Thailand moves to improve football

THAILAND are making big plans to improve their football and as a result will offer immediate citizenship to recruits from other countries. Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Thailand, His Excellency Lt Col Dr Thakin Shinawatra made the announcement yesterday, during a FIFA delegation tour in Bangkok.

The FIFA delegation was headed by president Joseph Sepp Blatter, and included senior vice-president Austin Jack Warner of Trinidad and Tobago, Worawi Makudi a Thai, who is also the general secretary of the Thai FA, Ricardo Teixeira of Brazil and Russian Viacheslav Koloskov.
According to Warner, Shinawatra told the FIFA delegates as from 2005 and continuing, it is his intention  to send scouts to Africa and South America to recruit young and upcoming footballers to whom he will give immediate citizenship in an effort to raise the standard of football generally in Thailand in the shortest possible time.

During the FIFA executive visit, Blatter presented prime minister Shinawatra with the FIFA Order of Merit, a decoration given to only four persons previously, former-US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, Prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia (deceased ), Kofi Annan and Nelson Mandela. The Thai prime minister becomes the only active politician on whom FIFA bestowed the honour, which is in recognition of his government’s contribution to the development of football in Thailand in particular and, moreso for having hosted the FIFA Under-19 Women’s World Championship.

PM Shinawatra thanked FIFA for the award and in turn presented a golden trophy to Blatter on behalf of himself and the government of Thailand. Cabinet ministers including deputy prime minister Suwat Liptpallop, minister of industry and trade Pongsak Rartapongpaisal and minister of sport, Sontaya Khunpluem witnessed the presentations. Earlier this year Warner accompanied a Trinidad and Tobago team to Thailand for a friendly international. Warner leaves for Taipei to represent FIFA at the FIFA Futsal World Championships there on Sunday, following which he will return to FIFA headquarters in  Zurich to attend a series of important meetings early next week.