by Matt Riley
28/8/14
The undisguised hatred spewing forth between FAT Head Worawi Makudi and Buriram United Head Coach of the Head Coach Newin Chidchop has moved from brinkmanship to all-out-war. Niggling spats between the two started like a testy couple, but one partner is about to take a long and unexpected vacation, whilst the remaining spouse has had a new patio laid with a strange camber in the middle.
Whilst SCG Muang Thong were succesful, there was a phoney war between their financially-supported FAT and Buriram as often marginal decisions went against The Thunder Castle, creating a siege mentality momentum that Siam Sport can no longer contain. Now Muang Thong wallow in an unprecedented fourth place with only six games remaining, the FAT have wheeled out the big guns to come to their aid. Suspending Buriram's most influential player for the rest of the season caused barely a blip in their progress towards back-to-back titles, so now they have banned them from playing at home against Osotspa M150.
Whilst a raft of decisions (including a six week break with six games left of the season for an under 23 tournament) suggest the FAT are not fit for purpose, the old adage of your enemy's enemy not always being your friend is relevant. Whilst Newin Chidchop would not have allowed an overage player to be illegally called up to the national team three days after Laos experienced exactly the same scenario, he has his own agenda and alliances to cultivate. It is hard to defend him repeatedly withdrawing his highly-talented players from national squads, but his supporters would argue it is one of the few weapons he has.
The big problem for the FAT is that they are trying to destroy the most successful club under its jurisdiction, and resuscitate a former power artificially at the expense of healthy and developing clubs like Ratchaburi and Chiang Rai. This form of footballing ethnic cleansing will cause a schism between thriving provincial clubs (soon to be added to by mega-supported Korat) and struggling Bangkok-based teams, which plays right into Newin's hands. He can create a football Khalifate of highly powerful provincial teams who don't need the largesse of a league which marginalises their interests. With eight of the TPL's top ten best- supported teams being from the provinces and seven of the ten least supported teams Bangkok-based, that is a lot of muscle to call on.
Even a single-celled amoeba would, if it had any, raise its eyes to the heavens reading that the FAT have "confirmed" all the fixtures for the 2015 season. This schedule is as reliable as a Pistorius testimony and only opens up more avenues of ridicule. Both sides need to declare a cease fire or, like the homeless Gaza families sifting through rubble for their missing children, Worawi and Newin will declare a comprehensive victory after a battle that only destroyed what they were supposed to govern.
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