Thai football body to sue former chief over finances

BANGKOK, Mar 14 (AFP): Thailand's cash-strapped football association decided Friday to sue its ex-president -- a former national police chief -- over alleged financial mismanagement, his billionaire successor said.

Football is enormously popular in Thailand, though fans' attention is mostly focused on the English Premier League.

Nualphan Lamsam took over as president of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) last year after her predecessor quit in the wake of a shocking on-pitch brawl between Thai and Indonesian players during the 2023 Southeast Asian Games final.

Known as Madam Pang, her family own one of Thailand's largest life insurance firms.

Last week the Supreme Court ordered FAT to pay a sports media company a total of 560 million baht (around $17 million) over the "unfair termination" of a television rights contract.

The dispute stemmed from a decision taken under former FAT president Somyot Poompanmoung -- who was previously appointed as national police chief after the military coup of 2014.