Thaksin, a bit of humility can go a long way

Ex-premier's megalomaniac tendencies and his need to keep the Manchester City management on a short leash isn't making him any friends in the UK or in Thailand

Published on May 8, 2008

Thaksin Shinawatra, formerly an autocratic prime minister of Thailand and one of the country's richest men, is not known for his humility, cultural sensitivity or sophistication. It, therefore, came as little surprise that what was perceived as a wonderful relationship between Thaksin, now the proud owner of Manchester City Football Club, and its management and fans could turn sour less than a year since his acquisition of the club.

Manchester City fans did not bother to hide their displeasure at Thaksin's high-handed approach before the kick-off against Liverpool at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool on Sunday. "Hey, Thaksin, leave our Sven alone", read a banner. "We don't need no Phil Scolari, we don't need no Mourinho", they sang to the tune of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In the Wall".

The protest was seen as a show of support for the beleaguered Sven Goran Eriksson, who was reportedly under pressure by Thaksin to quit after being recruited as manager and having served for less than 12 months of a three-year contract over disagreement on how to run the team. It used to be that Thaksin was affectionately referred to as "Frank" - as in Sinatra - because Thaksin's surname sounds similar to that of the legendary American singer.

Cultural insensitivity

It is still not clear how the antagonistic feelings fans have toward Thaksin will play out. Never mind the controversy involving the display of the Thai flag with Thaksin's name on it, which created an uproar in Thailand. The national flag is considered sacred by many Thais who reacted angrily to what they regarded as Thaksin's megalomaniac tendency in equating the symbol of the nation as his personal domain.

According to Britain's Sunday Mirror, Thaksin appears to have added insult to injury by demanding that Manchester City players "wai" him and the spectators before kick-off at every home game. Putting the palms of one's hands together in a prayer-like gesture is a common display of respect in Thailand and India.

It was clear that such a demand was supposed to make the team reflect the Thai owner's cultural identity, which would cast Thaksin in a glowingly positive light in the eye of his many political supporters in Thailand.

To be fair, Thaksin is not unlike other tenacious and demanding foreign owners of Britain's major football clubs who tend to hold the clubs' management on a short leash. But the least he could do is to show a little cultural sensitivity. Let's hope that he either has enough supply of this inside him or he has to grow it quickly before it is too late.