On March 12, Sorawong Thienthong, Thailand's Minister of Tourism and Sports , sympathized with the football federation's financial difficulties. However, this official emphasized that the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) must take responsibility for paying the compensation of 360 million baht (about 272 billion VND) with interest after losing the lawsuit against a media company.
A day earlier, FAT President Nualphan Lamsam (Madam Pang) held a press conference to explain why the Thai Football Federation lost the lawsuit. During the press conference, Madam Pang shed tears as she announced that she would sue her predecessor Somyot Poompanmoung for causing great damage to FAT.
Mr. Sorawong Thienthong expressed sympathy for Madam Pang as she assumed the position under difficult circumstances. However, the Minister stressed that the FAT and its current leadership team must be held accountable for paying off the debts.
Thailand's Minister of Tourism and Sports, Sorawong Thienthong sympathizes with Madam Pang
Mr. Sorawong Thienthong admitted that the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand cannot provide the budget for FAT to pay off its debt. The National Sports Development Fund, with a budget of more than 1,000 billion baht, is only used to support Thai national teams and athletes in competitions, and cannot be used to pay off the debt. However, Mr. Sorawong Thienthong affirmed that FAT can still request funds for development, except for debt repayment.
Regarding irregularities in financial management and projects under former FAT president Somyot Poompanmoung, Mr. Sorawong Thienthong said that he had just taken office and only learned about the information through the media. If there were complaints about corruption, an investigation committee would be set up immediately. However, there have been no official complaints at present, and the ministry cannot conduct an investigation without a request from the FAT or the athletes.
“ The verdict is clear that the FAT is responsible. However, if there are allegations of corruption, we are ready to investigate immediately. However, there have been no complaints from the federation or athletes so the ministry cannot arbitrarily launch an investigation,” said Thai Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong.
When asked whether there was a need for dialogue between the parties involved, Mr. Sorawong Thienthong affirmed that this issue could not be resolved through negotiation because there was a court ruling. However, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand could play an intermediary role in the negotiations or assist the FAT in finding ways to gradually pay off its creditors.
The cause of the lawsuit between FAT and Siam Sport Syndicate Plc lies in the conflict over the contract to exploit the television copyright of Thai League (Thai National Championship). In 2016, Mr. Somyot Poompanmoung became the president of FAT and thought that the contract with Siam Sport was unfair because FAT only received 5% of the profit. Then, Mr. Somyot decided to cancel this contract. Siam Sport sued FAT in court. Finally, the Supreme Court determined that FAT breached the contract and had to compensate Siam Sport.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/bo-truong-khong-cap-tien-ldbd-thai-lan-doi-mat-nguy-co-vo-no-ar931306.html
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