Here's the second of our new regular - and popular - feature. Take five Thai football fans, share five contentious opinions with them and let everyone have their say. Nice and simple. Our group today consists of Grant (Muang Thong Utd), Jim (Port), Marco (Port), Kenny (Port) and Gian (Muang Thong Utd). Take it away, chaps...
1.VAR is good for the game and will help improve the quality of Thai officials.
Jim: Had to stop myself writing another VAR Essay here. VAR for better or worse, I feel is here to stay. So, we have to make the best of it. What we have currently, even in the biggest leagues is far from perfect (as we saw in the FA Cup last weekend). In Thailand we have a long way to go to reach even those standards. There’s obviously a lot of work to be done with a system that can give Muanthong that penalty against your lot at the start of last season and are there plans to make it work at the end Buriram are defending on matchdays?
Has it been good, probably not as an event, that fans celebrations are partly muted by the fear of a goal being ruled out has taken something away from the matchday experience.
Marco: VAR seems to create more problems than it solves. It occasionally works well and you can see the benefit of it but too often we see a lack of consistency on when and how it is used. It hasn’t improved the quality of officials, that is for sure.
Kenny: Rather than righting unjust wrongs, it just seems to have added an extra layer of incompetence to Thai matchday proceedings. The biggest problem is the process is still painfully slow compared to what we saw at the World Cup and in the EPL each week.
Gian: I really despise this debate so I’ll make it brief. VAR can improve the quality of decisions if used well. In top leagues, officials have been able to make crucial decisions with limited delay, and keep the game flowing well.
However, if officials constantly cave to pressure from players and coaches, take ages to make simple decisions, and display a general lack of common sense when using it, of course it is only going to compound the problems we already have.
Given that VAR requires only a remote setup, I think we can take this opportunity to get VAR officials from other countries to assist Thai referees. It might be a little bit difficult logistically, but it could greatly improve the quality of officiating.
2.Newin Chidchob has done wonders at Buriram Utd and should be chairman of FAT.
Jim: As it stands no. Nobody (yes including her) should have a role with the FA and with a club at the same time. Same goes with involvement at more than one club. I’m all for the clubs, owners, fans and other groups in football being consulted and involved but ultimately there has to be some independence. If Newin wants to give up his involvement at Buriram and move his efforts to the FA then that’s his choice.
Marco: Only if they do a behind the scenes ‘All or Nothing’ style Netflix series (of which he has no editorial control) to go with it. Keeping up with the Chidchobs.
Kenny: Is it April 1st already? Actually, in all seriousness he has created a successful brand up there and put Buriram on the map. If there really, really was no conflict of interest in him taking over… Yes, he could be the guy to shake things up and improve the overall product. The obvious thing he’d need to realise is that having Buriram coasting to the title by the end of the first leg most seasons does not help to elevate the league.
Gian: The first part of this statement is definitely true. What Newin Chidchob has built at with Buriram United is incredible. The professionalism, the infrastructure - they’ve got so many things right and can stand up to the best on the continent both on and off the pitch. The presence of the club has also been massive for the city and province.
However, that should preclude him from being the chairman of the FAT, since no club owner, club founder or close associate of a club owner should be allowed to hold that position. The FA needs to be neutral and unbiased in its approach to all teams.
That being said, we know reality is far from this ideal, with Madame Pang now the ‘team manager’ of the senior squad and Newin in charge of the U17 national team, which I suspect is just the start of his ambitions.
On that last point, it will be very interesting to see what he does with the U17 team this summer, as we are hosting the Asian Cup for that age group. He held a tryout for the squad last month, but many top players who are contracted to other clubs apparently decided not to attend. Given how vocal he has been about the youth national teams recently, and the fact that he’s staked his reputation on being able to do better than in previous years, I believe he has a huge incentive to call up all of the nation’s best players, not just the ones who attended his tryouts. The day this U17 national team squad is announced will be very telling indeed.
3.The Thailand national team is more important than the league and should always be given priority.
Grant: Strong leagues breed strong national teams, so certainly not. The 2 entities need to promote each other.
Jim: If the focus is the national team so be it. However there needs to be a realisation that there is a co-dependency between the two. The vast majority of Thai players play domestically and are developed by the clubs in the league. A strong league is key to a strong national team. So the league needs to be respected and developed if the national team is to advance to the level desired. As such repeatedly moving the league dates and treating it as an after thought is damaging.
It would also be nice to see youth development pushed by all parties. Equally if the national team win the AFF thing l can see the season being cancelled in favour of a national tour of meaningless friendlies and open top bus tours.
Marco: Let’s just put it like this; I will be missing most of the Vietnam vs Thailand (AFF Cup Final first leg) because I will be travelling home from Kasetsart vs Rajpracha in T2. Club football >.
