When he’s not busy playing politics, the (in)famous Newin Chidchob has also been attracting a lot of attention in the football world as the mastermind behind not one but two Buriram-based football clubs.
Newin moved TPL club PEA FC from Ayutthaya to Buriram after the end of the 2009 season. He also took over Regional League club Buriram F.C at the same time. He threw up a brand new stadium in double-quick time and managed to produce 20,000 fans almost out of thin air. The reality was that many of these fans had been attracted by free tickets, free merchandise, food vouchers and big enough cash incentives to encourage them to travel to away games. This artificial way of creating fan loyalty, and the atmosphere of manufactured enthusiasm whipped up at the i-Mobile Stadium where they play, isn’t to everyone’s taste, but it was certainly effective. PEA finished second in their first season in their new incarnation. Inevitably, there have been dark whispers about Newin’s involvement in the beautiful game and how he may use his power, wealth and influence to his teams’ advantage. There will undoubtedly be a conflict of interest, though, should Buriram F.C make it into the TPL, and all the signs are that this will happen sooner rather than later. What’s also sure is he will continue to make as many headlines as his teams in 2011.