More Embarrassment In Thai Football

As a farang we are not expected by Thais to have any concept of face. We don't understand their notions of power, patronage or status. We don't understand what it means to lose face in front of others and expunge that loss with a wai and a vague promise to enter a monastery at some undetermined future date.

As a farang we are allowed our little foibles but as long as we are generally rib roy or suuparb or jai yen or kreng jai then we are tolerated and the Thais can go about building their own personal kingdoms with the token white face.

That's what football is. It's a political power play among ambitious individuals intent on building their own empire...and much more no doubt. it pits puu yai against puu yai and the idea of trying to get between two local behemoths with quaint ideas of football first won't be appreciated.

In this endless pursuit of power and prestige even face gets sacrificed. Two rival camps will have their own concept of face, theirs and their rivals. How they are viewed by the larger public is irrelevant; they have their own audience and their own agenda.

Have a look at this video which I was sent today. The guy in the dreadful lime green t shirt clutching the microphone and inciting the supporters to charge on the field and assault the match officials obviously has some kind of agenda. He is certainly behaving in a most un Thai like manner, most definitely jai rawn. Or maybe he just can't handle his bottle of sangthip he has spent all day necking.

Heaven forbid any foreigners who get to watch this video will have a negative influence of Thailand or Thai football or Ranong FC.

Is he losing face by acting in that manner? A Joey Barton in a bad shirt? Or is he appealing to his supporters, proving his own macho ness in a sub plot we are unaware of?

There are enough problems in Thai football without the antics of this guy getting airtime. But will anything be done about it or will it just be swept under the table with a wai, a necklace of garlands and those immortal words 'it was a misunderstanding'?