Sleepwalking Into ASEAN by Matt Riley: 2014

Sleepwalking Into ASEAN

by Matt Riley

14th May, 2014

With less than eighteen months before the European Union of South East Asia (gulp) opens its doors, Thai football clubs continue to close theirs to this ten country, six hundred million strong, football crazy population.

Only two TPL clubs in SCG Muang Thong United and Suphanburi FC have officially sanctioned English mouthpieces. Whilst there is plenty of exceptional, unofficial work produced at a growing number of other clubs, it is the official messages that foreign future fans tend to gravitate towards. Insider content showing the below stairs machinations needs context, whilst the bland and glamorous advertorials help foreign fans choose a team, before digging deeper. 

Merchandising is a lost opportunity for both sites: SCG Muang Thong have an English catalogue, but purchasing is only in Thai and Suphanburi have yet to include one. Both sites provide high quality images of players performing to large crowds and content avoids nasty matters like official incompetence or political interference. By contrast, the official Thai FA is a telling tale of their attitude to English. None of it has been translated, but readers are teased by headings like "Follow @FAThailand on Twitter!" (Nothing in English and no Tweets for a month) or the Facebook link which, again, contains no English and is a mouthpiece for their friends at Siam Sport.

Bashing the Thai FA for their dismissive attitude to English is futile. Paralysed by Dark Politics, it offers a freedom for clubs to develop an ASEAN wide profile and new income streams. Unfortunately, Television is the delivery system and all deals must go through the FA. Look what happened last time...

In August 2012, Korean television company Daihan 21 filed a suit against the FAT alleging they paid over $1 million into the FA accounts for broadcasting rights they didn't receive. 

FAT Head Worawi counter sued and it all went away, but so did any interest in seeing Thai football exported to millions of ASEAN television screens. Just imagine how many Singhtarua fans would be spawned from images of their heaving stadium and crackling atmosphere, how many haircuts would be inspired by the Bangkok Glass midfield and trips by the ASEAN claustrophobic society to the terraces of TOT.

The weaknesses of neighbouring leagues are a strength for Thailand to exploit, but the time has passed. Fan support cannot be bolted on as a last minute afterthought; it has to be nurtured by a charm offensive of friendly matches, business agreements and player exchanges. With the mooted 3 foreigners, one Asian and one ASEAN foreigner in a lineup gathering momentum, it was also a chance to identify new talent on our doorstep at a fraction of the price of other foreigners.

So let's bury our heads in the sands and hope Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia ditch English and learn Thai. By then, the next Thai FA elections will be close and the best man for keeping those beastly non native people out of football can get his chance to topple Worawi Makudi. Ladies and gentlemen: Nigel Farage.