Madam Pang becomes president of the Football Association of Thailand

Billionaire Nualphan Lamsam won 68 out of 73 votes to become president of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), becoming the first woman to lead a national football association in Asia.

The FAT General Assembly met on the afternoon of February 8th to elect a new president, following the expiration of Somyot Poompanmoung's term. Besides Madam Pang, there are three other candidates vying for the vacant position. One is Pauline Ngarmpring, a prominent Thai politician who ran for Prime Minister in the July 2023 election. The other two are Worawong Vitthawan, a former spokesperson for the Thai League, and Thanasak Surprarasert, a politician.

Former President Somyot (left) presents flowers and congratulations to Madam Pang, his successor, on leading Thai football. Photo: FAT

With her reputation and continuous contributions to Thai football, Madam Pang won overwhelmingly. The 56-year-old billionaire received 68 out of 73 votes, achieving a 93% approval rate, to become the 18th president in the history of FAT and the first woman to head Thai football.

Madam Pang is a familiar face and has made significant contributions to the development of Thai football over the past decade. From 2015 to 2019, she was the head of the Thai women's football team at the 2015 and 2019 World Cups. Following that, Madam Pang led the Thai men's football team to victory in the 2020 and 2022 AFF Cups. Most recently, she led the Thai national team to success at the Asian Cup, becoming the only Southeast Asian team to advance beyond the group stage before being eliminated in the round of 16.

In addition, Madam Pang was also the President of Port FC, a team competing in the Thai League. However, to run for the FAT presidency, she resigned as president of Port FC, transferring all management rights of the club to her family members.

After being elected, the new FAT president, Madam Pang, set a goal of upgrading the Thai League to a continental-level quality competition. She also harbors ambitions to lead Thai football beyond the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the Asian region.

Duc Dong

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