Rules and the Chance to Redeem
The biggest news in Thai football last week
was undoubtedly the case involving "Korae Phikat," Nara United, the latest Thai League 3 Champions League winners, issuing an urgent statement
after learning that their team failed to submit the "club licensing" documents on time! This could prevent them from competing in Thai League 2 next season despite winning promotion.
According to the regulations set by Thai League Co., Nara will almost certainly lose the right to play in the second tier and will have to drop down to the Semi-Pro League instead.
The board of directors of Korae Phikat acknowledged their mistake in their statement,
and requested the Football Association of Thailand to allow a chance to resubmit the Thai League 2 club licensing documents.
They also confirmed that the team is fully prepared in every aspect; they simply failed to submit the licensing documents by the deadline.
Now, we wait to see what solution the association will propose.
It is expected that a conclusion will be reached before 9 July, when Thai League Co. will hold a meeting to finalize the teams for Thai League 1-3 in the 2026/27 season.
Regarding this case, I had the special opportunity to interview “Big Pok” Warong Thiwat, a former Thai League executive,
who previously managed club licensing for various clubs. Here is his perspective on the matter.
"In cases where clubs ask Thai League for a chance... the question is not about sympathy but about how the system can function."
Q: What is your view on the club’s statement requesting Thai League consider allowing them to submit documents again?
Warong: I see this issue from two distinct angles.
The first is the "emotional" aspect.
The second is the "principle" aspect.
Emotionally, I understand the club, because missing the paperwork deadline once could affect years of investment, players, staff, fans, and everyone involved in the organization.
No one wants their team to stumble because of administrative errors, but in professional football, decisions are not made based solely on readiness.
They are also based on management capability.
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Q: Many say the club is not asking for special privileges, just "a chance." What is your take?
Warong: The word "chance" sounds gentle, but in a competitive system, "additional chances" can equate to "exceptions."
We must ask, if one club submits late and is allowed to resubmit, how will the clubs that submitted on time feel?
They might question why they bothered managing everything on time. This explains why club licensing is designed to be strict.
Because it evaluates not just on-field skill but readiness to be a professional football organization.
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Q: How should Thai League make a decision?
Warong: The answer is not about being strict or lenient, but about what the written rules state.
If the regulations allow appeals or corrections, then such rights should be used transparently and applied equally to all clubs.
But if the rules clearly state that missing the deadline is final, making exceptions on a case-by-case basis could harm the league’s credibility more than expected.
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Q: What is the key lesson from this case?
Warong: Thai football often talks about developing techniques, players, and tactics, but modern football also competes in "back-office systems."
Documentation, finance, legal matters, and governance are all part of the unseen competition.
Sometimes, teams that don't get to compete haven't lost on the field—they have already lost in the boardroom.
Professional football grows not because we grant chances every time,
but because everyone believes the same rules apply to all teams!!!
- Bee Bangpakong -