A rare bit of good news for the beleaguered FAT president Worawi Makudi this week as an independent enquiry by the English Football Association found no evidence to support corruption claims leveled against him. Former England FA chairman Lord Triesman had originally claimed that Khun Worawi had sought the TV rights for a lucrative friendly match between Thailand v England in return for supporting England’s failed World Cup bid.

There is also still hope that Thailand may be let back into the 2012 Olympics Qualifiers after recently being kicked out for fielding an ineligible player. The Asian Football Confederation has now taken partial responsibility for the oversight raising hopes that Team Thai could yet be let back in. Khun Worawi has seemed to be a dead-president-walking recently. But the English FA report and the possibility of the reinstatement of the Olympic team would represent a fortunately timed piece of PR escapology by ‘VV’ with that now infamous FAT presidential election looming large on the horizon on June 17.

Strangest Match Scrapped
One of the strangest matches in Thai football history was due to take place this afternoon (Thursday, Jun 02) at the Bangmod Stadium in Thonburi. As we reported in late April the fixture between Bangkok F.C and F.C Phuket of Division 1 was abandoned in the 84th minute after a major cloudburst swamped the pitch with Bangkok leading 5-2. After toying with various ways of settling the match, such as letting the result stand, replaying the match in full or restarting it from halftime, Division 1 chiefs rather perversely decided to resume the match from the point at which it was abandoned. At the start of the week it was announced that the final seven minutes would be played at the Bangmod Stadium this Thursday. Phuket wouldn’t have to travel all the way to Bangkok just for seven minutes of football as they also have a fixture against Air Force United in Pathum Thani on Sunday. Nevertheless, it was then announced on Wednesday evening that Phuket had decided not to contest the final seven minutes after all. Strange that after having five weeks to think about it they took this course of action so late. So the bizarre sight of a seven-minute-match never came to pass.