The World Cup Fever In Thailand

[webfact]

The World Cup Fever

The FIFA World Cup, one of the world's biggest sport phenomenons which will be taking place between June 11 and July 11 in South Africa is set to commence this week. 32 football teams from all regions of the world will take part in the month-long tournament.

Thailand and its population have been trying to get the Thai national team into the World Cup tournament. However, this could only be just a dream or a fantasy.

Thailand had even nominated itself to host the tournament once before but was merely eliminated in the regional round. Because of this, Thai football fans could only cheer for their favorite teams in the tournament and to participate in many local promotional events. However, one of the major activities that Thai football fans will take part in during the World Cup will be placing bets on the World Cup matches which will invitably be followed by debt collections.

Once every four year during the Word Cup tournament, about 20 percent of Thai population, especially those in Bangkok area, bet on the matches. During this period, the total value of illegal bookmaking ring could top billions of baht as the wagers become higher in the advanced rounds. After each World Cup tournament, there are usually approximately five billion baht in outstanding gambling-related debts. This has become a social phenomenon which occurs once every four years. After the high tension of the recent political violence from the red shirt rally, the tournament which will be broadcast live on television, may be a welcome alternative for Thai viewers.

Looking at this in a positive light, many Thai businesses could benefit from the World Cup craze, and it doesn't matter if the fans watch the matches at home or commercial venues. Regrettably, the plaza located in front of Central World shopping complex, which had been a major gathering place for thousands of football fans during past World Cup tournaments, is now unavailable due to the damage caused by the red shirt protest at Ratchaprasong area.

However, hopefully during the next one month of the tournament, the Thai people will be able to momentary forget the tragedy they recently experienced.

This is the very first time in the history of the World Cup tournaments that the event will be hosted by South Africa, which will make the tournament more interesting for football fans around, including in Thailand, where there have been only bad news on front pages recently. At any rate, the World Cup also brings with it gambling, which is a chronic social problem in Thailand. This will also be followed by illegal gambling-related debt collections and violent crimes.

The press is also partially responsible for this. Many newspapers openly publish betting odds for the matches which encourage gamblers. The press, especially newspapers must be careful not to let themselves turn into a tool that encourage Thais to become even more addicted to the rush of betting on the right team.

Taken from Editorial Section, Kom Chad Leuk Newspapers, Page 4, June 7, 2010.

Rewritten and Translated by Kongkrai Maksrivorawan

Please note that the views expressed in our "Analysis" segment are translated from local newspaper articles and do not reflect the views of the Thai-ASEAN News Network.

-- Tan Network 2010-06-08

[bristolgeoff]

all around the world is football fever.maybe thailand is more football fever than others

[SomTumTiger]

World Cup? Sounds like something to drink beer with, while watching the Super Bowl...

[Val]

World Cup? Sounds like something to drink beer with, while watching the Super Bowl...

Lmao!

[mazeltov]

The World Cup Fever

...

However, hopefully during the next one month of the tournament, the Thai people will be able to momentary forget the tragedy they recently experienced.

good luck and enjoy the fever.

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[MAJIC]

World Cup? Sounds like something to drink beer with, while watching the Super Bowl...

Superbowl is that a large noodles?

[Thai at Heart]

Fever. Aside from some TV adverts haven't seen much of a fever.

If North Korea can qualify, how come Thailand can't?

[cardholder]

World Cup? Sounds like something to drink beer with, while watching the Super Bowl...

Superbowl is that a large noodles?

Bless, he probably hasn't realised USA have qualified

[cardholder]

Fever. Aside from some TV adverts haven't seen much of a fever.

If North Korea can qualify, how come Thailand can't?

Because they are cr4p !?.... perhaps ?

[landofthefree]

World Cup? Sounds like something to drink beer with, while watching the Super Bowl...

What's the superbowl? Some kind of American game that noone but some Americans are interested in and the rest of the world has never heard of?

[mazeltov]

MOPH to control alcohol ads during World Cup 2010

BANGKOK, 8 June 2010 (NNT) – The Ministry of Public Health has instructed media agencies to strictly control advertisements of alcoholic beverages during the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2010.

