Football Fever - Thai Style: 2010

Football Fever - Thai Style

Shropshire expat Duncan Kaiser on the football scene in his new home, Thailand.

Shropshire Star

December 18th, 2010

The final of the Thai FA Cup was played at the end of November in front of 35,000 fans at National Stadium in the heart of Bangkok.

It was a great spectacle with both sets of fans totally bedecked in either the red of Muang Thong United (newly crowned Premier League champions) or the blue of huge rivals Chonburi (kind of the Liverpool of Thai football, having been years in the comfort zone as No. 1 then being rudely knocked off their perch by ambitious others). Chonburi triumphed 2-1 with a goal after 116 minutes in extra time, thereby denying Muang Thong an historic double.

The success, high profile and attendance of this match illustrates the huge strides that Thai football has made in a short period of time. Major investment has come in from the private ownership of clubs and the sponsorship that has followed. Players' wages have risen dramatically, stadiums are being improved and even built anew. Perhaps more importantly, major ambition has also emerged. The level of competition in the top flight of the Thai league ladder has never been more intense.

Two years ago a friend and I popped along to our 'local' team, the aforementioned Muang Thong United, as they play not too far from where we work. Not expecting much, I was delighted when I had an evening of banter, beers, non-stop singing and standing on the terraces. We were welcomed into the 'ultra' brotherhood instantly. It was great! The crowd that night was around 3000. This season, the same team have averaged around 15,000, with a whopping 20,000 plus crammed in for the visit of Chonburi. It really is a huge success story and very exciting.

As you might expect, going to a Thai football game is all about fun, singing and excitement. In fact, the action on the field is often secondary to the celebrations in the stands. It is a constant cacophony of songs, drumming and clapping, with ticker tape plus the odd horn or flare for good measure. The last English game I attended was Shrewsbury vs Wycombe in the depths of winter 2008 (a cruel 1-0 defeat for The Shews as it happened) and this fans' display compares favourably I must say. Giant flags are also waved and 'ultra leaders' on megaphones stoke the crowd from their little platforms at the front of the stand.

So they are a passionate bunch (even if you can question the sudden appearance of so many new fanatical supporters in just two years) and at times there have been bits of bother as these passions spill over. A riot marred the Charity Shield-equivalent season opener in March and other games have ended in 'serious disorder' among fans, as the police like to say. Team walk-offs at bad decisions are not uncommon either. But, overall, going to games is safe and fun – no, really.

Chonburi, as mentioned earlier, are the traditional powerhouses of Thai football but have been overtaken lately and have to react quickly if they are to remain at the top. Buriram PEA are a brand new franchise, US and MK Dons-style, relocated from the central city of Ayutthaya to the heartland of Isaan, a region in the North East with a fierce sense of identity and the potential for crowds of forty thousand plus. Thai Port and Bangkok Glass have also upped their game on and off the pitch.

Bryan Robson, coach of Thailand, will be hoping this increased level of professionalism in the league structure is reflected in the performances of the national team. If this occurs, then the deeply ingrained passion for, and knowledge of, football here will provide a stirring backing for successful Thai teams of the future.

One barrier to that, however, having played with and against Thais over the years, is the tendency they have to over-elaborate, make wrong decisions, delay a pass and lose team shape. How many times have I screamed at a wide player to get back and help out? (Not that this is in any way annoying of course.)

This problem was evident in the cup final, so more work on these areas would add to the undoubted talent for the game that Thai players possess. I can also vouch for this having been routinely skinned and bamboozled by whippet-like Thais with fast feet in games here.

For a snippet of Thai terrace fever go to this link and also keep your eye on Thai football as it continues to evolve and make its mark, hopefully, in Asia then beyond.

What odds a Thai team upsetting the World Cup hosts in 2018?

This article first appeared in the Shropshire Star