Accused Makudi Told He No Longer Heads Thai FA

Head of the Thailand Football Association (FAT) Worawi Makudi, one of the four FIFA Executive Committee members accused by Lord Triesman of asking for bribes to vote for England 2018 during its World Cup bid, has been told he is no president of the body.

The Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) has claimed that he forfeited his position by failing to hold elections by March 31 after he, and members of the FAT Executive Board, postponed an election due to be held last Friday, May 6, because he claimed that some member clubs were represented by more than one voter.

However, deputy SAT governor Somkid Pinthong has told Thailand’s Senate Committee on Sports that the postponement was unlawful because such a move must be endorsed by two-third of eligible voters who were present at the meeting.

Somkid claimed that Worawi is no longer FAT President because his term expired at the end of last year and under their own regulations he could be acting President for a maximum 90 days after that, adding: “This means an election for FAT President must have been completed by March 31.

“As an election was not held by that date, Worawi and his Executive Board members have lost their positions. In fact, they did not even have the authority to call the May 6 election.”

The SAT have now threatened to step in and organise the elections themselves, a controversial claim as FIFA demand the autonomy of its member associations.

Somkid added: “Under the law, at least one-third of member clubs can ask the SAT to call an election for FAT president within 21 days of their request. We do not want to organise such an election but we may have to do it.”

Former England 2018 bid chairman Lord Triesman claimed during a Parliamentary hearing earlier this week that Makudi wanted England to play a game with Thailand, and insisted that the money from the television rights for that game should go directly to him.

Triesman said that “he [Makudi] believed that was critical to making the arrangement a success”.