Game over for Thailand? Political interference penalty puts FIFA ban in play

A Move Forward Party (MFP) MP raised concerns about a potential ban on Thailand by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) due to political interference. This comes after Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan allegedly exerted pressure on the President of the Football Association of Thailand (FA Thailand) to resign.

The official Facebook page of FA Thailand announced on July 1 that its president, Somyot Phumphanmuang, had resigned from his position following instructions by Deputy PM Prawit.

This instruction was reportedly given in response to a physical altercation between football players and coaches from Thailand and Malaysia during the recent Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) held in Cambodia.

Prawit’s order has been interpreted as political interference from a third party which violates FIFA rules and could lead Thailand to be banned from competing in future competitions.

Deputy PM Prawit yesterday, on July 2, gave an interview with the media about the issue. He was confident that Thailand would not face a FIFA ban, as he claims to have issued the order not in his capacity as deputy PM, but as President of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King (NOCT).

Prawit stated…

“No, it did not involve my deputy PM position at all. I just asked him to consider his position after the SEA Games incident which caused a negative impact on the country’s image.”

MFP MP Nattacha Boonchaiinnsawat said there is a possibility Thailand could be banned. Nattacha explained that Somyot’s compliance with Prawit’s instruction was evident. A lot of Thai football fans previously urged Somyot to resign several times due to the performance of Thai football players but he stood steadfast in his convictions.

Nattacha further pointed out that FA Thailand had failed to improve and Somyot had not taken responsibility for the matter.

Similar incidents in the past have led to the banning of football teams from various countries. For instance, Greece faced a ban when its government intervened in the national team’s management system.

India was banned in 2022 after its football association was dissolved by a court order.

In 2018, Indonesia was banned after its government took over the management of the football association instead of leaving the association as an independent organisation.

FIFA have yet to make an official announcement.