Updated to 8 July 2024
There is a report this morning from Thai football journalist Bubble Yingrak that Chiang Mai FC has failed to obtain a license to play in T2 next season.
He reports that CMFC is the only team in T2 that did not pass “Club Licensing” due to not submitting financial documents despite being given encouragement and support from the Thai League.
League regulations now require CMFC to move down to T3 according to the procedure. Chapter 3 : Article 8.3 which clearly states that:
“The member organization must submit the license (Club Licensing) issued by the association to participate in the competition. In case of not receiving the license (Club licensing), it will not be allowed to participate in the tournament. In case of the member organization not receiving the license, it will have the right to return to the Thai League level 3 according to the Thai League 3 competition procedure.”
Kasetsart, who finished 16th this season will now have the opportunity to stay in T2. Whether they want to stay or not is another matter. If not Kasetart then Customs and then Krabi.
Kasetsart did apparently clear T2 licensing as by the deadline for submission there were no outstanding financial complaints and some players had already been paid their arrears.
There is, predictably, no information from the club on any of its social media channels. Although CMFC does apparently have 7 days to appeal the licensing decision.
Updates will follow when available.
Wednesday 15th
“Bubble Yingrak” is reporting this morning that the Thai League sent a letter to Chiang Mai FC last night and confirmed that it did not pass “Club Licensing” in 2 areas which are “Structural Criteria” and “Financial Criteria”.
CMFC can file an appeal by 17 May. The club may also send a letter to ask to play in “Thai League 3” before 31 May.
For 2 topics that didn’t pass, the subject of “structure” is the Chiang Mai Municipality stadium.
But this issue should not be a problem as the club has played at the Municipal Stadium since 2021/21.
The big problem is “finance.” The required financial documents were simply not submitted in the first place.
If an appeal is filed there is currently no financial information to reconsider.
The report noted that there has been no communication with football fans and reminded the club owner that CMFC fans are waiting for answers.
Tuesday 21 May
It is an important day for CMFC and it’s stalled bid for a T2 license for 2024/2025.
CMFC submitted an appeal letter on May 17th. The deadline for submitting documents to the Thai FA is today, May 21st.
It is unclear when the Thai FA will reach their decision – but it really cannot be too hard to determine whether or not the club has met the license requirements.
Predictably in a year dogged by financial issues the club failed to provide any financial information in its license application. The only T2 club that failed to do so.
CMFC had, as in previous years, been withholding 3% of player and staff salaries; but had failed to remit these amounts to the Thai revenue. That amounted to about Baht 1 million.
No accounting firm had been retained to complete the financial statements for last season and to prepare a budget for the new season. That has been done in the last few days.
There are ex staff and players who have not received contractual severance amounts. At least two international staff have raised their dispute with FIFA.
Players and staff seeking answers from the owner have mostly been blocked from contacting him.
There are talks with a possible investor – though of course as an asset CMFC is more attractive as a T2 than a T3 club. But new owners are expected to have to take on some Baht10 million of debts.
Further – and I have not been able to verify this – there is apparently a requirement that club ownership can only change after two years. That would leave the current owner as a nominal head of the club while new investors are brought in to manage the club on a day to day basis. It is not hard to see where that could all go wrong.
Thursday 22nd
The Chiang Mai FC facebook page, yes I am still blocked, has not been updated in ten days:
Comments from the last week – translated from Thai – include:
Update the news. Football fans want to know.
If it’s going to be this quiet, let’s close the page.
Are you still alive? Come out to say or post anything about the latest news. Let football fans understand and solve the problem.
Wow Chiang Mai is down. Selling the team and nobody buys. They deserve it hahaha.
Either today or tomorrow, the club should come out and explain the issue of club licensing. Not letting football fans know the news from other places first. We’ve loved each other for a long time. Don’t play with feelings.
Ugh, will you drop to t3?
don’t say just T3. Will the team continue or not?
This is a thank you from the management. Thank you by punching the fans in the face like this? I know that if I don’t want anything, I won’t continue. But I don’t think that I will abandon the fans to this point. From winning the Thai League to T3, if it really happens, it’s really a joke, hurting, destroying the faith and feelings of football fans.
There is no clarification, movement or communication at all. Especially about the club licensing. Can I say something? The football team for some fans is a valuable part of their life. If it’s like this, it’s no different from playing and selling stuff. If you have anything, please communicate. So that the fans will not be disappointed.
Dennis Kisilev wrote this on the club’s facebook after the Kasetsart game:
Why did you guys ban respected fans? What is wrong with you? For what reason? I don’t know who made more for the club popularisation in the English-speaking community than Robert Scott and Simes Salmon
You’d better use your resources to attract more and more fans, but instead you do this… Shame on you.
