Buriram United owner Newin Chidchob is no stranger to controversy and outlandish behaviour. The politician-turned-football-club-owner-turned-football-manager watched as Buriram became the first Thai team to progress to the knockout stages of the Asian Champions League for a decade earlier this week. But instead of celebrating the success with the club’s manager, Atthaphol “Taek” Puspakom, Newin decided to release a YouTube video that evening announcing his decision to fire coach “Taek”, claiming “Under agreements and conditions held between me and Coach Taek, there are some agreements by which we cannot abide.”
Prior to coaching Buriram, coach Taek led Muang Thong to their first Thai Premier League (TPL) title in 2009, but that success didn’t keep him in a job and he was fired at the end of the season. He then joined Buriram and guided them to sweep an unprecedented three domestic titles – the TPL, FA Cup and League Cup – in 2011. Muang Thong reclaimed the TPL crown last season, but Buriram retained the FA Cup and League Cup. This season, the club are second in the league, four points behind Muang Thong but with a game in hand and through to the knockout stages of the Asian Champions League. Atthaphol “Taek” Puspakom is one of the most successful Thai coaches ever.
After he was fired, Attaphol claimed that Newin interfered with the team, an allegation Newin unashamedly confirmed to the Bangkok Post:”It is I who select the line-ups and make changes during games,” Newin said. “I am head of the head coach, who is just my assistant.”
Buriram defender Teerathorn Bunmatha confirmed that club owner Newin is in fact the real manager of Buriram and it seems that the players don’t have a problem with it. “The players know it is the chairman [Newin] who selects the line-ups and tactics,” he said.
Newin is a long time advocate of improving the TPL and he is a firm believer that for it to move to the next level there needs to be an overhaul of the people who manage the league. “While players and football clubs have improved, management of the two organisations remains unprofessional and there is no transparency. All decisions [to manage the league] should come from club members, not from the FAT or a few people. “Thai football does not progress as it could because there are two kinds of people in the sport. One that only wants to take credit but do nothing and another that wants to seek benefits but does nothing to develop football,” he told the Nation
What Newin fails to realise is that the TPL will never progress when you have club owners who see it as their toy and unprofessionally interfere in the footballing aspect of a club. The instability of the TPL and the archaic management of it isn’t just the fault of the Football Authority of Thailand (FAT), the people within the league who have the power need to show that they are willing to move forward in a legitimate and professional manner.
The TPL is not about club owners; it should be for the players and the fans.
Newin will test his managerial skills tomorrow against Samut Songkhram FC.
TPL fixtures May 4-5, 2013
Saturday, May 4
Army Utd v Chainat
BEC Tero P-P Sisaket
Pattaya v TOT
Ratchaburi v Suphanburi
Sunday, May 5
Bangkok Utd v Muangthong Utd
Chonburi v Bangkok Glass
Osotspa Saraburi v Songkhla Utd
Police Utd v Chiang Rai Utd
Samut Songkhram v Buriram Utd
Photo: Newin is tossed into the air by Buriram United players after a big win.
