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Manchester City, Leicester City: Thai’s that bind

By Jason Bardwell

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 29: A general view inside the stadium during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Everton at The King Power Stadium on October 29, 2017 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
LEICESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 29: A general view inside the stadium during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Everton at The King Power Stadium on October 29, 2017 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /
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Manchester City travel to the King Power Stadium on Saturday where they face the 2015-16 Premier League Champions. News coming out of the KP is that their owners, ‘King Power International Group’, are subject to an ongoing judicial process in Thailand.

News broke in England that a criminal court case had been accepted by a Bangkok court. The bare bones allege that the owners of Leicester City owe the Thai Government £323 million.

For me, it brought back memories of our very own Thailand scandal. That lead to Thaksin Shinawatra’s departing the club in 2008. It all started so well for the man us City fans affectionately called ‘Frank’.

It was a surprise that he actually passed the ‘Fit and Proper’ test to be honest. He was a controversial figure in his homeland. An ex police officer, he moved into business before then heading into the political field.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – APRIL 30: Ex Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra shakes hands with fans prior to the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on April 30, 2012 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – APRIL 30: Ex Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra shakes hands with fans prior to the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on April 30, 2012 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /

His war on drugs policy, started in 2003, was really controversial. Attempting to rid the country of drugs, in a short period of time. Rewarding officials who made their ‘quota’ while punishing those who didn’t.

Human Rights Watch, at the time, indicated that over 2,000 people were killed during that time. The Thai Government counters that only a fraction of those were by police, with most being drug dealers silencing others.

As far as City go, his initial contact with us was positive. Bringing in Sven-Goran Eriksson as manager, in place of Stuart Pearce. A number of exciting players including Geovanni and Elano followed.

That season, in comparison to previous ventures, was fantastic. A double over United and a ninth place finish meant we were relatively happy. Happy enough we’d ignore the signing of three Thai players. A tour of Thailand and I even remember the Thai National team coming to our place to train.

It was not coincidence that we finished the season with an 8-1 defeat to Middlesbro. the sacking of Sven and the eventual sale of the club to the Abu Dhabi Group followed. Now, Leicester find themselves in potential bother with Thailand.

Next: International Debuts: 2006

Unfortunately, the current case stems from when the airport concessions were given prior to the main international airport in Bangkok being built. The Prime Minister at the time, who granted the right for KP to operate those duty-free shops, yep – Thaksin Shinawatra.