29 May 2024
Still nothing from the club or the Thai FA. There is a graphic doing the rounds showing all of the 18 clubs in T2 next season – but CMFC is there because the club is still in the appeal process. There is no reason, yet, for it not to be listed.
On Facebook posters are asking the club for an update – but as one comment notes: “It’s all broken now. Image reputation that has been built for over 10 years.“
And cmfcenglish – which has not been updated for three months – has also been blocked from the official CMFC facebook page.
Breaking news this morning – 29 May.
While not official local reporter Bubble Yingrak has posted on Facebook that Chiang Mai FC’s licensing appeal has not been successful and that the club must drop from “Thai League 2” to play in “Thai League 3” next season.
The appeal failed “because the documents were not submitted according to the procedures from the beginning” — presumably the appeal documents were not complete.
According to the competition regulations, CMFC must be relegated to “Thai League 3” and must submit Club Licensing for Thai League 3 according to the procedures as well. This would be due in two days.
Kasetsart FC, the 16th ranked team last season, now has the right to play instead of CMFC according to competition regulations.
However, the Thai League may reconsider the number of Thai League 2 teams because many teams, although they have passed Club Licensing, have financial problems and are not ready to compete.
31 May
The Thai League today held a meeting with Thai league 2 clubs aiming to find a common direction in the next season after Chiang Mai FC was not granted a license for the new season.
League regulations grant 16th position Kasetsart the right to stay in T2 instead of CMFC but there is an issue there with complaints from players who are owed their salaries.
The Thai League is apparently proposing that next season 2024/25 will play with 17 teams and the following season will reduce to 16 teams. I really do not like a League with an odd number of teams. One team always has to sit out each week so you are never looking at a League where everyone has played the same number of games.
There is nothing official as yet. Too many media people jump on facebook and elsewhere to repeat these stories as fact. Fair to say that nothing is certain until the T2 fixtures are announced for next season. Kasetsart was clearly not the only other club with financial issues.
1 June
The two compensation cases for unpaid salaries that had been taken to the Thai FA have apparently been settled just before the end of the 31 May deadline – these were brought by the Thai coach, Big Golf, and by the goalkeeping coach, Khun Bang.
The total amount was about Baht 200,000.
This is basically petty cash compared to the amounts owed to foreign players – and at least two have taken their case to FIFA.
The Thai League stated that the two cases that were taken to them had to be cleared otherwise there would be not T3 license and CMFC would be playing, at best, in the Thai Amateur League.
But the remaining debt, according to a facebook post from Chiang Mai TV Live, is some Baht 8 million. That is in line with other estimates.
The problem remains who would take over the remaining debt while Khun Sand remains, for at least a year, as the legal owner and signing authority.
There is a rough translation of the Chiang Mai Live TV post here.
7 July 2024
There is an update today from Chiang Mai TV live. But with little new information.
Here is a rough translation of their post – which you can read in Thai here.
“An update on the progress of Chiang Mai FC. There is a new investment group in talks, and initial details of a deal have already been discussed. The problem for the investors is that they are unable to talk to the club president directly and have to work through a middle man.
According to the initial information, there are 2 proposals.
The first proposal assumes that Chiang Mai FC can continue in Thai League 2. In that case the new investors will talk about clearing the club’s Baht 8 million in debt and the team could continue in T2.
The second proposal assumes CMFC plays in League 3. Then Khun Sand must clear all the debts himself before passing the club to the new investors.
(The report does not address the obvious question of what happens is K. Sand does not clear the outstanding debts.)
The Chiang Mai Live TV report says that a detailed negotiation would again be required again as signing the documents for the next season must be done by the club’s president. (I am confused as that is presumably the case whether CMFC were accepted into T2 or T3. Khun Sand is expected to remain as the owner for a second year.)
For now there is no confirmation email from the Football Association of Thailand that Chiang Mai FC will be licensed to play in which league.
The report also noted that footballers’ salaries have not been cleared yet. In addition, there are former footballers whose contract was canceled, who are waiting for their contractual settlements. Questions raised by the players are not being answered.
Cases taken to FIFA will only add to the complications.
In conclusion Chiang Mai FC is standing at a crossroads. (Are we really waiting for the return of Madam Pang to address this issue….and if a club has failed T2 licensing can it really be re-instated weeks after the license appeal date?)
June 10 2024
The Thai FA met this afternoon following Madam Pang’s return to Thailand – seriously nothing can happen without her – and now it appears that not much can happen now she is back:
A rough translation of a post from Bubble Yingrak:
Summary of the Council meeting Football Sports Association No. 6/2024
Briefly summarize the main points
📍 Thai League 1: Live broadcast rights are not yet finalized. Deals are underway with both True and AIS.
📍Thai League 2: The 17 teams have not yet been finalized because of the need to adhere to competition regulations. Kasetsart still has the right to replace Chiang Mai FC.
