime Minister of Thailand has been compared with Pol Pot, but to the blue half of Manchester, he is 'Frank', the man with the financial clout to put them on a par with their more illustrious local rivalsTim Lewis

Sunday August 12, 2007

The Observer

How much do you love your football team? If you are not 'lucky' enough to support Manchester United or Chelsea, what would you sacrifice to have a fraction of their success? It is this Faustian dilemma that may have been preoccupying the long-suffering fans of Manchester City since their club was sold to Thaksin Shinawatra, the deposed Prime Minister of Thailand, for £81.6m in early July. Thaksin, who has been compared in his homeland with Hitler, Pol Pot and Aids, has received a wary but convivial reception in the blue half of Manchester.

As City began the season against West Ham yesterday with a 2-0 win and with Sven-Goran Eriksson in charge of a scarcely recognisable team of new Spanish, Italian and Brazilian players, there was even guarded talk among the fans of a first trophy for the club in 32 years.

Mohamed al Fayed bought Fulham in 1997, but the foreign ownership of Premier League clubs really kicked off when Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea for £150m in June 2003. Now nine out of 20 clubs in the division are foreign-owned and it is likely that more (perhaps Arsenal or Everton) will be sold during the next year.

In some respects, Thaksin, who was overthrown by the Council for National Security (CNS) military junta in a bloodless coup last September, is a natural addition to these ranks.

A charismatic individual and natural self-publicist, he is sure to enjoy the prestige of club ownership, a must-have for any self-respecting itinerant billionaire these days. Even with assets of almost £1bn frozen in Thailand, he is said to enjoy a flamboyant lifestyle in England, where he now lives in exile with his wife and three grown-up children. His main residence is a five-bedroom, £4.5m mansion in Weybridge, Surrey, and he also has a serviced apartment in central London, where he answers to 'Your Excellency'.

He eats at ritzy restaurants such as Royal China and Patara and maintains a 'not too short' hairstyle at Toni & Guy. One of his favourite activities is karaoke, which he does with Sarunrat Visutthithada, better known as Lydia, so-called queen of Thai R&B.

In other ways, the emergence of Thaksin is an astonishing and, some would say, landmark development. Human-rights organisations are incredulous that he has passed the Premier League's fit and proper persons test (although the Premier League points out that he has not been convicted of anything) - Thaksin is due in court next week in Bangkok to answer charges of abusing his position to boost his family's financial interests.

To many, the way he has been embraced is evidence that England's national game has sold its soul. 'The Football Association's failure to investigate properly the background of the foreign nationals buying top clubs or their growing influence on the sport heralds the end of the Premier League as an English institution,' wrote Tom Bower in the August issue of The Observer Sport Monthly

However, while there has been some criticism of Thaksin in the press, notably from Manchester City fans such as Simon Hattenstone in the Guardian and Bill Borrows in the September issue of Esquire, there has been nothing approaching the outpouring of anguish and violence that accompanied the sale of Manchester United to Malcolm Glazer in 2005. Borrows may not be renewing his season ticket after more than three decades of loyal support, but the reality is that the majority of the club's supporters are more sanguine, even adopting a cute nickname for their new owner, 'Frank' Shinawatra (it's pronounced 'Chin-a-wat', but never mind).

If the comments on the Manchester Evening News message board are representative, 90 per cent of fans are behind Thaksin and most are more concerned about goalkeeping cover for the new season than the government-endorsed 'war on drugs' that saw in excess of 2,275 people killed in Thailand during a three-month period in 2003. 'Life being a City fan does not get better than this,' says Stretfordblue; 'So far, it's all a bit of a fairytale,' says another post.

A rare dissenting voice comes from someone who signs off as Erik Young, UN Human Rights Ambassador: 'Thaksin Shinawatra's other name is not Frank Sinatra, it is Satan. In fact, Shinawatra was born on 26 July. That was the same day Satan disappeared from hel_l. Nostradamus predicted he would appear somewhere around southern China.' In the current climate, though, such criticism receives short shrift. 'Billy no mates, do one,' replies the next post.

There is something idiosyncratic, almost wilful, about the supporters of Manchester City. The old joke is that City fans come from Manchester and United fans are from Dubai, but it goes deeper than that. 'City supporters are perversely loyal,' says Bill Borrows. 'One year, after we'd been relegated, the average attendance actually increased. The further we got away from the dishonesty at the top, the more fans were attracted back to the purity of the beautiful game.'

Many supporters see themselves as the absolute counterpoint to one of the most successful clubs in the world, just across the city. When Nick Leeson went to prison for losing £827m, he wore a Manchester City shirt. As he said at the time: 'To declare oneself a Blue seemed rather to take the edge off [the crime].'

It is not hard to see what attracted Thaksin, a serial entrepreneur before entering politics in the mid-Nineties, to English football. The Premier League is an astute and lucrative investment - as a guideline, Abramovich's original stake in Chelsea is now worth more than £500m - and after unsuccessful negotiations for Fulham and Liverpool, the 58-year-old Thai turned his attention to City. The club has the 17th highest income in world football, according to accountancy firm Deloitte, but - all their fans agree - was in a wretched position, stagnant with chronic debt, when he stepped in.

A further incentive for Thaksin would have been the profile that his new post would give him. Although the former Prime Minister has announced his retirement from politics, he never says it with much conviction. The CNS claims he is desperate to stay in the spotlight in Thailand, where many worship English football like a second religion.