Kenny: I don’t mind it so much when we lose League games for World Cup qualifiers, as every country does. Even this Suzuki Cup (or is it another sponsor now?) I kind of like, because apart from the likes of Laos and Brunei, you do get some competitive high stakes games in the later stages. It’s kind of like “Group D” of the UEFA Nations League. When the league goes on hiatus at short notice because of Youth level tournaments, those are the annoying ones, in terms of fixture rescheduling.
Despite all of these things the Thai FA do in the name of improving the national team (reducing the size of the top division for one), the national team never really make any steps forward. Even with the expanded format, AFC get an extra two slots, I don’t see that increasing Thailand’s chances of getting anywhere near a World Cup.
Gian: The word “always” makes giving a clear answer difficult. I think it is conditional to some extent.
Generally, most Thais prefer the national team to take precedence, and I’m inclined to agree. However, I think the thing we have that gives us an edge over the other countries in ASEAN is our strong league. It would be great to see these clubs further professionalize, develop larger fanbases, become staples of their towns or communities.
That goal is the very reason why I think, at least in the short run, the national team should be given the best possible opportunity to perform well in major tournaments, such as the AFC Asian Cup. I do believe people will be more inclined to support their local team once they see the national team competing on a continental level.
Therefore, for major tournaments, I do think giving the national team enough preparation time is a good thing. However, if we are going to delay the league every time something like the SEA Games rolls around, I would have to disagree. Furthermore, I don’t think national team breaks are the primary thing that put people off from attending more Thai League games - there are plenty of other things about the fan experience we can easily improve first!
4.Thammasat is clearly the best venue to host Thailand international matches.
Jim: No. I’m all for taking the national team to the provinces occasionally but to do it just outside Bangkok at a terrible stadium isn’t the way ahead. What’s needed is a national team “home” in a purpose built football stadium with decent public transport links, in the capital. Given the reported financial situation of the FA, I cant see it happening soon.
Maybe if Newin is serious about the greater good of the game, across the whole country, its something he could pay for? Can we knock Thammasat down? I’m available and own a hammer if they need help.
Marco: Overall: No. But of the grounds that meet AFC criteria, it probably is. Rajamangala and Suphachalasai are out of action so what are the options if they want to play in or around the capital? Thammasat or BG? Rock, meet hard place.
Kenny: This isn’t just a Thailand thing, I think National Teams should go on the road and not just limit themselves to the capital city. Fans all around the country should get to see them. Korat, Buriram and Chiang Mai would be great places to host an international match.
Gian: Absolutely not. The Stadium is in the middle of nowhere and the views are awful. Rajamangala is our home ground and we should always try to play there when possible.
Obviously that wasn’t possible during this current AFF Cup, due to the stadium being used for other events. However, what I would have done in this scenario is play the (potentially four) matches across different cities, to give people from those places a chance to watch Thailand play a competitive International. For example, we could’ve played one group game in Songkhla, one group game in Chiang Mai, a semi-final in Buriram or Nakhon Ratchasima, and (if we got there) the big final in Rajamangala. I guarantee that each of the games would’ve sold out.
5.Muang Thong Utd v Port matches should always be played behind closed doors.
Jim: The ban on fans at the games between Port and Muangthong has gone on too long. Its clearly the fixture in Thailand that had the most animosity, but a lot of time has passed since the last occasion fans were able to attend together and the mood between the two sets of fans feels almost amicable at this point.
If the owners and FA are worried, they should be looking to ease the process of reintroduction, bus away fans in from their home ground for the game and straight back there after, with only season ticket holders travelling on the buses allowed to attend. If that goes well, we can start easing the conditions till things are back to treating it like any other fixture. I suspect those involved prefer to wait for Marioball to get them relegated and the problem disappear.
Marco: I should say no...but playing devil’s advocate, Port picked up far more points from the games played behind closed doors or home fans only than we did when both sets of fans attended. Don’t think we won at their place with our full-contingent of fans present and we only won once when their fans were at PAT.
Kenny: After 6 years of this, I have less and less hope of the situation thawing out, every time the fixture comes around, they usually announce the away fan ban 5 days or less before matchday.
Gian: This is a surprisingly difficult one. Yes, fans of these two clubs should be allowed to visit each other’s stadiums and create an atmosphere suitable for this derby. However, with the current state of stadium security and policing, it could present a danger to fans. If conflict were to break out, there are many parts of both stadiums which could pose significant risks and safety hazards.
The only way to allow fans back in to this fixture is by increasing the level of policing at the matches. However, is that something we want? One of my favourite things about Thai football is the relaxed and family-friendly atmosphere, and I want to protect that. Seeing the presence of more ‘PAT Guards’ or the fleet of masked men Muangthong have recently employed doesn’t appeal to me.
Please note: The opinions expressed in this article are those of each individual and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the blog. Thank you.
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