By Andrew Warshaw
July 4 – Controversial Fifa executive committee member Worawo Makudi (pictured) continues to cling to power as boss of Thai football despite growing demands for fresh presidential elections which he, so far, has refused to implement. Thailand avoided being thrown out of world football by FIFA last month after a tiny fourth-tier club agreed to withdrew a lawsuit that threatened to stop the Thai FA (FAT) from holding elections. Pattaya had won a court injunction blocking Fifa-backed reforms that would change the Thai federation’s statutes because they, in turn, would have slashed the number of voting clubs in FAT elections by more than half.
As a result, Makudi, whose two-year term officially ended on June 16, was forced to postpone the presidential election but technically remains in charge. No vote has since taken place.
Makudi continues to insist that reforms he wants to put in place must be implemented before officials can go to the polls even though his term as FAT president has ended and even though 108 of the 179 FAT members have signed a petition demanding a fresh ballot takes place on July 23 in line with Thai sports law.
Makudi counters that further talks will take place on August 8 and that no election can happen before September 23. “We have already decided that we can’t hold elections immediately. We have to implement reforms before holding the next election,” Makudi told Reuters.
In what is rapidly deteriorating into a kind of domestic footballing civil war, the 108 dissenting clubs have threatened to bypass Makudi and hold their own elections in early August if the July 23 date is not met.
“The Sports Authority of Thailand has nothing against the FIFA reforms but first we must deal with the matter at hand and under Thai sports law an election must be held once the incumbent’s term comes to an end,” official Somporn Chaisongkhram said. “The Sports Authority of Thailand has nothing against the FIFA reforms but how can we confront the matter now when registration under Thai law hasn’t taken place yet?”
Makudi, who lost out in May to Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa to become leader of the Asian Football Confederation, says he is simply following FIFA guidelines.
But Pattaya argue they only dropped their court action once Worawi’s term expired, theoretically putting him out of office, and critics said slashing the number of voting members was a deliberate ploy by Makudi to retain the presidency.
Two years ago Makudi strongly denied claims that he misused thousands of dollars’ worth of FIFA development grants to build facilities on land that he personally owned in and around Bangkok. He was investigated and cleared of any wrongdoing – he claimed the allegations were designed to defame his reputation – but since then the way he runs Thai football has been questioned by a parliamentary committee in his own country.
