TPL without scandal – Yeah right!

LAST year, I went to watch a Thai Premier League game for the first time. The atmosphere was incredible; the game, so so. What I did find truly entertaining was the blatant bias of the referee. Free-kicks were awarded for the slightest touches against the team he ‘liked,’ while it was the exact opposite for the opposition, who faced chest high challenges and no protection from the ref at all. Then there was the clincher: the ref awarded his ‘favourite’ team a penalty. They took it and missed. The ref let them take it again and they scored. The team won 1 - 0. After reading Paul Hewitt’s story about dodgy dealings off the pitch (BigChilli 02/11), I’ve come to the conclusion that, in Thailand, football really is a game about money.

Louis Walker