Guest article: Playing Games Hurts the Beautiful Game

Written by a friend
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The game yesterday between Buriram PEA and Muang Thong should have been the crowning glory for the northern club. To have the reigning champions in town at their last home game was a perfect chance for the stunning new TPL trophy to be awarded. Starting with a guard of honour made up of MT players, the game should also have been prefaced by a presentation of the trophy as a prelude to a joint lap of honour thanking the loyal fans of both teams. The Thai FA would have had a sensational picture to promote the league with a heaving stadium paying homage: our AFC neighbours would sit up and notice this burgeoning league.

Instead, what we got was some unseemly backstage wrangling to stop the ceremony going ahead. The trophy was not awarded, the former champions came out of it looking petty and childish and Thai football looks like it is run by a cartel of powerful clubs rather than a strong governing body who enforce what is right for the collective.

Buriram need their time in the sun. I hope that they get to the FA cup final where they play Muang Thong so that the Quillins have a chance to make amends and pay the proper respect to PEA that their outstanding achievement deserves.