📍Thai League 3: There has been discussion but no conclusion has been reached. Will the number of teams in each zone be increased or not? It was confirmed that ‘Siam Sport’ would take care of the operation. I have no idea what that means.
📍Other matters: Cancel the construction of a football training center in Samut Prakan according to the ‘FIFA’ support project. Prepare to find a new place instead.
11 June 2024
CM Live TV is still speculating….
Rough translation of a rather waffly post from earlier today:
“CMFC received an email that the club did not pass the licensing in Thai League 2.
There is no player left on the team because their contracts have expired – including the staff, coaches etc.
Salaries have not been paid leaving players and coaches, as well as club officials, waiting.
There are investment groups that are seriously interested in Chiang Mai FC. 3 groups have started to negotiate with the club president “Sand” Yosmetha Chanthrawiroj.
The owner initially proposed that any buyer should clear the club’s debt and pay a purchase price of Baht 5 million. But the response was that K. Sand clear the debt and reduce the trading fee.
Negotiations are expected to take place soon. The investor has already set a team budget and is ready to start work immediately.
Nakhon Chiang Mai municipality stadium will be closed for renovation. Another issue to resolve.
Football fans are waiting to see where the team will go. Who will be the coach? Where will the players come from? Who will be the sponsors? These are the main details that need to be address quickly.”
24 June 2024
A quick summary of the latest CMFC news.
CMFC has been granted a license for T3 in 2024/2025. The club would play in T3North – one of the weaker T3 divisions.
Khun Montri Hanchai, a former GM at CMFC and now the President of the Chiang Mai Sports Association, has helped to facilitate a deal between Khun Sand and new investors, who may or may not be Brazilian….
The team will go back to play at the 700 years old stadium.
There is talk of a team that fills its three foreign players quota but then recruits a squad primarily of local players.
As of 25 June the contract for the sale and purchase of the club has still to be signed. Patience is needed until the deal is signed and sealed.
26 June 2024
Shirtgate revisited
News from Kelme – last season’s shirt manufacturer – is that they have not yet been paid for the 25th anniversary shirts because the cheque, eventually handed over by CMFC for more than 1.3 million baht, bounced.
A bounced cheque is also a criminal offence in Thailand and can result in jail time. Kelme issued a statement yesterday on facebook.
Now I have a few questions – but we will get to that later.
Shirtgate: Chiang Mai FC’s 25th anniversary shirt has become a drama between the team and the manufacturer. Kelme state that CMFC has owed this payment for more than 6 months
Kelme insist that they are preparing to proceed with legal action.
Kelme added that they sent the shirts to the club to put the fans first; after dealing with criticism from the fans about non-delivery despite the fault being with the club.
Perhaps it is the impending change of owner that has prodded Kelme into action as they said in a post on a CMFC supporters club page that:
“The club never came out to explain the real reason. The club has never kept its promises and has never been held liable. Today, we, KELME, are obliged to inform fans of the situation. This debt and the bounced check case are tied to the legal entity which is the company that manages the club.”
“Change of club owner, change of shareholders, this debt is still “club debt”,” said a statement from Kelme.
So Baht 1.3million for 2,025 shirts was the price from the manufacturer; ie Baht 642 each. CMFC was selling those same shirts to fans for Baht 1,190; a mark-up of 85%.
Fans then paid for the shirts directly to the club. Where did that money go? how was it used?
Those shirts were eventually delivered to fans in time for the May 11th play off game against Nakhon Si United – five months later than promised.
But why did Kelme release them without confirming that payment had been made in full. And why did it take six months for Kelme to take action. See notes above where Kelme said that they did it for the fans.
In addition why did Kelme continue to promote the sale of the 25th anniversary shirts on the Kelme facebook page until mid May- despite being unpaid?
Why did the non-payment of Kelme not come up in the purchaser’s due diligence? What else is lurking in the woodwork.
With some Thai and foreign players, ex-players and staff still owed salary and severance payments and at least two cases now at FIFA.
And how on earth does a club with these historic liabilities and a record of non-payment pass the financial criteria of any league licensing?
27 June 2024
I have questions for Kelme Thailand:
Dear KELME Thailand.
I have some questions for you after your “bouncing cheque” post on a Chiang Mai FC supporters club page yesterday. This issue does seem to be in part of your own making.
1. When did you first receive the cheque for Baht 1.3 million?
2. When did you seek to bank the cheque when did you become aware that it would not be honoured?
3. Why did you release the shirts to CMFC in May when the payment was either not received or not cleared…..to say that you did it for the fans is weak – if that was the case it should have been done sooner?
4. Why is this an issue now – because of the impending change of ownership? Have you had talks directly with the new investors? Were the new investors aware of this issue as part of their investment due diligence?