MD Saman Futrakul, Director of the Alcohol Beverage and Tobacco Control Committee under the Ministry of Public Health, stated that all forms of advertisements of alcoholic beverages would be closely monitored by the authorities during the World Cup football matches, especially television commercials. He insisted that all logos of alcohol products shown at the football stadium would be censored out in compliance with the Public Health Ministry’s regulation.

Violators will be subject to one-year imprisonment with a fine of 500,000 THB. In addition, a fine of 50,000 THB per day will be applied until their advertisements are corrected to meet the requirements.

MD Saman also mentioned that he had ordered related officials to keep an eye on all illegal activities during the football competition, including gambling.

MOPH to control alcohol ads during World Cup 2010 : National News Bureau of Thailand

-- NNT 8 June 2010

[cdnvic]

This isn't going to turn into a series of put downs on each other's countries. Please stay on subject.

[mazeltov]

This isn't going to turn into a series of put downs on each other's countries. Please stay on subject.

but this is one of the symptoms of world cup fever.

[siampolee]

Football along with tennis and golf are without doubt the most boring activities to watch.

[Soutpeel]

Football along with tennis and golf are without doubt the most boring activities to watch.

You obviously have never watched a 5 day test match then...

[phutoie2]

Yep most people are amazed that a game can last 5 days and it can still finish in a draw

[mazeltov]

The Nation comes with the headline of the week:

BREAKINGNEWS »

ICT Ministry bets it can reduce World Cup gambling

The Information and Communications Technology Ministry plans to reduce online betting during the World Cup to 3040 per cent of online gambling transactions.

The ministry is collaborating with the Royal Thai Police, the Culture Ministry and the Education Ministry in a bid to prevent Thais from making use of online gambling technology during the tournament, ICT Minister Juti Krairerk said Friday.

During his first two days on the job, Juti's ministry blocked 246 gambling websites on both local and international servers. The Royal Thai Police will levy charges against local websites offering online gambling.

Moreover, TOT, a state agency under the ministry, will monitor telephone numbers that have been flagged for undergoing unusually heavy use during the tournament, in order to determine whether they are being used for gambling.

ICT Ministry bets it can reduce World Cup gambling

-- The Nation June 11, 2010

[nongmai07]

Robin Hood Bar by soi 33 is showing all games in English commentary, 4 am close...pints of tigers 99 baht all night till close..hope this helps come on England

[salty]

Football along with tennis and golf are without doubt the most boring activities to watch.

No wonder the dog is driving the car.

[gotlost]

In the small villages of Thailand away from your large towns The locals could care less about this game. They are in bed by 9PM and up at 5AM. They have to work to survive and soccer is not survival.

[thaibeachlovers]

<br />Fever.   Aside from some TV adverts haven't seen much of a fever.<br /><br />If North Korea can qualify, how come Thailand can't?<br />

<br /><br /><br />

While coming to use the internet ( 1330 ) saw a small grocery store packed with Thai men watching "footbawn". Definitely some "fever" here!

Incidentally, can someone please explain how so many workers are able to take time off to watch a game, and not just in Thailand. They can't all be unemployed, and surely they don't save up holidays ( do low skilled workers in LOS even get holidays ) to watch something live, that will be on tv later.

[thaibeachlovers]

<br />Football along with tennis and golf are without doubt the most boring activities to watch. <img src="http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif" /><br />

<br /><br /><br />

I AGREE.

One of my pleasures in life is being able to tell some sport mad so and so asking me as to the latest score in some game or other that I have no idea and couldn't care less, and watching their face as they go into shock and disbelief!

Unfortunately, BBC, Asia News, Aljazeera et al have decided that a game qualifies as news, hence the almost complete lack of anything newsworthy on the tv so called newschannels. Give me strength.

Luckily Fox doesn't think watching grown men play with a ball is of any particular significance compared to real events, or I'd have nowhere to go for my tv "fix". ( Please note that I only watch Fox for the entertainment value, as there is little "news" on it relevant to most of the world. )

[LomSak27]

Had a thunderstorm roll in at 10Pm, as its a semi open air bar most got wet. I went home and to bed once the rain slowed. However for sure the Sasanaks stayed for the game. Getting drenched, drinking beer, drinking more beer, only to watch Green pull a BP,this has to have resulted in fever, painful pounding hangovers, gnashing of teeth and barking at the sky. Makes one humble, but a bit proud too.