March 20 – Worawi Makudi (pictured), the President of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) and a member of FIFA’s ruling Executive Committee, has appealed to people protesting against the Government not to disrupt the country’s Premier League from taking place.
Security concerns caused by the red-shirt rally in Bangkok last week forced postponement of all Thai Premier League fixtures twice as well as First Division games.
More than 500 red-shirts last week laid siege to the stadium in Chaiyaphum to try to prevent local politician Newin Chidchob, the chairman of Buriram PEA, and his supporters from entering to watch the game between their team and Chaiyaphum.
The match eventually had to be cancelled.
It is estimated that up to 150,000 supporters of the anti-Government campaign have protested in Bangkok.
Makuidi said: ”I beg all of you to separate politics from sport.
“Sport is an important mechanism to develop our society.
“None of us wants to see conflict in our country.”
Chidchob is a former colleague of Thaksin Shinawatra, the ex-owner of Manchester City who the red shirts are trying to get restored as Thailand’s Prime Minister, but who has since publicly criticised him as being a disruptive force in the country.
Makuidi said: ”In football, we don’t have colour hatred [referring to the opposed pro-Thaksin red shirts and anti-Thaksin yellow shirts].
“Football has the potential to foster love, unity and peace in society.”