5. With all due respect, unless you were living in a bubble, you must have been aware of significant payment issues at CMFC – you used a number of foreign players in your marketing – yet you had to know that they were not being paid….and had in most cases not been paid since January 2024. That should have made you question whether any payment to you would be made in good faith; it should also have encouraged you to seek payment at an earlier opportunity rather than to wait six months.
6. Assume that say 1,000 of the 2,025 shirts were pre-ordered at Baht 1,190. Are you aware of how that Baht 1.2 million paid by fans for these shirts has been used. Has any of it been remitted to you?
7. Are there any other issues for instance relating to payment for the home, away and third kits that we should be aware of?
Best regards.
Kelme’s response was within minutes:
“Thank you for you concern and support. However I am not authorized to answer to any questions right now as it’s being transferred to the company’s lawyer.
Hope you understand!”
I doubt that Kelme will like my reply:
“I understand. But, you should have given a much clearer explanation on the supporters’ club facebook page. Instead you left a lot of questions unanswered and in all honesty did your company no favours at all. Hope that is clear.”
28 June 2024
Reuter Moreira is rumoured to become the new Chiang Mai FC head coach – https://transfermarkt.com/reuter-moreira/profil/trainer/50902…
At least he knows his way around T3.
3 July 2024
It has been a quiet last few days after the rumoured investors required further discussions in respect of the KELME shirts payment default.
But – there is worse to come:
ThinkCurve is reporting today on facebook that 29 ex-CMFC players are uniting to submit complaints about non payment to the Thai League….with some Baht 5 million owed to Thai and foreign players including wages and bonuses.
Apparently the intent was to pay a full month of outstanding salaries at the time of the T2 playoffs. CMFC management – in reality there was no management just the owner – then issued cheques for just one half of a month.
Players were unable to cash their cheques and united to send a complaint to the Thai League.
This is on top of the KELME complaint and any cases that have been taken to FIFA.
The last rites of CMFC – my longer update on the events of 3 July and the moves being taken for the dissolution of CMFC. There remains a faint tinge of hope.
7 July 2024
On 3 July Chiang Mai FC submitted a letter to the Thai League announcing the dissolution of CMFC
Apparently new investors are still negotiating in advance of the 9 July deadline for the T3 divisions to be created for the new season.
Elsewhere it was reported that four players will move from CMFC to Kasetsart namely Suchanan Malison, Seksit Srisai, Panyawat Nisangram and Jakkapan Phornsai.
The latest investors at Kasetsart include a capital group from Rangsit boxing stadium. As alwayw Kasetsart will have a fight on there hands.
A head coach has been appointed – the much traveled Santi Chaiyapheauk who has left Trat FC.
Khun Santi worked with Jakkapan and Seksit when he was coach at both Muangthong and Ayutthaya.
I am surprised that no bigger club has come in for Suchanon – he is a proven goalscorer.
Stenio has had his say at last: It is well-written and heart-felt but if I was being uncharitable it is about six months to late. The horse has already bolted.
Curiously it was posted as a story – and disappeared 24 hours later. It should be part of the permanent record of what went wrong.
Stenio was captain of the team and the leader of the squad. While other players were protesting about non-payment and refusing to train, Stenio was publicly silent and lined up as the one foreign player in the squad each week.
Stenio and Chitchanok had become allies of the owner – Khun Sand – and had alienated teammates in the process. Off the pitch this was not a united team. Chitchanok was, it seems, immune from the salary concerns as he was on the BGPU payroll.
Stenio was likely looking towards the future and where he could play in 2024/2025. Maybe he thought it was a good time to show loyalty to the owner.
A combination of pressure and frustration all seemed to boll over at the end of the final home league game against Chainat when he saw red, literally and figuratively, and received a four match ban and a sizeable fine.
7 July 2024 part two
Rumours of a white knight flying into Chiang Mai and looking to cancel the withdrawal notice that the club has already sent to the League – more details here.
8 July 2024
Chiang Mai FC has now announced their intent to remain in the Thai League but have also requested a further week to negotiate terms with the proposed new investors.
“Big Tai” Montri Hanchai delivered a letter to the Thai FA and Thai League for their 9 July meeting. The contents have not been revealed but Himsanam on Facebook disclosed that Chiang Mai FC has stated that they will not leave the League but require an additional week to negotiate with the new capital group.
13 July 2024
No news is usually considered good news. I am less than convinced that applies for the future of CMFC.
15 July 2024
Apparently today is the final deadline for CMFC – and for the transfer of money to purchase the club….
But how much?
Paid by whom?
Paid to whom?
And how does that get paid out to the people that the club owes money to – how will we know that Kelme, Yoo BS, Albert Garcia etc have all been paid in full
How will the league be able to confirm that all amounts due have been paid?
Lots of questions!