chuckwoww Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 Thai football squad to train with Thaksin's Man City, says coach BANGKOK (AFP) â?? Thailand's football team will travel to England this month to train with premier league club Manchester City at the invite of its owner, ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, the team coach said Saturday. Chanvit Phalajivin, who heads Thailand's national squad, said they would make the two-week trip to hone their skills ahead of a key World Cup 2010 qualifier with Japan on February 6 -- with Thaksin footing most of the bill. "It's a cooperation between the Thai Football Association and Thaksin," Chanvit told AFP. "There are some 35 to 40 people who will travel to England. Some expenses will be covered by the association, but mainly the host will pay." Self-made billionaire Thaksin, who was ousted in a coup in September 2006, bought Manchester City in July for 162.6 million dollars. He has been living in exile, mostly in England, since his ouster. Allies of Thaksin, running as the People Power Party (PPP), won the most seats in Thailand's first post-coup elections on December 23, and Thaksin has vowed to return to his homeland after their apparent victory. Chanvit denied that Thaksin's offer was an attempt to play politics in the crucial post-election period, as PPP tries to form a coalition government. "I don't think people will consider training as a political issue, as our football association has a limited budget to train footballers and we have to take the best decision for our team," he said. The squad hope to travel to England in mid-January, he added. Thailand, traditionally Southeast Asia's strongest team, will have to battle Japan, Oman and Bahrain to make it though to the next round of qualifiers for the World Cup 2010, which will be held in South Africa. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iSPCpGIgFLIIlPi-iiXj9TMyQlzg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted January 6, 2008 Report Share Posted January 6, 2008 Can only be good for the Thai team imo ...train with one of the best teams must be an advantage . :thumbup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekong Posted January 6, 2008 Report Share Posted January 6, 2008 The squad hope to travel to England in mid-January, he added. Manchester in the middle of summer can be wet,cold and miserable, just how the Thai's will handle it in Mid-January is anyones guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 6, 2008 Report Share Posted January 6, 2008 Doesn't matter how the team handles it or if they learn anything. It's all a political show by the guy who's banned from Thai politics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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