It’s a well known fact that Thais adore football. Take a stroll down any street in Bangkok and you’re likely to see a Thai man or teenager wearing the colors of his favorite team: Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea tend to be the football tops of choice. The English Premier League is by far the most popular league among Thai football fans and this is evident on the streets, in the bars and during the majority of taxi journeys that begin with the inevitable small talk: Taxi driver: “Where you from?”; Passenger: “England”; Taxi driver: “Oh, I love England. Manchester United, Wayne Rooney” yada yada.
The popularity of foreign football is not because Thailand doesn’t have it’s own premier league. Actually the Kingdom’s very own Thai Premier League (TPL) was founded in 1996, four years after England’s Premier League was formed. The TPL was the brainchild of the Football Authority of Thailand (FAT) who ushered it in to replace the tournament format Kor Royal Cup, which ran from 1916 to 1995.
The TPL only had 10-to-12 teams in its formative years, but in 2007 this number was bumped up to 16 clubs and today the league has 18 clubs. The since-dissolved Bangkok Bank were the first winners in the 1996-97 season.
Last season’s champions, Muang Thong United have dominated the league since they gained promotion in 2009, winning the league three times and losing two Thai FA Cup finals. Buriram on the other hand have dominated the recent cup competitions, winning the last two FA Cups and League Cups.
Like a number of leagues outside of Europe, the TPL struggles to attract big-name foreign footballers unless they are in the twilight of their career. Ex England and Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler, who was signed by Muang Thong United at the ripe old age of 36 in 2011, is a perfect example.
Thailand’s Premier League will have to wait a long time before it can attract, say, the calibre of player who wants to play in the cash-rich Chinese Super League, like Chelsea stars Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, who were lured with the promise of riches beyond their wildest dreams. Each player was on a reported USD300,000 a week to play for Shanghai Shenhua. Both players have now left China to try their luck back in Europe.
Arguably the biggest signing by a Thai Premier League side in the last few years was by BEC Tero Sasana, which unveiled former England, Lazio, Manchester City and Mexico manager Sven Goran Eriksson as their technical director in September last year. The Swede was employed to take charge of strategic planning and support the coaching staff at the two-time Thai champions. He left at the end of last season.
The league does boast a large number of international footballers from countries like Madagascar, Montenegro, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Laos and North Korea, among others.
The lack of a big name foreign player gives the talented Thai players the opportunity to shine on the TPL stage. And last season one player stood out more than any other – Teerasil Dangda. The 24-year old Muang Thong striker spent three weeks in January training with Atletico Madrid, he finished last season as joint top scorer with BEC Tero Sasana’s Brazilian striker Cleiton Silva on 24 goals and he was the top scorer during Thailand’s failed attempt to win the AFF Cup in December.
The TPL is on the cusp of becoming a well organized, respectable organization, which is something that FAT head Worawi Makudi aims to take full advantage of. Worawi has entrusted the help of English Premier League (EPL) chairman Sir David Richards to assist the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) during negotiations over the broadcast rights to the Thai Premier League. FAT president Worawi Makudi said the TPL will be seeking a three-year deal, beginning in 2014, worth at least THB600 million annually. Negotiations will begin in March, reported the Bangkok Post . With any luck, the financial gains made from the TV deal should filter back down into the TPL.
Top level football in Thailand should instill the same passion in fans as the English Premier League. With so many teams in and around Bangkok and new idols to be found in stadiums throughout the Kingdom, hopefully, Thai football fans will soon be seen wearing the football tops of their favourite Thai Premier League team instead of a foreign team, and taxi drivers will regale passionate stories to passengers about the time their team beat Buriram. The foundations are in place for the TPL to succeed, but lets just hope it doesn’t come crashing down.
The 2013 Toyota Thai Premier League runs from March 2/3 to November 3 2013. Check back later for further season previews, including a team-by-team breakdown and players to watch!