While it is difficult to ascertain Thaksin's affection for football (officially his game is golf - he is the president of the Thailand PGA), it's easy to imagine him soaking up the adoration he will receive at the City of Manchester Stadium when United visit next Sunday. He has set out a three-year plan for his new club: a top-10 finish this season, qualification for Europe in the second year and silverware by 2010. It seems reasonable, even sensible, coming from a man whose personal motto is: better to die than live like a loser. 'To those people who say that I will not be here for a long time,' Thaksin counters, 'I say that I have been joking to my friends that we have a 250-year contract for the stadium and no one should bother negotiating an extension because I will do it in my next life.'

Manchester City fans may be reassured by Thaksin's long-term commitment, but for many others, his involvement fatally compromises the sport and pushes the Premier League ever closer to implosion - the decline of Leeds United magnified on an unprecedented scale. However, there are several inconsistencies with this interpretation, not least Thaksin's role within it.

The fact is that Thaksin's tenure as Prime Minister of Thailand was one of the most prosperous in the country's history and he still casts a long shadow over a nation where democracy is yet to be restored. More than 200,000 citizens attend pro-Thaksin rallies and if elections were held today, he would be a strong favourite, courtesy of loyal support from farmers in the north.

Despite his absence from the country, the CNS has been unable to entirely tarnish the former leader's reputation and Tuesday's court case is primarily procedural, like trying Al Capone for income-tax evasion, you might say. Even the claims from human-rights organisations regarding his violent treatment of drug traffickers have not been officially sanctioned.

Thaksin may be controversial, but he is certainly not the only dubious individual running a Premier League club. And, as for football in England, it will continue being in crisis - that is, stratospherically profitable, envied around the globe and featuring many of the world's finest players in state-of-the-art stadiums. The reality is that the majority of football fans are desperate for the club they love to be bought by an international tycoon with millions to spend on flashy players and facilities. They don't particularly care where that money comes from and, in a sense, why should they? Everyone else is doing it and, besides, regulation should be the jurisdiction of the FA and the government (a responsibility that both seem keen to duck at the moment).

If City win the Manchester derby next weekend, you will certainly hear little criticism of 'Frank' from the fans. You can almost hear the singing now: 'Regrets? I've had a few ...'

The Thaksin lowdown

Born 26 July 1949 in Chiang Mai, Thailand, to a wealthy family. After leaving school, Thaksin joined the police before resuming studies in the US. Married Potjaman Damapong in 1980. The couple have three children.

Best of times The only elected Prime Minister in Thai history to serve a full term, he was returned with a landslide in 2005. His economic policies ('Thaksinomics') are credited with drastically reducing poverty in five years.

Worst of times While at the UN in New York, he was deposed by a military junta. His assets were frozen and his political party, Thai Rak Thai, was forcibly disbanded. He says he will not return to Thailand until democracy is restored.

What he says 'I was a democratically elected leader ousted by military coup, so I know the British people, as a mature democracy, understand my position. I am still very popular in Thailand and the military are trying to justify why they have overthrown me. There is no evidence that I violated human rights.'

What others say

'If the UK government tells us that there is no problem, then I don't think it is for us to go around second-guessing. If they tell us that X or Y or Z is not suitable to have investment in this country, then they would stop the flow of money and we would work with them on that basis.' Richard Scudamore, Premier League chief executive.

[John K]

It would seem the international press is getting past the honeymoon stage with Thaksin in the VIP box.

[sriracha john]

Thaksin.... honeymoon.... VIP box....

seems like he's already dumped Lydia.... and she was so pretty.... but oh well...

West Ham United's chairman Eggert Magnusson and Manchester City's chairman Thaksin Shinawatra, former Prime Minister of Thailand, before their English Premier League soccer match at Upton Park in London August 11, 2007.

REUTERS

[Martin]

Football won't be as hard on him as Thai politics was.

There, rival enemies (the middle class and the old power elite) sank their differences (temporarily) to combine against him.

At least, in football, he has the consolation that his team meets United and Chelsea separately, not simultaneously in collusion.

City fans may have taken him to their hearts when they got the message that, whatever his faults and motives, he actually did do something for the poor.

[plachon]

City fans may have taken him to their hearts when they got the message that, whatever his faults and motives, he actually did do something for the poor.

Erm, like what?

I guess he killed them in their droves in his "War on Drugs" and turned them into serious debtors and gave them a mobile phone each to spend half their income with, thus primarily benefiting himself, but what else did he do for the poor Martin?

[Tony Clifton]

He's due to break a law or two in the UK anytime, old habit of his when he wants something.

He'll also be a Thai fugitive as of tomorrow.

The world is getting smaller and smaller.

[Mid]

Thaksin remains Thai rural hero despite charges

By Nopporn Wong-Anan

AT SAMAT, Thailand, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Even though Thailand's Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant for him this week, ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra remains a hero to the rural poor.

Almost a year after he was deposed in a bloodless coup, farmers in the rice-growing district of At Samat, where Thaksin staged a reality TV show of his visit last year, still talk about the projects he started and the empty promises of his predecessors.

snip

football.guardian.co.uk

[Charma]

Quick quote from the BBC Match of the Day commentator during the Man City match last night:

"...and that's the FA chief sitting next to Mr Shinawatra, certainly seems to be giving a seal of approval to the former Thai Prime Minister"

Cut to picture of a smiling Thaksin very much enjoying his teams success!

[John K]

Thaksin remains Thai rural hero despite charges

By Nopporn Wong-Anan

AT SAMAT, Thailand, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Even though Thailand's Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant for him this week, ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra remains a hero to the rural poor.

Almost a year after he was deposed in a bloodless coup, farmers in the rice-growing district of At Samat, where Thaksin staged a reality TV show of his visit last year, still talk about the projects he started and the empty promises of his predecessors.

snip

football.guardian.co.uk

The key to this may be found in the name of the journalist.

[Plus]

I'm sure he will be a hero in man Man City fans for life, too. He is a great divider, some people love him, others loath him at the same time.