Political Football

[baht&sold]

Things looking black and white for Abhisit's United

Bangkok Post May 24, 2009

It's a feeling Abhisit Vejjajiva may know well: No matter how hard you try or whether you achieve your goals, your future is dependent on what others do.

Tonight at 10pm the prime minister - in his other alias as Mark the Magpie - will likely wrap the famous black-and-white scarf of Newcastle United's famed ''Toon Army'' around his neck and perch himself in front of the television for 90 minutes to anxiously watch his team fight for survival in the English Premier League.

While the big four of Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal routinely vie for the title, the fortunes of Newcastle, the most passionately supported major club in England, have been mediocre in recent years.

Despite Mr Abhisit's belief they have played well during the 38-game season their record speaks for itself _ seven wins, 13 draws and 17 defeats.

To stay in the top flight they must not only beat Aston Villa, but also hope that two other teams in the drop zone, Hull and Sunderland, do not pull off upsets against Manchester United and Chelsea respectively.

Mark the Magpie _ not Mr Abhisit the seemingly unflappable politician _ admits he is nervous.

''I believe Newcastle will survive the relegation battle,'' said Mr Abhisit after studying the fixtures. ''I believe every team is professional and will do their best to win. But I don't think Sunderland will defeat Chelsea at home.''

Born and raised in the northeastern English city, Mr Abhisit has followed the ups and downs of the Tyneside club _ which last won a major trophy in 1969 - since he was a boy.

Despite being raised by two physicians, a khun nhu image and studying at Eton and Oxford, Mr Abhisit has remained loyal to the team from the working class city. The premier has disclosed he contemplated opening a 24-hour Newcastle TV channel in a bid to promote his beloved team in Thailand after he is finished with politics.

But backing a losing team has taken its toll. Mr Abhisit said he has become tense and tired watching Newcastle's end of season struggles. It has taken a bigger toll on him than politics, he said.

-- Bangkok Post May 24, 2009

[baht&sold]

Foul Play: Thaksin's Thai buffet

Guardian.co.uk May 16, 2009

Sven-Goran Eriksson and Thaksin Shinawatra, who'd have guessed it wouldn't last?

When Manchester City's directors made up their minds to sell the club to former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the spring of 2007, they rejected any suggestion that he might not be quite the ideal owner for Manchester's self-styled community club.

This tended to fly in the face of the evidence. The charge sheet against Thaksin included the awkward detail of his having been labelled "a human rights abuser of the worst kind" by Human Rights Watch after 2,500 people were allegedly killed by the Thai police during Thaksin's declared "war on drugs" in the country.

Thaksin always denied that his rhetoric, blood-curdling as it could be, ever tipped over into ordering extra-judicial murders. In November 2006, he was ousted as PM by the Thai military while he was out of the country. The coup came shortly after Thaksin had sold the family company, Shin Corp, for £1.2bn, on which he was reported to have paid no tax – news that brought crowds of protestors on to the Bangkok streets.

A simple Google search would have informed City's directors that the new military government had set up an assets examination committee to investigate how Thaksin made his considerable fortune while in office. In short, he was under investigation for corruption offences when City's directors decided that he was the perfect character to launch their club into a bright blue future.

They sold to him for £21.6m, and the largest shareholders, John Wardle and David Makin, were repaid a large part of their £20m loans by Thaksin. His arrival brought the former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson to City and a string of new players. He threw a party in Manchester's Albert Square, with a free Thai buffet, which thousands of City's fans lapped up.

The Thaksin era unravelled only a year later, when he was convicted on corruption charges and he and his wife, Potjaman, skipped bail and fled Thailand. Then, with the club apparently on the brink of disaster, he found somebody willing to buy City: Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi, the richest backer of any football club in the world.

Late last year, Thaksin was refused entry to the UK. "My briefing quite rightly said he has been charged with fraud," said the immigration minister Phil Woolas. "He is not a desirable person." City's directors, when they accepted more than £40m from Thaksin, had not, for some reason, been blessed with the same clarity of vision.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/ma...ksin-shinawatra

[baht&sold]

It's official. Thai PM's and English football apparently don't mix very well... However, Mr Thaksin made a handsome profit and Mr Abihist gets to try and make his mark as PM. Still, perhaps a bit bittersweet for both- in different respects. Who will ultimately win to survive in the Thai league and who will be relegated still remains to be seen... If stoppage time (for protests, riots, etc) are added on, this could be a rather drawn-out match. May the under-dog in the fight prevail (the long-suffering side of everyday Thais).

Er, back to football, to Newcastle fans, wishing you better days ahead, to Hull fans, the century dream lives on (barely). Next?